Kamakura City announced its 2025 visitor total on 28 May 2026 and then changed it. The press release now carries a correction date of 11 September 2026 and a new figure: about 16.06 million day visits, down from the 16.20 million the city had published three and a half months earlier. The city says the beach-visitor tally was miscounted. That is a difference of 140,000 visits, a subtraction I have made here from the two published figures.
The city corrected its own 2025 visitor count, and the page dates do not line up
The release is headed with the figure of about 16.06 million and explains the change in its own closing section: on 28 May 2026 the city gave 16.20 million for calendar 2025, then revised it to 16.06 million because of an error in the aggregation of beach visitors. Against 2024 the corrected figure works out to about 100.74 per cent, which the city prints itself, so 2025 was a small increase rather than a fall.
The release also names what pushed in the other direction during 2025: part-year closures at tourist facilities, record summer heat, and the cancellation of the Kamakura fireworks display. Temples, shrines, hiking courses and the beaches each drew more people than in 2024.
One detail on the page matters if you are citing it. The page header shows an update date of 10 September 2026, while the correction date printed inside the release is 11 September 2026. The two dates disagree by one day on the same page, and nothing on the page reconciles them. The contact listed for the figures is the Tourism Section of the Culture and Tourism Department at 18-10 Onarimachi, on the first floor of the main city hall building, telephone 0467-61-3884.
Kotoku-in prints its own statue beside Nara’s, and it loses on nine of eleven rows
The seated bronze Amida at Kotoku-in is the figure people mean by the Great Buddha of Kamakura. The temple’s English page on the statue carries a measurement table that sets its own figures against those of the Great Buddha at Todai-ji in Nara, so the comparison comes from the Kamakura temple rather than from a third party.
Eleven measurements are listed. On nine of them the Nara image is larger. On two of them the Kamakura image is larger, and both are about the hair: the coils on the Kamakura head are 0.24 m across against 0.22 m at Nara, and there are 656 of them against 492. That count of nine and two is my own reading of the eleven rows as printed. Eight of the eleven are reproduced below; the three left out are eye width, mouth width and the diameter of the byakugo, the tuft between the eyebrows, and the Nara figure is the larger one in all three.
| Measurement | Kotoku-in, Kamakura | Todai-ji, Nara |
|---|---|---|
| Height including platform | 13.35 m | 18.03 m |
| Statue height | 11.312 m | 14.98 m |
| Face length | 2.35 m | 5.33 m |
| Ear length | 1.90 m | 2.54 m |
| Height of hair coils | 0.18 m | 0.21 m |
| Diameter of hair coils | 0.24 m | 0.22 m |
| Number of hair coils | 656 | 492 |
| Weight | 121 t | 250 t |
The temple dates the start of construction to 1252, following the Azumakagami chronicle, and says the sculptor has never been identified. The statue stood inside Daibutsu-den Hall until typhoons in 1334 and 1369 and an earthquake in 1498 destroyed the hall; the statue has been in the open ever since. The interior of the bronze shows that it was built up in 40 separate castings, and the temple’s page on method says the body alone took seven large casting stages. The statue is designated a National Treasure, and the temple notes that it essentially keeps its original form, which is the reason it gives for its art-historical value rather than its size.
Kotoku-in belongs to the Jodo sect founded by Honen, who lived from 1133 to 1212, and its full name is Daii-san Kotoku-in Shojosen-ji. The repairs that saved the open-air statue in the mid-Edo period were paid for by Nojima Shinzaemon, whom the temple identifies as a merchant of the Asakusa district, and carried out under two Jodo priests, Yuten and Yokoku; Yuten’s dates are given as 1637 to 1718. Present-day rules follow from the statue standing in the open: eating and drinking on the grounds is restricted, drones are not allowed, and pets may come in only inside a cage or carrier, with assistance dogs excepted.
Admission is 300 yen, and group discounts stopped on 1 April 2017
General admission is 300 yen and child admission, for ages 6 to 12, is 150 yen. Entering the inside of the statue costs an additional 50 yen per person. Children under six enter without charge. The temple’s FAQ answers the group question flatly: discounts on group admission rates have not been available since 1 April 2017. Leaving the grounds and coming back means paying again.
Four categories are listed as receiving an admission fee exemption: holders of an identification booklet for the disabled, tour conductors and instructors leading preschoolers or students, special-school students and instructors holding an exemption permit, and outpatients or residents of facilities for the disabled holding an exemption permit. Accompanying staff, caregivers and volunteers pay. Those four are not the whole of free entry, because other answers in the same FAQ add more: preschoolers and kindergarteners enter free of charge, instructors leading students enter free, and professional tour guides may enter free on presenting identification. The exemption reaches the interior of the statue and not only the grounds, and special schools and facilities for the disabled are both asked to submit an exemption application to the temple beforehand. Wheelchairs are lent from the ticket counter between 9:00 and 16:00 year-round with a final return time of 16:30, and the FAQ counts sixteen men’s restrooms, sixteen women’s restrooms and one wheelchair-accessible restroom. There is no parking at the temple, and the handicapped parking area has been discontinued.
