Komachi-dori

小町通り

A 360 m shopping street from Kamakura Station to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, with whitebait dishes, Kyusaburo biscuits, matcha sweets and gift shops; Kamakura's street for snacking as you walk.

Komachi-dori is a shopping street about 360 m long that runs from the east exit of JR Kamakura Station to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, parallel to the straight Wakamiya Oji avenue. A red torii marks the entrance, and about 250 shops line both sides, making it the busiest area in Kamakura. Local specialties include whitebait (shirasu) rice bowls, whitebait croquettes and whitebait tamagoyaki. Kyusaburo, the pigeon-shaped butter biscuits from the old-established Toyoshimaya (the main shop is on Wakamiya Oji, with a branch on Komachi-dori), is a favourite. Other treats include Japanese sweets from Kamakura Kinokuniya, soft-serve ice cream in purple sweet potato and matcha flavours, freshly grilled senbei, and Kamakura Gorō's half-moon biscuits. Recent popular shops sell Kamakura canvas bags, handmade wooden chopsticks and cat-themed goods. Many shops rent kimono, and wearing one to Hachimangu is a common outing. Several lanes branch off toward Wakamiya Oji and the temples, where you'll find quiet cafés and secondhand bookshops that many find more pleasant than the main street.

Suggested route: Walk from Kamakura Station along Komachi-dori to Hachimangu, then return to the station via Wakamiya Oji (Danzuru) to form a loop. Restaurants on Komachi-dori have long queues at lunchtime, so try the west exit of Kamakura Station (Onarimichi) instead.

Note: The city of Kamakura has passed an ordinance discouraging eating while walking in crowded areas (a nuisance behaviour). Please finish snacks in the designated areas in front of the shops. Weekends and the cherry blossom and hydrangea seasons are very crowded, so take care with children. Most shops open at 10:00 and close in the evening, and the street is quiet at night. Both ends of the street and the torii in front of Hachimangu are popular photo spots.

Komachi-dori

Opening hours

Nearby sights

Places to eat nearby