Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [160]
Getting There & Away
Frequent JR and private-line trains from Tokyo serve JR Yokohama Station, where you can change for Sakuragi-chō (¥130, three minutes), Kannai (¥130, five minutes), Ishikawa-chō (¥150, eight minutes) or the more expensive local subway. Take the Keihin Kyūkō line from Shinagawa Station (¥290, 18 minutes), or the Tōkyū Tōyoko line from Shibuya Station (¥260, about 25 minutes), which becomes the Minato Mirai subway line to Minatomirai (¥440, 28 minutes) and Motomachi-Chūkagai (¥460, 30 minutes).
From Tokyo Station, JR’s Keihin Tōhoku and Tōkaidō lines stop at Yokohama Station (¥450, 30 minutes); some continue on to Sakuragi-chō, Kannai and Ishikawa-chō (all ¥540). The Tōkaidō shinkansen stops at Shin-Yokohama Station, northwest of town, connected to the city centre by the Yokohama line.
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
Yokohama Station has connections to Narita airport via Narita Express trains (N’EX; ¥4180, 1½ hours) or Keihin Kyūkō Airport Narita line (¥1450, two hours, including transfers) and limousine buses to/from the Yokohama City Air Terminal (YCAT, Sky Building east of Yokohama Station, next to Sogō department store; Narita airport ¥3500, two hours; Haneda airport ¥560, 35 minutes).
Getting Around
BICYCLE
The stylish staff at Green Style (662-1414; 2-5-8 Yamashita-chō; per 3hr ¥1000; 11am-8pm Fri-Tue) rents bicycles on a back street nearYamashita-kōen.
BOAT
Sea Bass (671-7719) ferries connect Yokohama Station, Minato Mirai 21 and Yamashita-kōen. Boats run between approximately 10am and 7pm. Full fare from Yokohama Station to Yamashita-kōen is ¥700 (20 minutes). Suijō Bus (201-0821; 1-1 Kaigan-dōri; adult/child ¥500/200; 1-5pm Tue-Fri, noon-6pm Sat & Sun) runs ferries between Minato Mirai, Ōsanbashi and Renga Park.
BUS
Although trains are more convenient, Yokohama has an extensive bus network (adult/child ¥210/110 per ride). A special Akai-kutsu (red shoe) bus loops every 30 minutes during the day through the tourist areas for ¥100 per ride or from ¥500 to ¥830 for a day pass.
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KAMAKURA
0467 / pop 173,000
The capital of Japan from 1185 to 1333, Kamakura rivals Nikkō as the most culturally rewarding day trip from Tokyo and is often less crowded. Many Buddhist temples and the occasional Shintō shrine dot the surrounding countryside here. If you start early you can cover a lot of ground in a day, but two days will also allow you to visit the temples of East Kamakura and take some nice walks – even a swim at the beach! Kamakura does tend to get packed on weekends and in holiday periods, so plan accordingly.
History
The end of the Heian period was marked by a legendary feud between two great warrior families, the Minamoto (Genji) and the Taira (Heike). After the Taira routed the Minamoto, the third son of the Minamoto clan, called Yoritomo, was sent to live at a temple in Izu-hantō. When the boy grew old enough, he began to gather support for a counterattack on his clan’s old rivals. In 1180 Yoritomo set up his base at Kamakura, far away from the debilitating influences of Kyoto court life, close to other clans loyal to the Minamoto and, having the sea on one side and densely wooded hills on the others, easy to defend.
After victories over the Taira, Minamoto Yoritomo was appointed shōgun in 1192 and governed Japan from Kamakura. When he died without an heir, power passed to the Hōjō, the family of Yoritomo’s wife.
The Hōjō clan ruled Japan from Kamakura for more than a century until, in 1333, weakened by the cost of maintaining defences against threats of attack from Kublai Khan in China, the Hōjō clan was defeated by Emperor Go-Daigo. Kyoto once again became the capital.
Orientation
Kamakura’s main attractions can be covered on foot, with the occasional bus ride. Cycling is also practical (Click here for details). Most sights are signposted in English and Japanese. You can start at Kamakura Station and travel around the area in a circle (Komachi-dōri ‘shopping town’ and broad Wakamiya-ōji are the main streets east of the station), or start one station north at