The Great Buddha, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Photo: Ray in Manila via Flickr · CC BY 2.0
神奈川KANTŌ
KANTŌ · 神奈川県 · Japan

Kanagawa

The Great Buddha of Kamakura, the port city of Yokohama, and Hakone's hot springs.

Just south of Tokyo, Kanagawa pairs the international port city of Yokohama with the temple-filled former capital of Kamakura and the volcanic hot-spring resorts of Hakone. It's an easy day-trip prefecture combining harbor skylines, the open-air Great Buddha, and seaside island views.

Kanagawa (神奈川) was Japan's medieval capital: Kamakura (鎌倉) ruled as the seat of the shogunate from 1185, and its bronze Great Buddha (大仏) has sat in the open air since the 13th century. Yokohama (横浜) opened to the world in 1859.

Yokohama-shi 横浜市Kamakura-shi 鎌倉市Enoshima 江の島
Where it isKanagawa, KANTŌ
The Great Buddha of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
The Great Buddha of Kamakura
Hakone Shrine, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Hakone Shrine
Samukawa Shrine, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Samukawa Shrine
Koganecho, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Koganecho, Yokohama

Photos: The Great Buddha of Kamakura — gregor_y via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hakone Shrine — BlackRose4627 via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Samukawa Shrine — mrhayata via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Koganecho, Yokohama — rururukiri via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0

01

Getting there

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Yokohama ~30 min, Kamakura ~1h, Hakone ~1h25m from Tokyo by train.

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02

What to see

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The Great Buddha, Kōtoku-in, Kanagawa Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kotoku-in)

13th-century bronze Daibutsu, one of Japan's largest; visitors can step inside the hollow statue.

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Hakone Shrine torii on Lake Ashi, Kanagawa Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

Kamakura's most important Shinto shrine, founded 1063, dedicated to Hachiman and central to the city's samurai history.

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Hakone Shrine, Kanagawa Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Hakone Shrine (Lake Ashinoko torii)

Lakeside shrine at the foot of Mt. Hakone, famous for its red torii gate standing in Lake Ashinoko.

MapOfficialTickets
03

What to eat

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Yokohama Chinatown, Kanagawa Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Yokohama Chinatown (nikuman & shumai)

Japan's largest Chinatown; famous for pork buns (nikuman) and steamed shumai dumplings, plus a local Chinese-influenced ramen called sanma-men.

Shirasu-don, Kanagawa Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Shirasu-don (Shonan whitebait bowl)

A Kamakura/Shonan signature: soft, slightly salty whitebait served over rice. Raw nama-shirasu is only available the day it is caught.

Yokosuka Navy Curry, Kanagawa Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Yokosuka Navy Curry

Hearty curry based on a recipe adopted by the former Imperial Japanese Navy from British beef stew; a defining dish of the port city Yokosuka.

04

Kanagawa at a glance

Food Culture Nature City Access how we rank all 47 →
05

Say it in Kanagawa

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Ask a local
Kirei desu ne.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Test yourself
Local word
daibutsu
Great Buddha — Kamakura's iconic bronze statue
Test yourself
One more
ii nagame desu ne.
What a nice view, isn't it?
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The Great Buddha of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Sleep in Kanagawa

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07

Next door

TokyoNeon, temples, and the world's best trains.ShizuokaMount Fuji, green tea fields, and the coastal Izu Peninsula.Play the 47-prefecture mapUnlock Kanagawa in the RPG-style explorer.

Links marked PR are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Photos: The Great Buddha — Ray in Manila via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · The Great Buddha of Kamakura — gregor_y via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hakone Shrine — BlackRose4627 via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Samukawa Shrine — mrhayata via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Koganecho, Yokohama — rururukiri via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · The Great Buddha, Kōtoku-in — skyseeker via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Hakone Shrine torii on Lake Ashi — psd via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Hakone Shrine — Ken_Lee via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Yokohama Chinatown — Focx Photography via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Shirasu-don — t-mizo via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Yokosuka Navy Curry — _Yuki_K_ via Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Map: Geolonia (MIT).