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Golden Week 2025 – Day 3 – More Kamakura and Enoshima Island

My third day of Golden Week, second day of Kamakura was initially going to take me to Enoshima in the morning. Instead I redirected and planned for Enoshima in the afternoon.
I do not recommend this when traveling alone for reasons I will detail later.

Other than that, I had a pretty excellent time and got to see a lot of very interesting things.

Morning

I started off with another early morning, taking the train a few stops to Hase to see some temples.

Places visited: Kosoku-ji Temple, Hasedera, Joju-in, Kotoku-in, Sasuke Inari Shrine, Gokuraku-ji, Zeniarai Benten Shrine, Cape Inamuragasaki, some pretty cool shops : )

Afternoon

In the afternoon I made my way toward Inoshima. Stopping by another temple before heading to the island.

Places visited: Ryuko-ji, Katase-Enoshima Station

Enoshima

I finally made it to Enoshima and my overall impression was less than spectacular. It was quite crowded, and there wasn’t any service on the island. I made my way across the island to the Iwaya Cave. It was ok.
I think this location is ideal for people in groups. I really just stood in line for most of my time, and the lack of service left me alone with my thoughts. My lonely, lonely thoughts.
I didn’t end up making it to all of the attractions. So I would sort of like to go again. Probably with another person though.

Also I had ramen for dinner with a Suntori Highball. Then I stumbled home drunk.
Haha just kidding. I was only slightly inebriated.

Places visited: Zuishinmon Gate, Enoshima Shrine – Hetsunomiya, Enoshima Shrine Nakatsunomiya, Enoshima Shrine Okutsumiya, Enoshima Iwaya Cave

Golden Week 2025 – Day 2 – Kita-Kamakura

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The rest of my Golden Week trip was spent in Kamakura. Here are pictures from the first day there.
I immensely enjoyed my time there and have some tentative plans to return for a pottery class or two this summer.

Morning

I left Yokohama at around 7 in the morning and arrived in Kita-Kamakura.
Most places open later in the afternoon, but I did find a coffee shop that was open early. I ate a pretty delicious sandwich and started making my way through some temples and shrines.

Places visited: Jōchi-ji, Eishō-ji Temple, Kencho-ji, Hansōbō Shrine, Meigetsu-in, Butsunichian, Engaku-ji

Early Afternoon

Around 11 I backtracked into the hills to visit Takara no Niwa, a quaint venue that hosts events like tea ceremonies. They also have some pottery classes I am interested in trying out.
At the time, curry and drinks were being sold. I bought an un-pictured pudding.

Afternoon

After my pudding break, I returned to sightseeing. Crowds were getting much denser, but wandering through neighborhood roads was still very enjoyable.
The highlight of this portion was definitely the Kitakamakura Old Private House Museum. There were a lot of beautiful and interesting works on display.
The goldfish art was particularly adorable.

Places visited: Kitakamakura Old Private House Museum, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, probably a few others I forgot to mark down

Late Afternoon to Sunset

After several hours of sightseeing and temple visits, I headed into town to check out some shopping. It was very crowded and the extent of my visit was just walking down Komachi Street.
I did end up buying the famous Hato Cookie Omiyage, and several strawberry jams to give as gifts.
After filling my arms I made my way to my accomodation where I would get cleaned up before heading back out for dinner.
It was a hamburger.

Places visited: Former Residence of Marquis Kachō Hironobu, Komachi Street, Kamakura Station (passed by)

Golden Week 2025 – Day 1 – Yokohama

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These are the photos from my first holiday of Golden Week. In Japan Golden Week is a cluster of Holidays usually in early May. A lot of people travel during this time, so tourist spots can be quite busy.

I started the holiday off in Yokohama, leaving around 7 in the morning. I made my way through a lot of exciting tourist areas, but due to the crowds some places on my list were left off.

I would love to go again when things may be a bit quieter.

I wonder if you would like to go with me : )

Morning

I boarded a Fukutoshin train that brought me to the end of the line at Motomachi-Chuukagai. There I began exploring the more Westernized gardens and architecture.

Places visited: Harbor View Park, Saint Maur, Myokoji Temple, America Yama Park

Saint Maur, Uncle Tom’s former teaching job

Early Afternoon

Around 11 I made my way to Yokohama Marine Tower. The view was pretty incredible, although I would see a better one later in the day.

I also passed through Yamashita Park and made a turn back inland to experience Yokohama’s Chinatown. It was very packed, my main goal was to look at some of the architecture and visit Kuan Ti Miao, but I was also hoping to do a bit of shopping for some omiyage.

I abandoned that idea due to the crowds in every store. Kuan Ti Miao also wasn’t much fun. I’ve never reacted well to incense, and the temple had a very strong odor.

Places visited: Yokohama Marine Tower, Yamashita Park, Yokohama Chinatown, Kuan Ti Miao Temple, Yokohama Park

Late Afternoon

After Chinatown, I made my way to Yokohama park, where sports fans were gathering for an event at Yokohama Stadium. I had a decent lunch at an American BBQ restaurant, then made my way to Shinko for more sightseeing. Th area was pretty packed from the parade, but I did make my way through one of the Red Brick Warehouses.

After walking along the Pier I made my way past the Nippon Maru and headed up to the Sky Garden observation deck.

Places visited: Shinko, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, Kishamichi Promenade, Sail Training Ship Nippon Maru, The Sky Garden

Sunset and Goodnight!

After coming down from the observation deck, I walked through the Landmark Plaza Shopping mall, busy for obvious reasons. And also busy with Star Wars fans. Golden Week occurred during May the 4th, and several places had Star Wars merchandise and live shows.

Then, I made my way to the Yokohama Museum of Art. It had apparently reopened after a few years of closure for renovations. The atmosphere was excellent and I saw a lot of pieces I really enjoyed.

Afterward I headed to Rinko Park to look at the water. There was some sort of Harry Potter viewing event so things were pretty busy there too.

I finished up the day by heading to my capsule hotel. That was a pretty exciting if somewhat cramped experience.

Places visited: Landmark Plaza, Yokohama Museum of Art, Rinko Park, Shinko (again), My first capsule hotel