Kamakura, Japan

Yes, if you want temples and the coast in one day: JR takes about an hour from central Tokyo, and a full day covers four to six of the main sights.

One full day covers the main highlights. A night or two adds the temples further from the station and the coast without rushing, and lets you reach the temples early, before most day-trippers arrive.

Within each area, yes. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Komachi Street, Zeniarai Benten Shrine and Sasuke Inari Shrine are all walkable from Kamakura Station. Take the Enoden to Hase (the Great Buddha, Hasedera Temple and Yuigahama Beach) and Enoshima, JR one stop to Kita-Kamakura for the Zen temples, and a bus for Hokokuji if you would rather not walk about 35 minutes.

Yes, on clear days: from the coast west of Hase, from Enoshima, and from viewpoints such as the platform beside Kencho-ji's Hansobo shrine. Winter usually has the clearest air.

Kamakura Station puts you closest to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Komachi Street, and the Enoden line to Hase, so it suits most first-time visitors. Kita-Kamakura Station is a separate stop one station before Kamakura and makes more sense if the Zen temples, Engaku-ji and Kenchoji, are your priority for the day, since it puts you there first instead of requiring a trip out and back.

Yes, and most of all during Golden Week, on June weekends in hydrangea season and on peak foliage weekends in November (see Times to Avoid under Best Time). A weekday visit and an early start, close to the temples' 8:00 to 9:00 AM opening times, are the practical ways around it.

Yes: the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Zeniarai Benten Shrine, Sasuke Inari Shrine, Komachi Street and Yuigahama Beach. Most temples charge ¥300 to ¥500: the Great Buddha ¥300, Hasedera and Hokokuji ¥400, and Engaku-ji and Kenchoji ¥500.

Not especially. Most of Kamakura's appeal is outdoor temple grounds, hillside shrine approaches, and the beach, none of which hold up well in heavy rain. Hasedera Temple and Kenchoji Temple have more covered hall space than most other stops, but a rainy day is a reasonable time to shorten the itinerary rather than push through all of it.

It is possible but tight. Enoshima Island is a further Enoden ride past Yuigahama Beach and takes a half day on its own, so combining it with a full Kamakura temple circuit usually means seeing less of both. Travelers with only one day are generally better off choosing Kamakura's temples or Enoshima, not both.

Kamakura is the one that mixes samurai-era temples with a beach town, about an hour from Tokyo. Nikko has larger shrine complexes in the mountains but no coast and a longer journey; Hakone is the choice for hot springs and Mount Fuji views; Yokohama is a modern port city. After several days of Kyoto temples, Hakone is the more different day out.