Rainy Kamakura Weekend

In June, we made an early reservation for a beachside pension house for one September weekend. We were hoping we’d be able to enjoy the last few days of summer getting a tan, and staying in a room overlooking the beach.

That reservation was for this weekend, and lo and behold, it’s scheduled to rain the whole weekend.

We still decided to go but didn’t bother bringing our swim wear, beach sandals, and tanning lotions. Instead, we brought our umbrellas and walking shoes. No rain is going to stop us from enjoying this weekend.

After arriving at Kamakura station, we took the bus to Hokokuji Temple (報国寺) to visit the bamboo forest. We’ve already been to Kyoto’s famous bamboo forest but we wanted to see Kamakura’s version.

Tea House by the Bamboo Forest @ Hokoku-ji Temple (Photo by Lara Pangan)

The bamboo forest here was smaller making it more intimate and because it’s a rainy Friday, there were less people. The intermittent rain also helped add to the atmosphere making it very serene and peaceful.

We also opted to have green tea at the tea house right next to the bamboo forest. That was definitely a treat we would highly recommend to friends.

We saw some Japanese maple trees as well so we could just imagine how beautiful this place would be during autumn. Maybe we should go back in a few months.

We then opted to walk our way back to the station passing through the quiet neighborhoods, through the Kamakura Shrine, and through the Komachi shopping street, all staple tourist attractions of Kamakura.

From the station, we continued walking towards the beach (Yuigahama and Zaimokuza beaches) where our small pension house was located.

As we walked along the beach, we couldn’t help but realize summer was indeed over. All the beach houses were already being dismantled. No more sunbathers! There were still surfers, and stand up paddlers, most likely locals who live in the area.

As we arrived at our pension house (Good Morning Zaimokuza), we were greeted by a pleasant young lady who seemed to be the only one managing the place. We fillled in some forms, made time reservations for dinner and breakfast, after which were taken to our room.

Good Morning Zaimokuza – we stayed at the top floor the one with the circular window

Our room was a corner room with windows offering amazing views of the beach. Other than the view, nothing really fancy. The dining area was at the 1st floor. Shared bathroom. Shared showers.

We had time to spare so we went out for a leisurely walk by the beach. It was already 6PM and already getting dark, though there were still people at the beach we’re guessing mostly locals. Some people walking their dog. Some surfing in the dark. It was a leisurely walk by the beach that we wouldn’t have experienced had we decided not to stay there for the night.

Back at the pension house, dinner was ready, prepared by the same lady who welcomed us earlier that day. Loved the food here. That’s what we liked about staying in small family run pension houses as the food tend to taste like home cooked meals, not different from what we would get if we were staying over a Japanese home.

It was a day well spent in rainy Kamakura. We saw another side of Kamakura we wouldn’t have seen had it been sunny at the beach. Can’t wait to get a good night sleep while listening to the waves of the nearby ocean.

Or so we thought!

The road between the pension house and the beach tend to be busy with fast moving cars! Sound proofing hasn’t been invented yet when this rather old building was built, so it was a struggle to get a good night’s sleep!

That was maybe the only concern we have about this place. The food was great. The hospitality very welcoming. The facilities sufficient. But the noise … we would go back to have meals here but maybe not to stay for the evening. For next time, we agreed to choose a quiet place farther from the main road.

One way or the other, we were able to make it through the night. Not the sleep we were expecting while on vacation, but would do for now. Just enough sleep to give us energy for day two.

Breakfast was waiting for us and just like dinner, it didn’t disappoint. Would definitely be in our short list of places to eat when in this neighborhood.

Breakfast at Good Morning Zaimokuza

After checking out, we went on to explore Kamakura on foot. There were still intermittent rain so we just decided to just ignore the beach again and head to the town center.

We walked back to the station passing by a small street called Onari Street (御成通り). This is like a smaller less congested version of Komachi street on the other side of the station. There were lots of coffee shops and eating places around here.

After lunch, we decided to walk towards Kita-Kamakura Station and take the train from there. From Kamakura Station, it’s a pleasant 40 minute walk through the small and not so touristy towns of Kamakura. There were also temples and small bamboo forests along the way.

Jufuku-ji on a rainy Saturday.

As we reach Kita-Kamakura, we were pleasantly surprised to see how more relaxed it was compared to Kamakura itself. Less people. Less tourists. More locals. Maybe next time, we should spend the night here.

Maybe we can get a better sleep.