The inside of the statue stops admitting at 16:20 all year round
The grounds open at 8:00 and close at 17:30 from April to September and at 17:00 from October to March, with entry up to 15 minutes before closing. The interior of the statue keeps a single set of hours all year, 8:00 to 16:30, with entry up to 10 minutes before it closes. So from April to September the interior stops admitting at 16:20 while the grounds go on admitting until 17:15, a gap of 55 minutes that I have worked out from the temple’s own two lines rather than something it states.
The temple shop keeps 8:30 to 16:45 year-round. Handwritten temple seals are accepted from 9:00 to 15:00 and printed ones from 8:00 to 16:30. No reservation is needed for any of this, including school parties, who are told to come straight to the entrance on the day.
The temple and the railway print different times for the same ride to Hase
Kotoku-in is at 4-2-28 Hase. Its access page says to change at Kamakura onto the Enoshima Electric Railway towards Fujisawa and get off at Hase, the third stop, approximately seven minutes from Kamakura, then walk seven minutes. The railway’s own outing page gives the same ride as five minutes, at 200 yen for an adult and 100 yen for a child. Both pages were live in September 2026, and neither of them prints the other’s figure.
The railway’s page lists two further examples from Kamakura: Enoshima in 23 minutes at 260 yen adult and 130 yen child, and Fujisawa in 34 minutes at 310 yen adult and 160 yen child. Kotoku-in, coming the other way, calls Hase the eleventh stop from Fujisawa and about 40 minutes. The line itself is described by the operator as a 10 km railway between Fujisawa and Kamakura, and Suica, PASMO and ICOCA are accepted.
| Journey from Kamakura | Time, railway page | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hase | 5 minutes | 200 yen | 100 yen |
| Enoshima | 23 minutes | 260 yen | 130 yen |
| Fujisawa | 34 minutes | 310 yen | 160 yen |
Buses are the other way to the statue. From the east exit of Kamakura Station, the Enoshima Dentetsu bus from stop 1 or the Keikyu bus from stop 6 reaches Daibutsu-mae in roughly ten minutes, according to the temple.
The railway company gives its own founding twice: 25 November 1900 for the predecessor undertaking and 10 July 1926 for Enoshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd. as it now exists. Its head office is at 4-7 Katasekaigan in Fujisawa and it lists 226 employees. One of its level crossings has become a destination in itself, which is covered separately in our piece on the Kamakura level crossing used in Slam Dunk.
Left luggage is handled by the tourist association, not the railway
The railway’s service page points baggage checking at the Kamakura City Tourist Association office, 1-12 Onarimachi, on the fourth floor of the Enoden building, telephone 0467-23-3050. Hours are 9:00 to 17:00, which is narrower than the temple’s opening hours in summer. A bag costs 300 yen a piece; larger luggage is 600 yen for a small item and 800 yen for a large one. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are accepted except on days the office is closed, and the page asks for advance contact.
Coin lockers are listed at four stations on the line: Fujisawa, Enoshima, Hase and Kamakura. For currency, the page names banks and post offices near Kamakura Station and Fujisawa Station, but where Fujisawa has downloadable maps for the north and south exits, the equivalent block for Kamakura Station read “Coming Soon” when the page was read in September 2026.
The Nara figures in that table come from Todaiji, whose own admission and hours are set out in our page on Todaiji’s flat 800 yen admission.
Sources Checked
Kamakura City — press release on 2025 day-visitor numbers
Confirmed that the release is dated 28 May 2026 with a correction date of 11 September 2026 and a page update date of 10 September 2026; that the corrected total is about 16.06 million against the 16.20 million first announced; that the stated reason is an error in the beach-visitor aggregation; that the year-on-year figure is about 100.74 per cent; that facility closures, record heat and the cancelled fireworks display are named; and that the contact is the Tourism Section at 18-10 Onarimachi, telephone 0467-61-3884.
