Is This Tokyo’s Best Beach Escape? Kamakura in 1 Perfect Day

Just 1 hour from Tokyo, there's a coastal getaway where beaches meet century-old temples, Mount Fuji sets the horizon on fire, and where every bite feels like an adventure of its own. This is Kamakura, and today I'm taking you from sand to shrines, chasing the best views, biggest flavors, and moments most visitors miss. But is this Tokyo's ultimate beach escape? Let me show you. Ohayō and good morning, my friends. Right now we are on Yuigahama Beach, which is the main beach here in Kamakura, and it is the perfect place to start any day—especially this one—for our adventure. And look at the day that we got. Amazing blue skies, soft sand, gentle waves, and this breeze that is just perfection. And that breeze actually makes for some really good windsurfing and surfing, which makes this one of the most accessible surfing destinations in Japan. And there are so many people out there right now enjoying these waves. There's beginners, experts, you can take lessons. And if surfing isn't your thing, you can just float around in the water, go jet skiing, or hang out on the beach, which is pretty awesome. And this isn't just beautiful—it's also a Blue Flag beach, which is only one of 12 in Japan. And that means that it has exceptionally clean water, safety like lifeguards from 9 until 5. They also have some of the cleanest sand that I have ever seen. And every morning there are people out here picking up the small pieces that float in on the tide. And it's just a super special place. And sorry for this, but since I woke up this morning, I have had that Beach Boys song stuck in my head. You know the one. 🎵 Let's go surfing now. Everybody's learning how. Come to Kamakura with me. Come to Kamakura with me early in the morning. We'll be starting out some honeys. We'll be heading our way. We're loading up our booty with our boards inside and heading out singing our song. Come surfing safari. Come surfing safari. 🎵 Sorry. I cracked myself up. And there's more to the beach than just the beach. There's also a lot of restaurants where you can go and chill, as well as bars. And at night, the sunsets here are just amazing as you watch the surfers come in and the sun come down behind the mountain on the end of the beach. So special. I love coming down here at night and during the day and in the afternoon. Okay, any time of the day, this is a great place to be. And getting here is super easy from Tokyo. It's about an hour ride from most of the main stations. And when you arrive at Kamakura Station, you just hop right on the Enoden Line for two stops to the Yuigahama Station, and then it's a 5-minute walk right down to this beautiful beach. So, what do you think of the beach so far? Would you come here for the chill or the thrill? Leave me a comment down below and let me know. Now, as great as this beach is, it does get a little bit crazy during the day. So I'm about to take you to a much calmer one, as well as this viewpoint that has some amazing views. But before we go, there is something that I wanted to bring up that is really important—potentially save-your-life important. Whenever you are on the beach or coast in Japan, you need to be aware of tsunamis. And two weeks ago, when I was here, I was not aware, and the tsunami alarms went off while I was standing right on this very spot. And it was terrifying. Fortunately, the local people were so kind and helped me find the tsunami shelter and also just really made the whole experience bearable. And I'm so grateful to them. So thank you to all of those Kamakura locals. You are the best. But if I had been prepared, I could have handled the situation much better. And being prepared means keeping those peepers peeping for things like the tsunami evacuation routes, as well as the signs that tell you the safe zones and elevations that you should be at. And I wasn't paying attention because I didn't even think of it. So it could have potentially cost me my life if that tsunami had come. I actually made a video of the entire experience. If you want to check it out, I'll put a link down below. But I just—I know how easy it is to forget about the power of the ocean, especially on a day like this where it is so beautiful and so calm. But it can change in an instant. And the difference between life and death is knowing. So please be careful when you're here. I'm not saying to be scared, but if you're prepared, then you don't need to be scared. So please—I care about you—do the right thing. Be a responsible traveler and pay attention to these things. But that was a lot right there. Let's go have some more fun, head down to the end of the beach, and continue with this adventure. What a gorgeous day. The beach always brings out the best in me. And right now, we are on a 20-minute walk over to Cape Enomoragasaki to get that view. And along the way, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the very cool history and temples that are here. Because if