Hokokuji Temple
By Andrew Liyan · Last updated: October 15, 2026
Hokoku-ji is worth the detour if you want to sit inside a bamboo garden with a bowl of matcha: about 2,000 moso bamboo, behind a small Zen temple, for ¥400 plus ¥600 for tea. By our estimate it costs roughly two hours from Kamakura Station including the bus, in the opposite direction from the Great Buddha and Kita-Kamakura, so on a single day with those it is usually the stop to drop.
- Area
- Jomyoji, Kamakura
- Best For
- Bamboo garden, Matcha in the grove, A slower second day, Photography
Visiting Hokokuji Temple
Hokoku-ji is known as the bamboo temple. Behind the main hall about 2,000 moso bamboo grow in a garden the temple says stands on the site of its founding priest's retreat, with a dry rock garden and moss-covered stones along the paths. The tea house, Kyukoan, has chair seats inside the bamboo garden, so the visit is as much about sitting as walking.
The temple was founded in 1334, by tradition, as a Rinzai Zen temple; today it belongs to the Kencho-ji branch. Its founder is recorded as Ashikaga Ietoki, grandfather of the first Ashikaga shogun, with the monk Tengan Eko as founding priest, but because Ietoki died in 1284 the temple and Kamakura's tourism association both say it was built by Uesugi Shigekane in Ietoki's memory. The yagura cave tombs in the hillside are said to hold Ietoki and Yoshihisa, son of the Kamakura governor Ashikaga Mochiuji, who took his life here in 1438.
It sits in Jomyoji, east of the station, away from both Kita-Kamakura and Hase. Getting there means a Keikyu bus of about 12 minutes from Kamakura Station or a walk of about 35 minutes, and Jomyo-ji, one of the Five Great Zen Temples, is about 5 minutes away on foot.
Is Hokoku-ji worth the detour?
Short answer
Yes if the bamboo and the tea are what you want from Kamakura: nowhere on the main routes offers the same. No if you have one day for the Great Buddha, Hasedera and Kita-Kamakura, because Hokoku-ji adds roughly two hours in the opposite direction. It suits a second day, or a slower day built around eastern Kamakura.
Go if
- You want to sit in a bamboo garden, not just walk past one: the matcha seats are inside the grove.
- You have a second Kamakura day, or half a day with the station area and the shrine.
- You are not going to Kyoto, or you would rather sit in an enclosed temple garden than walk a public path.
- You can arrive before 3:30 PM, when matcha tickets stop.
Skip it if
- Your one day already has the Great Buddha and Kita-Kamakura: they are west and north, Hokoku-ji is east.
- You want a large, open forest walk; this is a temple garden you see in under an hour.
- You want Zen architecture and gardens more than bamboo: Kencho-ji or Engaku-ji fit better with the rest of a day.
- The weather is bad: the temple may suspend visits in bad weather.
Hokoku-ji or Arashiyama: two different bamboo visits
Short answer
They are not the same kind of place. Kyoto's Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is a free public path you walk through; Hokoku-ji is a paid temple garden where you can stop and sit with tea. If you are visiting both cities, they do not replace each other.
- What it is
- Hokoku-ji (Kamakura): A garden of about 2,000 moso bamboo behind a small Zen temple
- Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (Kyoto): A short public path through bamboo in the Sagano area
- Cost
- Hokoku-ji (Kamakura): ¥400 garden admission; matcha ¥600 more
- Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (Kyoto): Free; Okochi Sanso at the top of the path is ¥1,000 including matcha
- Hours
- Hokoku-ji (Kamakura): 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM; closed Dec 29 to Jan 3
- Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (Kyoto): No gate or posted hours, except ticketed evenings during the autumn light-up
- Sitting down
- Hokoku-ji (Kamakura): Chair seats with matcha inside the bamboo garden, until 3:30 PM
- Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (Kyoto): None on the path itself
- How it fits a day
- Hokoku-ji (Kamakura): A separate trip east of Kamakura Station
- Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (Kyoto): Part of an Arashiyama half day with Tenryu-ji and Okochi Sanso
| Hokoku-ji (Kamakura) | Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (Kyoto) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A garden of about 2,000 moso bamboo behind a small Zen temple | A short public path through bamboo in the Sagano area |
| Cost | ¥400 garden admission; matcha ¥600 more | Free; Okochi Sanso at the top of the path is ¥1,000 including matcha |
| Hours | 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM; closed Dec 29 to Jan 3 | No gate or posted hours, except ticketed evenings during the autumn light-up |
| Sitting down | Chair seats with matcha inside the bamboo garden, until 3:30 PM | None on the path itself |
| How it fits a day | A separate trip east of Kamakura Station | Part of an Arashiyama half day with Tenryu-ji and Okochi Sanso |
Admission and matcha: decide at the gate
Short answer
You buy the matcha ticket at the admission desk together with entry, so decide before you go in. Tea is ¥600 with a dry sweet, sold until 3:30 PM, and needs no reservation, but the temple may pause ticket sales when it is busy.
- Garden admission
- ¥400 for high school students and adults, ¥200 for elementary and junior high students. Visitors with a disability certificate enter free.
- Matcha ticket
- ¥600, with a dry sweet. Bought at the entrance with admission; matcha cannot be bought without entering the garden.
- Last tickets
- 3:30 PM, half an hour before the 4:00 PM close. Sales can stop earlier while it is busy.
- Reservations
- None for tea or entry. The temple does not take bookings for groups either.
- Payment
- The temple does not say online whether it accepts cards; bring cash.
- Photography
- Tripods, monopods and selfie sticks are not allowed. Eating and drinking are not allowed in the grounds outside the tea house.
