Our starting point for our day trip to Kamakura was Tsurugaoka Hachimangū the most important Shinto shrine in the area.  The shrine was originally built in 1063 and moved to its current location in 1191.

For much of its history, for over 700 years until the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order in 1868, it was also a Buddhist Temple.  One of the oldest Buddhist Temples in the area.

The shrine today is a home of much cultural enrichment and entertainment.  There are coffee shops, a kindergarden and two museums (neither of which we visited).

We also visited at the start of the Cherry Blossom (sakura) season so the gardens were just starting to look like spring.

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to check out some of my other posts about our visit to Tokyo including other locations in Kamakura and also the Tokyo Disneyland Resort.