you think that Kamakura is just beaches, then all I can really say is beach, please. Anyway, back in 1185, this is where the samurai empire began. And while they ruled for those hundreds of years, they actually shaped the art, architecture, and values of the Japan that we all love today. So when you're walking through the streets here, it's actually like you're walking in the steps of the samurai, which I just think is amazing. Now, they also have temples all over the city, but there are three that I really wanted to highlight because they are very special. The first one is Hasedera Temple, and it is a treasure here. When you go inside, they have these amazing gardens and koi ponds, and if you climb up to the top of the gardens, you actually get this incredible view of the city and beach. They also have thousands of Jizō statues, which are the protectors of children that have died, been unborn, or are missing. And you can go there and pay respect to them. It's a very special place and something that should be on the top of your list. The second one is the Hokokuji Temple, also known as the Bamboo Temple, and it has this beautiful bamboo forest that you can go and stroll through and just soak up that peace and nature. It is really special. And the final one — and my favorite — is the Great Buddha of Kamakura. This 13-meter bronze Buddha is the second largest in Japan and is known as the Buddha of perfect compassion and peace. And when you're standing there looking up at his face, you can really feel it. And you can even go inside of this massive Buddha statue. It was built in 30 different stages over 750 years ago. You can see the seams and how they put it together, all the way up to the Buddha's head. Pretty cool, right? You know, understanding the history of a place is the thing that makes it that much more special. And the beaches here are beautiful. The town is very cool. We're going to be going there in a little bit to check it out and eat some amazing food. But understanding how this tiny town helped to shape Japan is just like the next level. And I'm so grateful that I could share it with you. And I hope that when you come here, you can feel it too, because it's amazing. Now, we are just around the corner from our next destination on the cape, and I cannot wait to share it with you. But before we go over there, I wanted to thank some people that helped make today possible. And those are my newest patrons — Richard, John, Ken, and Tina. Your support and generosity are just so special, and you're what helps to keep me going, creating these adventures. So go, my friends. And if you would like to join my Patreon community, I will put a link in the description below. Now, let's head over and get that view I've been telling you about. And a little extra surprise — I'm going to be showing you one of the most amazing sunsets that I have ever seen in just a little bit, so make sure to stick around. Welcome to Cape Enomoragasaki. This is one of the best natural views that you can get of the ocean here in Kamakura. And just down below me is a small park with a massive view where you can lay in the grass, listen to the waves, watch the surfers down in the water, and just get this beautiful view of the coastline all the way out to the horizon — where on a clear day, you can see Mount Fuji. And right here is Enoshima Island, which is a really special place that you have got to check out when you are here. So, I am going to right now walk over to the train that we took down here this morning — it's about seven minutes away — take the seaside train down there, show you that beach I was talking about, and why you need to visit here. But first, check out that sunset I was telling you about, because it will blow your mind. This is one of those moments right now in traveling that I live for. And you know, I've dreamed of seeing Mount Fuji since I was just a little boy. And this is my first time seeing it — the mother of mountains right there on the horizon. She's there in the clouds. Look at how the light is shooting off into the sky, with the blue above it and the oranges and the yellows and the reds. And it is such a perfect moment. And being able to share it with you at home is what makes this so special for me, and I am so grateful for you being part of this journey. So go, my friends. Thank you. Now, let's get back to the fun. ell me that sunset was not amazing. I dream about it at night. It was so good. But right now, we are at Katase Nishihama, which is the beach that I've been telling you about. It is also a Blue Flag beach and one of the most popular in the area, but it's not normally that busy — especially because it is so wide. It also has much calmer water here because it's inside of a bay. So it's where you can really go and enjoy the water without too many of the waves. Right now it is the summer festival, so there are actually a lot of people here. They even have this little amusement park water slide thing out in the water, and