Bus or walk, and pairing with Jomyo-ji
Short answer
Take the bus unless you want the walk: about 12 minutes from Kamakura Station against about 35 on foot. Jomyo-ji, about 5 minutes away, makes the trip worth more than one stop.
- Bus
- From Kamakura Station East Exit, Keikyu bus stop 4: buses bound for Kamakura Reien Seimon-mae Tachiarai, Kanazawa-Hakkei or Highland. Get off at Jomyoji (about 12 minutes) and walk about 3 minutes. Back to the station from Jomyoji takes about 11 minutes.
- Walk
- About 35 minutes from Kamakura Station.
- Taxi
- About 7 minutes from Kamakura Station East Exit, according to the temple.
- Jomyo-ji
- One of Kamakura's Five Great Zen Temples and also in the Kencho-ji branch, about 5 minutes' walk from Hokoku-ji. The tourism association allows about 20 minutes there. It has no guide on this site yet.
- Car
- The temple has a small car park; use a nearby paid one if it is full.
Things to Do at Hokokuji Temple
Sit with matcha at Kyukoan
The tea house has chair seats looking into the bamboo garden, with the sound of water running over rocks. It is the reason to come rather than a side extra, so leave time for it.
Walk the bamboo garden
About 2,000 moso bamboo stand behind the main hall. The temple's English page says the garden occupies the site of the retreat of Tengan Eko, the founding priest.
Look at the dry garden and the moss
A dry rock garden uses stones and the natural cliff to suggest mountains and water, with raked patterns that change. Many stones along the approach and in the bamboo garden are moss-covered, at their greenest after rain.
Find the yagura and the old bell tower
The yagura, tombs cut into the hillside as was common in medieval Kamakura, are said to hold the founder Ashikaga Ietoki and Ashikaga Yoshihisa. The bell tower, built in 1757, is the oldest building in the temple.
Join the Sunday zazen (if you are serious)
Zazen runs every Sunday from 7:30 to 9:15 AM, with reception from 7:00. It needs no booking, but it is held in Japanese without interpretation, the gate closes at 7:30 so latecomers cannot join, and the temple warns it is strict.
Book a night viewing
The temple has announced ticketed special evening viewings, sold in limited numbers through its Peatix page. It scheduled the first for 23 October 2026 and plans to hold them regularly from November, so check the temple's notices for upcoming dates.
How to Get to Hokokuji Temple
Hokoku-ji has no station of its own. Most visitors take the bus from Kamakura Station; the walk takes about 35 minutes.
By bus from Kamakura Station
From the East Exit, go to Keikyu bus stop 4 and board a bus bound for Kamakura Reien Seimon-mae Tachiarai, Kanazawa-Hakkei or Highland. Get off at Jomyoji, about 12 minutes, and walk about 3 minutes to the gate. Buses back from Jomyoji reach Kamakura Station in about 11 minutes.
On foot from Kamakura Station
About 35 minutes, according to Kamakura's tourism association.
By taxi
About 7 minutes from Kamakura Station East Exit.
From Tokyo, Shinjuku or Yokohama
Ride to Kamakura Station, then take the bus. The temple gives about 60 minutes from Tokyo on the JR Yokosuka Line and about 53 minutes from Shinjuku on the Shonan-Shinjuku Line.
Best Time to Visit Hokokuji Temple
Any season for the bamboo; arrive before 3:30 PM if you want matcha.
The moso bamboo is evergreen. The temple suggests watching how light, rain and wind change the grove.
Kamakura's tourism association lists flowering quince and roses in spring, iwatabako in summer, and winter cherry and camellias in winter.
No visits over the New Year period.
Entry Fee & Hours
| Category | Price (JPY) | Approx. (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| High school and above | ¥400 | ~$3 |
| Elementary / junior high | ¥200 | ~$1.50 |
| Category | Price (JPY) | Approx. (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Matcha with a dry sweet | ¥600 | ~$4 |
Matcha requires garden admission. Visitors with a disability certificate enter free.
- •Buy the ¥600 matcha ticket at the admission desk with your entry; sales end at 3:30 PM and may pause when busy. No reservations.
- •From the gate a gentle slope leads to steps up to the main hall. The temple does not describe a step-free route; call ahead (0467-22-0762) if you use a wheelchair.
- •Tripods, monopods and selfie sticks are not allowed. Bring cash: the temple does not say online whether cards are accepted.
Nearby Attractions
Jomyo-ji, about 5 minutes away on foot, has no guide on this site yet; see the pairing above. Everything else is back toward Kamakura Station.
An eastern Kamakura morning
Two Zen temples five minutes apart, adapted from the last stops of the Kamakura tourism association's model course 6. It fits before a station-area afternoon at the shrine and Komachi Street.
Jomyo-ji and Hokoku-ji by bus
About 2 hours from Kamakura Station and back, more with matcha.
Start
Kamakura Station East Exit, Keikyu bus stop 4, to Jomyoji, about 12 minutes.
First stop
Jomyo-ji, about 20 minutes.
Second stop
About 5 minutes on foot to Hokoku-ji; about 45 minutes, plus matcha if you bought the ticket at the gate.
Finish
Bus from Jomyoji back to Kamakura Station, about 11 minutes, for Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and Komachi Street.
Frequently Asked Questions
References
View references
Hokoku-ji
- Visiting information, matcha and FAQ (Japanese) (opens in a new tab)
- About Hokoku-ji and its history (Japanese) (opens in a new tab)
- Access and visitor rules (English) (opens in a new tab)
- Sunday zazen (Japanese) (opens in a new tab)
- Night special viewing notice, October 2026 (Japanese) (opens in a new tab)
Kamakura City Tourism Association
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