Plan your trip
Kamakura with kids
Table of contents
Kamakura is an easy day out with children if you stay by the sea: ride the little Enoden train to Hase, see the Great Buddha and Hasedera in the morning, and spend the afternoon at Enoshima Aquarium or on Enoshima island. Children pay about half on the Enoden (¥100 from Kamakura to Hase), ¥150 at the Great Buddha (under-sixes free) and ¥200 at Hasedera; the aquarium charges ¥1,300 for school-age children and ¥900 from age 3. The one decision for the afternoon is aquarium or island: the aquarium is flat and stroller-friendly, while the island means stairs.
A family-paced day: Hase and Enoshima
This route keeps walking short, rides the Enoden twice and puts the one long stop, the aquarium, where little legs are already tired. Walking times are the ones each place publishes.
| Leg | Time | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enoden Kamakura to Hase | 4 min | ¥200 | ¥100 |
| Hase Station to Kotoku-in (Great Buddha) on foot | 7 min | ¥300 | ¥150, under 6 free |
| Kotoku-in to Hasedera on foot | 5 min | ¥400 | ¥200 |
| Lunch in Hase | |||
| Enoden Hase to Enoshima | 19 min | ¥260 | ¥130 |
| Enoshima Station to Enoshima Aquarium on foot | 10 min | ¥2,800 | ¥1,300 (age 3 to 5: ¥900) |
| Aquarium to Katase-Enoshima Station (Odakyu) on foot | 3 min |
That comes to ¥3,960 per adult and ¥1,880 per school-age child, before the train from Tokyo and food. From Tokyo Station the JR Yokosuka Line reaches Kamakura in 56 minutes; at the end of the day the Odakyu line runs from Katase-Enoshima back toward Shinjuku. The trip cost calculator totals the day for your family, and the day planner builds the same route for your date.
Timing: start early. The Great Buddha opens at 8:00, and Hasedera too, so a family that reaches Kamakura around 8:30 can see both by late morning and eat lunch early. Kamakura’s busiest months in 2025, after the New Year, were June and November; the crowd calendar shows the quieter dates.
Getting there with children
From Tokyo, Shinagawa or Yokohama: the JR Yokosuka Line runs straight to Kamakura with no change, 56 minutes and ¥1,034 per adult on an IC card from Tokyo Station, 46 minutes from Shinagawa and 24 minutes from Yokohama (JR East route search). Children travel at the child fare. Start the route above at Kamakura and finish at Katase-Enoshima.
From Shinjuku: the Odakyu line goes to Katase-Enoshima, next to the aquarium, in about 71 minutes for ¥649 with changes at Sagami-Ono and Fujisawa, or directly on a Romancecar limited express (¥1,399 including the express charge on the way back to Shinjuku). With children it is often easier to do the route in reverse: aquarium first when everyone is fresh, then the Enoden to Hase and the Great Buddha, and JR home from Kamakura. The Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass covers this direction too. Our guide to getting to Kamakura has every route.
Babies and toddlers: fold a large stroller before boarding the Enoden if the train is full, and keep a carrier for Hasedera’s stairs and the island. Kotoku-in and Hasedera both have accessible or barrier-free restrooms, listed on their own sites.
Child fares and which pass to buy
Enoden: children pay a child fare on every journey, roughly half the adult fare: ¥100 between Kamakura and Hase, ¥130 between Hase and Enoshima, ¥160 for the whole line to Fujisawa (fare table). The Enoden accepts contactless credit cards at the gates, but only at the adult fare; children need a paper ticket or a transport IC card such as Suica or PASMO. Our Enoden guide covers the stations and the famous street crossing.
Noriorikun day pass (¥800 adult, ¥400 child): unlimited Enoden rides for a day. On the route above the two single fares come to ¥460 per adult and ¥230 per child, so the pass only pays off if you add more hops, for example a stop at Kamakura-kokomae for the sea view or a ride back to Kamakura. Bought at an Enoden station, it also gives ¥200 off each adult and ¥100 off each child ticket at the aquarium.
Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass from Shinjuku (¥1,640 adult, ¥430 child aged 6 to 11): a round trip on the Odakyu line from Shinjuku to Fujisawa, unlimited rides between Fujisawa and Katase-Enoshima and on the whole Enoden. With children the child price makes it good value if you are based near an Odakyu station, and it earns the same aquarium discount when bought at an Odakyu station. You can also buy it on Klook. The Freepass guide does the break-even for your start station.
Kamakura Free Kankyo Tegata (¥900 adult, ¥450 child): the city’s day pass for the Enoden between Kamakura and Hase plus the buses from Kamakura Station East Exit. Useful if you add Hokokuji’s bamboo garden by bus, less so for this coastal route.
Stairs and strollers, stop by stop
Kotoku-in, the Great Buddha
The Great Buddha is the easiest big sight in Kamakura for a family: the statue sits in the open in a courtyard, a 7-minute walk from Hase Station. Children aged 6 to 12 pay ¥150 and under-sixes are free; stepping inside the hollow statue costs ¥50 more per person, until 16:30. The temple asks wheelchair users to come with a helper where possible because some parts of the grounds are hard to manage alone, which is a fair guide for strollers too. There is one wheelchair-accessible restroom. Eating and drinking are not allowed in the grounds, so have snacks before you go in. The Great Buddha guide has more.
Fee ¥300 (age 6 to 12 ¥150, under 6 free)Inside the statue ¥50 extra, 8:00-16:30Hours 8:00-17:30 (October to March until 17:00)From Hase Stn 7 min walkMapOfficial site
Hasedera
Hasedera climbs a hillside in terraces: from the lower precinct, stairs lead up past the Jizo hall to the main hall. The temple lets you leave strollers under the main gate, on the right after the entrance, and asks you not to leave belongings in them because the crows will take them. The barrier-free restroom is by the car park. The lower precinct, with its pond and the Benten cave, is below the stairs, so a parent with a sleeping baby can wait there while the others climb. Children aged 6 to 11 pay ¥200. See the Hasedera guide for the cave and the Kannon Museum.
Fee ¥400 (age 6 to 11 ¥200)Hours 8:00-17:00 (April to June until 17:30)Strollers park under the main gateFrom Hase Stn 5 min walkMapOfficial site
Enoshima Aquarium
The aquarium, a 3-minute walk from Katase-Enoshima Station and 10 minutes from the Enoden’s Enoshima Station, is the flat, indoor half of the day: jellyfish, penguins, sea turtles, a touch pool and a dolphin show stadium are all listed on its site. School-age children pay ¥1,300 and children from age 3 pay ¥900. Until November 30 it is open 9:00 to 17:00 and from December 1 to 25 from 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry an hour before closing; it is closed from January 18 to 24, 2027. There is no aquarium car park. Skip the queue at the counter with a ticket from Klook or GetYourGuide, but compare with the pass discount above before you book.
Adult ¥2,800Elementary and junior high ¥1,300Age 3 and over ¥900Hours 9:00-17:00 (Dec 1 to 25 from 10:00), last entry 16:00From Katase-Enoshima Stn 3 min walkMapOfficial site
Enoshima island and the Escar
Enoshima is a steep island. The Samuel Cocking Garden and the Sea Candle observation tower are on the summit, and Enoshima Shrine gives 15 to 23 minutes on foot from the three nearest stations. The Escar, three sections of outdoor escalators, carries you up for ¥500 per adult and ¥250 per elementary school child. It is up only: everyone walks down by stairs. Strollers cannot ride; fold yours or leave it at the first section, where staff keep it until the Escar closes at 19:05. The Sea Candle set ticket (Escar, garden and tower) is ¥1,100 per adult and ¥550 per child. The Iwaya Caves cost ¥200 for children. The Enoshima Island All-Access Pass bundles the Escar, Sea Candle, Iwaya Caves and the aquarium in one ticket. Our Enoshima guide has the island route.
