Kencho-ji to Hokoku-ji, Kamakura: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from Kencho-ji to Hokoku-ji in Kamakura: 4 stops, about 3.5 km, about 45 minutes of walking plus about 24 minutes of listening. Start at Kencho-ji, Japan’s oldest Zen training monastery, founded in 1253, and walk down to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the shrine of the Minamoto shoguns and the heart of Kamakura for more than 800 years. Head east to Kamakura-gu, the shrine of Prince Morinaga, caught up in the fall of the Kamakura shogunate, and finish at Hokoku-ji, the Zen temple of 1334 whose grove of about 2,000 Moso bamboo has made it the bamboo temple.
- Stops:
- 4
- Distance:
- about 3.5 km
- Walking:
- about 45 min
- Listening:
- about 24 min
Two ways to do this walk
Kamakura with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsKencho-ji to Hokoku-ji, Kamakura: how long does the walk take?
About 69 minutes in all: about 45 minutes on foot over about 3.5 km, plus about 24 minutes of audio at the 4 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Kencho-ji to Hokoku-ji, Kamakura: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Kencho-ji, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, Kamakura-gu, and Hokoku-ji. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.3 km, about 18 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
Japan’s oldest Zen training monastery, founded in 1253 by the regent Hojo Tokiyori and the Chinese monk Rankei Doryu, first of Kamakura’s Five Mountains.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Tsurugaoka Hachimangu · about 1.0 km, about 14 min on foot
Stop 2
The shrine founded by a Minamoto commander that became the guardian of the Kamakura shogunate and the spiritual heart of the town for more than 800 years.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Kamakura-gu · about 1.3 km, about 18 min on foot
Stop 3
A quiet shrine raised centuries after his death for Prince Morinaga, the monk turned military leader of the fall of the Kamakura shogunate, with a cave and torchlit autumn theater.
about 5 min of audio
Next stop: Hokoku-ji · about 1.1 km, about 15 min on foot
Stop 4
The Rinzai Zen temple said to date from 1334, known as the bamboo temple for its grove of about 2,000 Moso bamboo, with a cave tomb in the hillside.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Kamakura?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
More walking tours in Kamakura
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.