Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [164]
Caraway (25-0927; dishes ¥630-940; 11.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun) This Japanese-style curry shop has an old-world charm and some unusual preparations. Go for the classic beef curry, or spring for chicken curry with Edam cheese; there’s an English menu. It’s a white building with a tile fringe over the door.
Fūrin (0120-86-4411; most dishes ¥700-1890; 11am-10.30pm) Upstairs from Kamakura Station, Fūrin is a smart sushi joint where sake and spirits flow at night and very filling sashi-mi sets go for ¥1600. Weekday lunch specials include sliced tuna sets (¥1365) and tempura bowls (¥950); an English menu is available.
Bowls Donburi Café (61-3501; most meals ¥750-1250; 11am-midnight; ) The owner of this jazzy new spot with English menus believes anything can be a donburi (rice bowl), and he has turned this humble dish into an art form. You’ll find yummy rice toppings like sashimi, ginger pork, and salmon avocado here (there are vegetarian options too) – plus, you get a discount if you discover the word atari in the bowl, underneath the food. There’s an English sign over the doors.
Horetarō (23-8622; most dishes ¥1000-1300, all-you-can-eat from ¥1575; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun) Okonomiyaki and monjayaki (Osaka- and Tokyo-style savoury pancakes, respectively) are the thing here; grill them yourself. All-you-can-eat-and-drink sets, including alcoholic drinks, are ¥3150 for 2½ hours. There’s an English menu. Look for the traditional banners and lanterns outside.
Snackers will love Komachi-dōri. Kamakura Ichibanya (22-6156; 9am-6.30pm) specialises in sembei (rice crackers); watch staff grilling them in the window or buy some 70 packaged varieties, including curry, garlic, mentaiko (spicy cod roe) or uni (sea urchin); look for the baskets on the corner. Imo-no-kichikan (25-6038; 10am-6pm) is famous for soft-serve sweet-potato ice cream (¥295). Look for the giant plastic cone with lavender-hued ice cream.
Bar Ram (60-5156; drinks from ¥500; 7pm until late) Kamakura is pretty monastic at night, but this hole in the wall in the lanes off Komachi-dōri is a tachinomiya (drink-while-standing bar) with plenty of old Rolling Stones vinyls and friendly banter. Look for the English sign.
Getting There & Away
JR Yokosuka line trains run to Kamakura from Tokyo (¥890, 56 minutes) and Shinagawa stations, via Yokohama (¥330, 27 minutes). Alternatively, the Shōnan Shinjuku line runs from the west side of Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, all ¥890) in about one hour, though some trains require a transfer at Ōfuna, one stop before Kita-Kamakura.
The JR Kamakura-Enoshima Free Pass (from Tokyo/Yokohama ¥1970/1130) is valid for two days, covering the trip to and from Tokyo/Yokohama and unlimited use of JR trains around Kamakura, the Shōnan monorail between Ōfuna and Enoshima, and the Enoden Enoshima line. The Odakyū Enoshima/Kamakura Free Pass (from Shinjuku/Machida ¥1430/990) is valid for one day but goes to Katase-Enoshima Station and Fujisawa Station (where it meets the Enoden line), not Kamakura Station.
Getting Around
You can walk to most temples and shrines from Kamakura or Kita-Kamakura Station. Sites in the west, like the Daibutsu, can be reached via the Enoden Enoshima line from Kamakura Station to Hase (¥190) or bus from Kamakura Station stops 1 to 6. Bus trips around the area cost either ¥170 or ¥190. Another good option is renting a bicycle; Rent-a-Cycle Kurarin (24-2319; per hr/day ¥600/1600; 8.30am-5pm) is outside the east exit of Kamakura Station, and right up the incline. Local rickshaw rides start at ¥2000 per person for 10 minutes.
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EAST OF TOKYO
Chiba-ken, east and southeast of Tokyo, has few attractions for travellers, save some decent beaches on the Pacific side of the Bōsō-hantō peninsula near Ōhara. An overlooked destination in Chiba-ken is the city of Narita, which most visitors will pass through from its airport.
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NARITA
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