people are out on their jet skis and set up in their tents for the day. It still doesn't feel too crowded. But if you come here in a week or in the off-season, there's not many people here at all, which makes it even more special. And right down at the end here is Enoshima Island. And this is a place that you could do an entire trip to for a day on its own. It's absolutely so cool. When you walk across the bridge, you go up this narrow road that passes through lots of shops and restaurants, and then you get to the entrance of the temple. Now, there are 236 steps that go up, and I recommend taking the steps. This way, you can have some extra dessert with me later. But if you don't want to, they also have an elevator. As you ascend the stairway to heaven — if you want to call it that — you actually walk through multiple different temples that are so gorgeous, with fountains. You come across these views of the ocean. There are restaurants and coffee shops that you can chill out in and just look out at the coast that are so nice. And as you continue up, you go through sort of a little town with more restaurants. And if you go all the way down to the end, you come to the ocean where you can sit on the water, and the waves are breaking on the rocks just a few feet away. And then if you follow the path, you will come to this really cool cave system that is filled with hidden Buddhas — and a dragon in one of them. And if you come down here during the day, I say come in the afternoon because you can go over to the Candle Lighthouse, which is definitely the prime-time spot here. And going up for sunset was really, really good. You head up to the top, and usually around 5:00 or 6:00, the air gets cool enough that you can actually see Mount Fuji — which is what I got to do. And it was like it wasn't there… and then it appeared out of nowhere. So cool. Then around 7:00 or 8:00 every night, they have fireworks right next to it — which is just a whole other layer of cool. And as you're walking down, you will actually come through all of these lantern-lit paths, as well as some of the temples lit up with these really colorful lights. And don't worry — the last train goes back to Tokyo around 11:00, so you have plenty of time to get there, because it's only about a 20-minute walk from the island back to the train station. And I know we've been talking about this as sort of a day trip, but I recommend coming out here for at least a few days if you have the time — because there is so much to do and so much to see. I'm also getting really hungry right now. I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty starving. So right now, I am going to head back into town to the train station, and we are going to go and explore the main street — Komachi Street — that has over 250 restaurants and shops in less than a kilometer. And we are going to eat so much food we might explode. I will see you there. All right, we have arrived back at Kamakura Station, and we just went out the east exit. And the street that we're heading to is just across the parking lot here. You can also get buses to all over the city from here to a lot of the very cool attractions that we didn't go to today. But man, I really like this place. It really is the ultimate escape — the ultimate beach escape — from Tokyo. Because it's not just beaches. And the beaches are great. But they have that history, those fireworks, the temples, the fun. And now… for the food. Welcome to Komachi Street. This is the most dangerous 350 m here in Kamakura. And it's dangerous because every step has something that you are going to want to put in your mouth. I'm talking savory, sweets — and there's some fun animal cafés along the way. But please don't put the animals in your mouth, people. No matter how cute they are. Anyway, I have already grabbed our first treat, which I think we're going to try at least six today. But the first one is right here. And these are some giant shrimp shumai. They were just steaming in the little steamer and they look absolutely shrimp-credible. Mmm. Wow. So tender. So juicy. There are some huge chunks of shrimp in there. And I can honestly say this is shrimplythe best. All right, let's keep going. Now, the next place I wanted to highlight is Dragon Burger. And I know you're thinking, "Adam, why are you eating a burger? You're in Japan." But the truth is — I'm American. I'm a carnivore. And I love burgers. And this place will really meat your expectations. I went with the wasabi burger, which has cheddar cheese, crispy onions, seaweed, and wasabi mayonnaise. It was delicious — and like a punch in the mouth. All right, so the next one I already took a bite of. Sorry. It just smelled so good. It's from the Giraffa Curry Bread Shop and it's really famous here. They have this really soft doughnut-like bread on the outside and it's filled with a curry made from beef, pork, and apples — and it is just appley amazing. Apple-credible. Pork-icious. Pork-ian. Wow. And cheese, apparently. Do