https://www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/kisya/data/2026/20260528.html
Kotoku-in — guide to visiting Kotoku-in
Confirmed the address 4-2-28 Hase; opening hours of 8:00 to 17:30 from April to September and 8:00 to 17:00 from October to March with entry up to 15 minutes before closing; interior hours of 8:00 to 16:30 with entry up to 10 minutes before closing; temple shop hours of 8:30 to 16:45 year-round; commemorative seal hours of 9:00 to 15:00 handwritten and 8:00 to 16:30 printed; admission of 300 yen general, 150 yen for ages 6 to 12 and an additional 50 yen for the interior, with no charge for children under six; that no reservation is required; that there is no parking and that the handicapped parking area has been discontinued; that visitors with pets may enter only with the pet in a cage or carrier, service dogs excepted; and Hase as the third stop about seven minutes from Kamakura and the eleventh stop about 40 minutes from Fujisawa, with bus stop 1 and bus stop 6 reaching Daibutsu-mae in about ten minutes.
https://www.kotoku-in.jp/en/
Kotoku-in — the Great Buddha and the teachings of Kotoku-in
Confirmed the designation as a National Treasure; that construction began in 1252 according to the Azumakagami; that the artist has yet to be identified; that Daibutsu-den Hall was destroyed by typhoons in 1334 and 1369 and by an earthquake in 1498; that the statue essentially retains its original form and is on that ground an invaluable example of Japanese historical Buddhist art; the mid-Edo repairs funded by Nojima Shinzaemon, a merchant of the Asakusa district, under the Jodo priests Yuten and Yokoku; Yuten’s dates of 1637 to 1718; the full name Daii-san Kotoku-in Shojosen-ji; and the Jodo sect affiliation with Honen’s dates of 1133 to 1212.
https://www.kotoku-in.jp/en/about.html
Kotoku-in — an overview of the Great Buddha
Confirmed the eleven-row measurement table set against the Great Buddha of Todai-ji at Nara: height including platform 13.35 m and 18.03 m, statue height 11.312 m and 14.98 m, face length 2.35 m and 5.33 m, eye width 1.00 m and 1.02 m, mouth width 0.82 m and 1.33 m, ear length 1.90 m and 2.54 m, diameter of the byakugo 0.18 m and 0.30 m, height of hair coils 0.18 m and 0.21 m, diameter of hair coils 0.24 m and 0.22 m, number of hair coils 656 and 492, and weight 121 t and 250 t; and that the interior shows the statue was made in a series of 40 separate castings.
https://www.kotoku-in.jp/en/characteristic.html
Kotoku-in — the casting method
Confirmed that the body section alone requires seven large casting stages.
https://www.kotoku-in.jp/en/casting.html
Kotoku-in — FAQ
Confirmed that discounts on group admission rates have not been available since 1 April 2017; the four admission fee exemption categories; that facility staff, caregivers and volunteers must pay; that preschoolers and kindergarteners, instructors leading students and professional tour guides enter free of charge on presenting identification; that the exemption includes admission to the interior of the Great Buddha and is granted on an application submitted beforehand; wheelchair loans from the ticket counter 9:00 to 16:00 year-round with a final return time of 16:30; sixteen men’s restrooms, sixteen women’s restrooms and one wheelchair-accessible restroom; that visitors cannot re-enter without paying again; that school parties need no reservation and should come directly to the temple entrance on the day; that eating, drinking and bringing food or drink onto the grounds are prohibited; and that flying or operating drones is prohibited.
https://www.kotoku-in.jp/en-site/faq/
Enoshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd. — access
Confirmed the 10 km line connecting Fujisawa and Kamakura; acceptance of the Suica, PASMO and ICOCA transport IC cards, the last of which the page spells ICOKA; and the three fare examples of Kamakura to Hase in 5 minutes at 200 yen adult and 100 yen child, Kamakura to Enoshima in 23 minutes at 260 yen and 130 yen, and Kamakura to Fujisawa in 34 minutes at 310 yen and 160 yen.
https://www.enoden.co.jp/en/tourism/access/
Enoshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd. — sightseeing information services
Confirmed the baggage check service at the Kamakura City Tourist Association office, 1-12 Onarimachi, Enoden building fourth floor, telephone 0467-23-3050, business hours 9:00 to 17:00, at 300 yen a bag and 600 yen small or 800 yen large for luggage, accepted on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays but not on days the office is closed and with advance contact requested; coin lockers at Fujisawa, Enoshima, Hase and Kamakura stations; currency exchange at some banks and post offices around Kamakura Station and Fujisawa Station; and downloadable maps for the Fujisawa north and south exits against a “Coming Soon” note where the Kamakura Station block would be.
https://www.enoden.co.jp/en/tourism/service/
Enoshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd. — company information
Confirmed the founding dates of 25 November 1900 for the predecessor undertaking and 10 July 1926 for Enoshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd.; the head office at 4-7 Katasekaigan, Fujisawa City; and 226 employees.
https://www.enoden.co.jp/en/corporate/
Last updated: September 2026