Escar, all 3 sections ¥500 (elementary ¥250)Escar hours 8:50-19:05, up onlySea Candle set ¥1,100 (child ¥550)Strollers fold or leave at section 1MapOfficial site
Beach, food and a place to sleep
Beach: Yuigahama is about 12 minutes on foot from Hase Station, an easy add-on after Hasedera on a warm day; the beaches guide covers it and the other beaches. Food: shirasu (whitebait) rice bowls are the local dish, and Komachi-dori near Kamakura Station is lined with snack shops; see Kamakura food. Staying over turns this into an unhurried two days and puts you at the Great Buddha at its 8:00 opening: see where to stay in Kamakura and where to stay in Enoshima. In Hase, BRB Kamakura Hase is within walking distance of the Great Buddha and Hasedera.
A shorter day, or a rainy one
With toddlers, half the route is plenty. Two shorter versions work well:
- Morning only: Enoden to Hase, the Great Buddha and Hasedera, then the Enoden back to Kamakura Station for lunch. Fares and fees come to ¥1,100 per adult and ¥550 per school-age child.
- Aquarium day: straight to Katase-Enoshima on the Odakyu line or to Enoshima on the Enoden, a long morning at the aquarium, then the walk across Benten Bridge to the island if energy remains.
On a rainy day the aquarium is the obvious anchor, since it is all indoors. The Great Buddha is outdoors and Hasedera’s terraces are open to the sky, so save them for a dry morning; the best time to visit page has the rainy months.
What to skip with small children
Kamakura’s Zen temples in Kita-Kamakura involve stone steps and hills, and the hiking trails are natural paths that the tourism association warns are slippery and steep in places. Both suit older children who like walking. If you only have a day, the coastal route above covers the sights children remember. The one-day itinerary has the adult version, and things to do in Kamakura lists every sight.
Prefer a guide and a fixed plan? A Kamakura and Enoshima day tour from Tokyo handles the trains, with the Enoden ride built in; check the listing for child prices and minimum age. More options are in our Kamakura tours guide.
Questions people ask
Is Kamakura good for kids?
Yes, if you keep the day short and flat where you can. The Enoden coast train, the Great Buddha you can step inside, Hasedera's cave and Enoshima Aquarium all work for children. Leave the hilly Zen temples of Kita-Kamakura and the hiking trails for older children, and plan around the stairs at Hasedera and on Enoshima.
Can you use a stroller in Kamakura?
In parts. Hasedera lets you leave strollers under the main gate, on the right after the entrance, because the upper temple is reached by stairs. The Enoshima Escar does not take strollers: fold yours or leave it at the first section until the Escar closes, and everyone walks down by stairs. A baby carrier is easier on Enoshima.
Do children pay on the Enoden?
Yes, children pay a child fare of roughly half the adult fare: ¥100 from Kamakura to Hase and ¥130 from Hase to Enoshima. Contactless credit cards are charged the adult fare only, so children need a paper ticket or a transport IC card such as Suica or PASMO. The Noriorikun day pass is ¥400 for a child.
How much is Enoshima Aquarium for kids?
Elementary and junior high school students pay ¥1,300, children aged 3 and over ¥900, high school students ¥1,800 and adults ¥2,800. Show an Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass bought at an Odakyu station or a Noriorikun bought at an Enoden station for ¥100 off each child ticket and ¥200 off each adult ticket.
Is the Enoshima Escar worth it with kids?
For small children, usually yes. The Escar is a set of outdoor escalators in three sections that carries you up Enoshima for ¥500 per adult and ¥250 per elementary school child. It only goes up, and you walk down by stairs, so you save the climb, not the descent. Strollers have to be folded or left at the first section.
Read next
Sources (16)
- Enoden: fares between stations (adult and child)
- Enoden: contactless payment and child fares
- Enoden: Noriorikun one-day pass
- Odakyu: Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass
- Kamakura City: Kamakura Free Kankyo Tegata
- Kotoku-in (official): fees, hours, visitor notes
- Hasedera (official): admission and access
- Hasedera (official): restrooms and stroller parking
- Enoshima Sea Candle and Escar (official): tickets
- Enoshima Sea Candle and Escar (official): FAQ on strollers
- Enoshima Aquarium (official): hours and prices
- Enoshima Aquarium (official): access
- Enoshima Shrine (official): access
- Fujisawa City Tourism: Enoshima Iwaya Caves
- JR East Real-Time Route Search (train times and IC fares)
- OpenStreetMap walking routes (OSRM foot profile)