you guys want a bite? Now, before I mentioned all of those animal cafés in town — so while we're pigging out, I wanted to share my favorite one, which is the Kamakura Pig Park right here behind me. For 800 yen, I got to spend 30 minutes with five of the cutest little pieces of bacon that you have ever seen. They were just cuddling up to me and it was so much fun. And that makes this part a little bit harder — but it was an oinking good time. I actually stopped by the Kama Ham Plus and picked up a little pig nose made from their fresh sausages as well as a traditional korokke — or a potato croquette — that is stuffed with bacon. So, let's jump into these. Mmm. Wow. That is crispy on the outside. The potato is so nice and warm. And there are big chunks of bacon in there. Okay, and now let's try our little pig nose. Oink oink. Oh wow. That's like Christmas ham right there. Amazing. There's nothing wrong with being cute and delicious. Man, this street is busy right now. I mean, I get it. There's so many shops to get souvenirs in, some nice clothes, restaurants, and of course — all of this street food. I wonder what we should have next... ooh, I see it right over here. Oi. Oishii! I'll take some oshi scallops. I am so excited. We're in Kamakura, we're at the beach — we have to have some fresh seafood. And I just ordered a local Kamakura beer as well. Wow, that is so good. So cold, so fresh, so Kamicoolura. And I can actually see them grilling up my scallops right now. I cannot wait to jump into that. Oh yes. Thank you. Thank you, arigatou. Look at these bad boys right there. Yeah. Dripping with seafood scallop deliciousness. Mmm. Wow. So tender, so firm. And that spice you just put on it just kicks it right up a notch. I love this. I'm going to wash it down with a little more beer. Wow. All right, so what should we do next? Is it time for sweets yet? I feel like we've done a lot of savory already. So I'm going to finish this up and we're going to go out and try some of the amazing desserts that they have here. I'll see you in a few. Oh... The best. All right, now the sweets hunt is on. Man, so much to eat here. I mean, I could literally spend a week just eating food on this street. We don't have a week — so let's go pack in some more. Hello! Could I do the, uh... yeah? Okay. Three minutes? Okay. Look at this thing! Oh my gosh — looks amazing. Let's go find a spot around the corner here. Oh yeah. I picked up a shaved ice from the Maison de Cacao. And it's more like a choco-vuvious than a shaved ice to me. Looks like it's erupting with flavor. Let's try this out. Get some of that whipped cream on there… Oh man. Wow. That is a chocolotta of flavor. And it's so perfect on this hot day. Like, I've been sweating all day — this is cooling me right down. It's like the shaved ice has the chocolate in it, and then there's more whipped cream, more chocolate, and chocolate chips in there. Wow. Oh — and I just got it all over me. That's why I'm not allowed to have nice things — literally all over me. Mmm. I'm going to finish this up and we're going to go find some more sweets. I have no idea how I made such a mess of myself already. So we did some chocolate dessert... how about some fruit dessert? Oh, my original Japanese candied apples. I think I have to try one of these. All right, so I got my candied apple. Very excited. I haven't had a candied apple since I was a little kid on Halloween, and my mom dressed me up as either a pterodactyl or an astronaut. Thanks, Mom. All the kids laughed at me 'cause I had to wear tights — but I still love you and I appreciate all that effort you put in for me. Let's unwrap this baby. Oh man. It's like a little piece of art. Look at that. Wow. I'm going to jump right into that. I don't even want to — it looks too good. All right, let's do it. Will it compare with an American authentic candied apple? We'll find out together. Oh yeah — that broke my teeth. Mmm. Wow, that's really good. That apple is so sweet. And the candy — it's almost like turning into bubble gum in there. Mmm. Need one more bite of that. Wow, that is really good. I really wasn't expecting to find a candied apple here in Japan, but they know what they're doing. Thank you for exposing me to my childhood love of candied apples. I appreciate you, Japan. What should we do next? H—maybe some matcha. Ooh, I've seen some matcha treats around here that have looked really good. And I'm pretty sure that the matcha soft serve or some of the other matcha stuff is going to go really well after this sweet—maybe mellow it down a little bit. Let's get back on the road. So, I'm out on the matcha hunt, but I saw this store with really cool stickers. And because I travel so light, I don't really have room for real souvenirs, so I usually go with stickers. And this place has thousands of some of the coolest that I have ever seen. And the staff is so nice. They speak English and they're so friendly, and they're helping me find the best ones. So, I will show you