Three temples away from the main tourist circuit with bamboo groves, a medieval rock garden and a Benzaiten cave; reached by bus, admission from 200 ¥.
The eastern end of Kamakura keeps three temples that together form the least known and most authentic route in the city, frequented by Japanese but practically ignored in foreign guidebooks. The Sugimoto-dera, founded according to tradition in the year 734, is the oldest temple in Kamakura; its moss-covered stone stairs and the great ginkgo tree at the entrance are two of the oldest images of the city. The Kakuon-ji, hidden at the back of a cedar forest, has a 14th-century Chinese-style painting of Yamanokami and a Benzaiten cave carved into the rock (guided tour in Japanese). The Zuisen-ji closes the route with the rock garden designed in 1327 by the monk Muso Soseki, still intact, with a pond, dry waterfall and a Zen cave. Admission to each temple is around 200-300 ¥. It is reached by bus from Kamakura station (Kamakura-gu line). The full route of the three temples takes two hours.
