Hello community,
Thank you for being so helpful on my itinerary review. I will be traveling with my husband and 10 year old and we really only have time for one day trip (other than Disney which we already have planned). I am having trouble deciding between a hiking day at Takao and a trip to Kamakura. We are staying in Asakusa, so it looks like the travel time will be similar for both (about 90 minutes).
Takao seems more manageable in terms of having less choices to make while there, and it seems like there is enough to do with the cable car ride, the hike, shrines, food stalls and maybe checking out the onsen. However, Kamakura has been highly recommended in this sub lately, and is the same distance from where we are staying. We will be there in early October if that makes any difference. Kamakura looks beautiful but I can’t decide whether it would be too hectic once we got there, or maybe or too boring for a 10 year old. Should we stick with the original plan or look further into Kamakura?
14 comments
You can decide once you are there and see if you feel more like hiking or go see more temples and shrines.
I technically went to both, and Kamakura was too crowded for my liking, although I went to Takao really early so it’s probably not a fair comparison.
Both would be best on a weekday vs a weekend as they are popular with local Tokyoites too. If you go on a weekday they’ll be slightly less crowded as most people that live in the Tokyo area will be working or in school.
If the weather is nice and clear, Takao would be a completely different side/view of Tokyo. October is a bit early for the leaves to be changing but it might be a nice change from the city if you all like outdoor/nature.
If the weather isn’t the best, Kamakura would be good as you can just grab your umbrella and explore the shrine, temples, and shops. They look nice in the rain too and it’d keep it even less crowded.
Just okay it by ear and see what you feel like and what the weather does when you’re there. I’ve used these articles as guides to help my visits to these places and the recommendations were pretty good.
– [Live Japan: Kamakura Day Trip](https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-kanagawa/in-kamakura/article-a0003564/)
– [Truly Tokyo: Kamakura Day Trip](https://trulytokyo.com/kamakura-day-trip-itinerary/)
– [Tokyo Cheapo: Mt. Takao](https://trulytokyo.com/kamakura-day-trip-itinerary/)
Takao-san is a good place for a nice day of hiking. The temple there is very nice. But i don’t know if it is fun for a 10 y.o. There is a mountain train though which gets you there to the plateau, skipping the steepest part.
I did mount takao and then did the onsen and ate there as well… Before I had tattoos. It was a nice little trip. Didn’t take a whole day though. Still had the evening.
Just curious, which Disney park did you decide to go to? My Wife and I are having trouble deciding between the two!
We did Takao a couple weeks ago. Our family of 6 hiked from the bottom to the top. We were super sore the next couple days. We did Disneysea the next day, which made all the steps there extra fun. It wasn’t crowded and we didn’t get there until maybe 10:30. I don’t recommend trail 6 on the way back down.
I did both! Basically it depends what you prefer – here are my experiences if it helps.
– Kamakura (and Enoshima) is best if you want to see LOTS of temples and shrines – they are absolutely everywhere. Some of them are well known for autumn leaves and will therefore be extremely busy. For me, Kamakura was a busy, full on day with lots of walking and lots of people, but there were nice places of solace like Enoshima (I got there in the evening) and Hokokuji which is a nice quiet temple on the outskirts with its own bamboo grove and teahouse. Kamakura is also by the sea which is nice to remind yourself that Japan is an island!
– Mt Takao is not really a full day thing, I would say it’s a morning and an afternoon. It might be more crowded in October due to the autumn leaves but the nature of it being out of the way means it’s always going to be quieter than Kamakura. I really enjoyed getting out of the city, and especially seeing the active Buddhist temple on the way up. With a kid I highly recommend getting the cable car up because the first bit of the hike is STEEP. For walking back, I loved trail 3 (suspension bridge) because it was so quiet and deep within the forest, whereas trail 1 is paved the whole way and feels a bit urban still..
Kamakura hands down. Much more to see and there’s enoshima too.
I’ve done both takao and kamakura over multiple trips with a youngster.
My suggestion would be to do Enoshima/ kamakura. Start at the front of the island and catch the ferry back.
It’s like a hike on an island. With lots of small dragon shrines and statues on the way to keep a kid interested.
There’s cave to explore at the end and tide pools with sea life before you catch the ferry back.
Stop at any shrines, or in kamakura on the way back to Tokyo.
I just did mount takao on Wednesday and it was lovely. I hiked up trail 1 and took the chair lift down. I hadn’t originally planned for hiking and I had wrenched my knee on an earlier hike this trip, otherwise I would’ve ventured onto the other trails.
The onsen at the end was a perfect end to the day. I took my time so it was a full day but it doesn’t have to be.
Kamakura is much more interesting. You exit the station to a bustling shopping street, a feast of the senses. Have lunch there, the choices are endless. You walk to the Hachiman Jingu shrine, which is pretty. You can pop around to see the Daibutsu, the beach, Enoshima. There’s a classic old tram line to ride, the Enoden. There’s also some smaller shrines with tea houses, and as someone else mentioned the hike that take you up into the hills and around to all the mountains.
It’s an important piece of Japanese history.
Another, further out option: Nikko. You can do it in a tight day, if you leave early.
Takao is nice but not international-tourism nice. Kamakura is the obvious choice.
I’ve done both I recommend Kamakura and Enoshima. Takao-San is nice but it’s just a well trodden hike with loads of people.
Just don’t let the birds get your ice cream cone and look for the cool cats on Enoshima.