what I got when we get outside and find our matcha. But for right now—remember—support local business and always enjoy the journey. Thank you, Arato. All right. So instead of going with a matcha dessert, I went with some matcha latte and a treat, but I need to find a place to eat it. All right, I got my spot down one of the alleys. It's really busy today, but I get it. I do. Let me just take one more sip of this and then we'll try the dessert. Man, I love that so mucha. Sorry, I've been saving that one. And now for the flan. Mmm, I haven't had flan since I was in Mexico. Oh wow. It's like boom. So nice and firm. Look at that caramel dripping off of it. That's fantastic. I'm just going to say—you definitely can't miss this one. And I feel like the desserts in Japan are just slightly less sweet than other places. And it really lets you get the flavor of things. Even their wasabi is less wasabi. Oh, that is so good. I'm going to take a little sip of the juice down on the bottom... And a little more matcha. Wow. Flan, matcha latte—it's a matcha made in heaven. Sorry, that one just hit me. All right, there's a couple more places I want to stop as we head down the road. So, let's finish this up—or I'll finish this up—and I'll see you back out there. Oh wait, I forgot to show you my cool stickers that I got. That was a close one. Got my little B-side bag here. Now, I ended up getting five and they threw in an extra one as a gift. But they're so cool. So, I went with the shooting trip around-the-world Explore—that one works for me. This is a traditional one. It says “sauna” in the kanji—sauna 24 hours a day. I like that. And then there's this one—it says “tōno,” which is the term they use at Japanese saunas for after you get out of the hot and the cold, just sitting there naked as your body re-equalizes. This is the feeling that you get. It's the tōno. Also a very cool thing you should try out when you're here. I got one of the passes for the trains as a sticker—very cool. Great memory. I got one of these little cute guys—I forget what they're called—but they are very cool and a big part of Japanese culture. And then my favorite one: shark sushi. Uh, this one cracks me up. And then, where's the special one they gave me? That was a gift. Hold on. Hold on. It's probably in here... unless she pulled the switcho-chango on me. Oh, here it is! And that is Mount Fuji with some cool little cats down in the corner. Okay, now we can go and get the rest of our treats. Now, our next treat is Daibutsu Yaki—or Buddha Cakes. And if you are coming to Kamakura and not trying one of these cute little guys, then you are definitely missing out. Instead of being filled with Nirvana, they're filled with things like custard, red beans, or what I got: the blueberry jam and cream cheese. So, I'm really looking forward to this. I hear it is enlightenment for your taste buds. Let's try it out together. Look at that cute little guy—I love it. I feel so peaceful just looking at him. Mmm. Look at that right there—the blueberry, the cream cheese. Sort of like a waffle and a pancake put together. A real bite of Buddha bliss right here. Keep on going. All right, well we are almost at the end of the street. So, I am going to grab a beer and one last treat, and we are going to enjoy them together. Now it's time to say goodbye to Kamakura-Komachi. I ate so much I might be sick, but that's okay with me. We've actually reached the end of the road, but I did grab two amazing treats before we go. The first one is a local Kamakura beer. And the next one is a matcha crepe—it is crème brûlée flavored. Look at this thing—it is massive. Absolutely crazy. I just watched her make it—putting the layers of cream, and berries, and nuts, and then baking the top here. It was just fun to watch. But I cannot wait to taste it. Let me just take a sip of the beer first. Man, that's so good. All right, now check out the size of this—it is huge. I'm just going to bite right into the top. Mmm... all over my shirt. Once again—wow. This is like the best crème brûlée I've ever had. And then you throw it inside some fresh-made matcha crepe. That's uncrêpeing believable. But as I said, we are down at the end of the road now. And I think we had a pretty amazing day. The beaches, the weather, the Buddhas, the temples, the views, the fireworks, and then the food—this little extravaganza we just did. So, thank you so much for being here with me. And the adventures are not stopping anytime soon. I have so many more beautiful parts of Japan that I want to share with you. So make sure to stick with me. And if you enjoyed this video, please give me a big thumbs up, comment, subscribe, and don't forget to DLING, DLING, DLING, DLING the bell! I will see you soon, my friends. And arigatou gozaimasu for being here. Sayonara. Flan-el. A dessert I can depend on. There's no ifs, ands, or flans about it—this is delicious. These are definitely not going in this video. They're even bad for me. But that flan is flantastic.