Exploring the Kanagawa Prefecture
After visiting Japan’s mesmerizing capital city, and with enough time in hand, it makes total sense to start exploring the surrounding regions. One of the most popular is Kanagawa. Although that name might not sound familiar to most people visiting the land of the rising sun (at least it was not to me), I guess names such as Yokohama and Kamakura are more mainstream. These two places are found within this Japanese prefecture.
As part of my winter trip to Tokyo at the beginning of 2023, I had the opportunity to visit this neighboring Japanese prefecture for a one-day trip. I admit that the itinerary for this day was put together by my Japanese friend, but I gladly accepted it since the aim was to visit as many landmarks and other places of photographic interest as possible (I am pretty sure my own plan would have looked similar). The itinerary was divided in three parts: morning in the hills around Kamakura Station, afternoon by the sea, and evening in Yokohama City. There was a lot of walking and commuting involved.
During the winter, temperatures in this region of Japan hover around 5°C, surrounded by a healthy dose of mountains that paint beautiful shades of green and yellow. The natural beauty is paired harmoniously with the devotion to aesthetics characteristic of Japanese religious sites and neighborhoods.
Morning in Hokokuji Bamboo Forest, the Great Staircase and Sasuke Inari Shrine
To start the day, we took an early train from Tokyo and arrived at Kamakura Station with enough time to avoid the tourist crowds that are so common in practically any time of the year in Japan, and take advantage of the soft sunlight of the early morning. The effort paid off very well since we had plenty of time to photograph the small yet lovely Hokokuji Bamboo Forest before more people could get in. We even had a wonderful cup of hot matcha tea that made a wonderful substitute for my usual morning coffee.
Back at Kamakura Station, we followed the crowds to get to the top of the Great Staircase of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shinto shrine. The view of Kamakura from this high point as well as the crowds climbing the staircase like a tight unit was something to remember.
The last stop before lunch was the relatively unknown Sasuke Inari Shinto shrine (judging by the low affluence of tourists). Here, we spent some time shooting the toriis (the name for those photogenic red arches found in Japanese temples) adorning the staircase and leading to the shrine tucked within a hill. As part of the local folklore, shrines in Japan usually have a “special trait”, and this one was no exception. From the first torii to the top of the staircase, several figurines in the shape of foxes could be found everywhere.
Afternoon at the beach, Kotoku-In Buddhist Temple and Goryo Shinto Shrine
After spending the morning around Kamakura Station, it was time to enjoy a clear day of winter in Katase Higashihama Beach, right at the southwest border of Kamakura. We grabbed some convenience store goodies and sat on the beach for a quick lunch. Little did we know that a bunch of black kites (a bird species) were hovering over our heads, ready to snatch our food right from our hands.
With all our fingers still in our hands, we decided to minimize the risk of losing any body part to the kites and kept exploring some alleys and the remaining landmarks of Kamakura.
Evening at Yokohama
In sharp contrast to what we had seen earlier in the day, the city of Yokohama at night was another good display of the Japanese futuristic vibes of its urban centers. The city is also part of the Tokyo metropolitan area.
After walking around Chinatown looking for some street food, the observation deck on top of the Yokohama Landmark Tower occupied most of our evening time before getting back to Tokyo. The views of the bay from this point are amazing, including the cityscape of Tokyo from afar with its distinctive landmarks.
Here’s a small vlog of this day trip in Kanagawa prefecture to illustrate better the winter vibes of this lovely Japanese destination:
For a detailed travel guide to Tokyo, click here. If photography is your thing, here is a list of my best spots within Japan’s capital during the winter.
For more travel stories, drone movies and other short clips, click here.