Date & Time: Friday, April 11, 2025; 7:40 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Spots: Hasedera Temple, Komachi-dori Street, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Myohonji Temple, Kotokuin Temple (Kamakura Daibutsu)
Visitors: A Peruvian-Australian couple with their mother and two children
Guides: Jinn and Natsu
Language: English
The Peruvian-Australian couple, Stella and Cajetano, with Stella (Stella’s mother), their daughter Martina and son Ernesto were a very lively family, ready to take every experience in Japan as an adventure. They arrived at their accommodation at Kanda on Tuesday evening, walked about Tokyo on Wednesday, and made an energetic day tour to Nikko on Thursday. Their Kamakura tour with KSGG guides was planned for Friday, their fourth day in Japan.
Stella and Cajetano had written a very detailed plan for the Kamakura tour beforehand. They wanted to stay in the historic city as long as possible and decided to start very early. The KSGG guides, Natsu and Jinn, went to meet them at Kanda, fearing any potential trouble during the morning rush. The station was crowded enough, and the family experienced some pushing and squeezing into the commuter train, as well as standing a long time in a queue at the crowded station restroom.
They changed trains at Shimbashi Station, where Jinn recommended “Green Car”*1 seats on the Yokosuka Line for Kamakura to get relaxed and conserve their energy for the rest of the day. It turned out to be a comfortable train journey from Shimbashi to Kamakura for all, chatting over some sweets and rice crackers. Jinn delivered a short lecture on the class hierarchy in the samurai period. Eleven-year-old Ernesto asked if ninjas still existed. Stella and her mother also had a lively chat with Natsu on the topic of child-rearing.
They arrived at Kamakura Station much later than expected because of the train delay. And there, each family member had to recharge their Suica prepaid card before entering the Enoden Line platform, which required some time. They patiently did it.
Because Cajetano was a skilled surfer, Jinn decided to take them to an Enoden station that gave a good view of Shichirigahama Beach. They didn’t get out of the station but stood on the platform and enjoyed the sea breeze for a while. Cajetano watched surfers practicing on the relatively gentle waves of the spring in Japan.
They went back to Hase, and they took a relaxed coffee break at a café next to the station, ordering different beverages. Time flew, and it was nearly 11 o’clock when they walked to their first destination, Hasedera Temple, where everyone enjoyed the special atmosphere of the temple garden and architecture. The family looked up at the huge gold-plated statue of the deity of mercy. Stella and Martina wanted to take more photos, but they had to be in a hurry to be on time for their lunch reservation at a restaurant near Kamakura Station.
For lunch, the vegetarian husband enjoyed a soba (buckwheat noodle) meal with specially-ordered vegetable tempura, while each of the family members had Japanese food of their own choice. They said happily that it was the first meal at a decent restaurant in Japan. To the guides’ surprise, they sounded as if they had been so busy that they had eaten only fast food for three days since they arrived in Japan.
In the afternoon, they walked to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine while admiring the rows of cherry trees in full bloom along the 450-meter-long Dankazura Promenade. Later, they visited Myohonji Temple*2. Amid the serene atmosphere and fresh greenery of the temple, the family witnessed three newlywed couples having their wedding photos taken by professional photographers. The family were all fascinated by the brides’ gorgeous kimono costumes.
Later, they returned to Hase to visit Kotokuin Temple, where the Great Buddha was a sight never to miss. Ernest fell in love with soft-serve ice cream sold at the souvenir shop behind the precinct. He even wanted to eat one the next day when he was in Kyoto. Later, he asked how to order it in Japanese on WhatsApp, and the guide taught him the way to say “so-who-toe cream”.
When it was time to say goodbye at Kamakura Station, each of them hugged their guides warmly and got on a Tokyo-bound train.
They said they were going on to Kyoto, Nara, and then to Hiroshima. Travelling with family members of different ages might be a tough job for the parents. Although they encountered unexpected things from time to time and plans didn’t always work out, this close-knit family surely enjoyed all they experienced in Japan.
*1 The Green Car of the JR Yokosuka Line is a double-decker coach that offers a semi-business class level of comfort.
*2 Myohonji Temple is one of the few temples in Kamakura that have escaped the present-day over-tourism. The view of the main hall with its grand and solemn roof, surrounded by deep, serene woods, makes visitors feel as if they were back in the samurai era.
2025-7-3