# Hase-dera Temple, Kamakura

> Hase-dera is a hillside temple in Kamakura's Hase area with views over Yuigahama bay. Its main hall holds a gilded wooden Kannon 9.18 metres tall — one of Japan's largest wooden statues. Entry is ¥400. The ticket office is open 8:00–16:30, until 17:00 from April to June. It's 5 minutes on foot from Hase station.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/kamakura-hase-dera

- City: [Kamakura](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura), Japan
- YesGo score: 35/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 1 h 15 min
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entry: ¥400; elementary pupils ¥200
- Hours: Entry 8:00–16:30, closing 17:00
- April–June: Entry until 17:00, closing 17:30
- Kannon Museum: About ¥300 extra
- Highlights: A 9.18 m Kannon, a cave, a bay view
- Getting there: Enoden to Hase, 5 minutes on foot
- Coordinates: 35.31246, 139.53299
- Facts checked: 09.11.2026

## Key facts

- **9.18 m** — height of the gilded wooden Kannon statue (source: japan-guide.com)
- **11 heads** — on the statue of the goddess of mercy (source: japan-guide.com)
- **Among the largest** — wooden statues in Japan (source: japan-guide.com)
- **Jodo** — the school the temple belongs to (source: japan-guide.com)
- **Benten-kutsu** — a cave with deities carved in the rock (source: japan-guide.com)
- **June** — hydrangeas bloom along the hillside path (source: travel guides)
- **¥400** — adult entry (source: hasedera.jp)
- **5 minutes** — on foot from Hase station (source: japan-guide.com)

## What is Hase-dera in Kamakura?

**Hase-dera**, or Hase Kannon, is a Jodo-school temple on a wooded hillside in the **Hase** area. Its highlight is a **gilded wooden statue of the eleven-headed Kannon**, the goddess of mercy, **9.18 metres** tall, in the Kannon-do hall. It's one of Japan's largest wooden statues; legend says it was carved from the same tree as the statue at the temple of the same name in Nara Prefecture.

The temple rises in tiers: at the entrance a garden with ponds, up the stairs the **Jizo-do** hall with hundreds of small Jizo statues, and on the terrace the main halls and a viewpoint over **Yuigahama bay** and the roofs of Kamakura. Next to the main hall is the Amida-do, with a golden Amida Buddha almost three metres tall.

> **The Benten-kutsu cave** By the garden below is a small cave, Benten-kutsu: the goddess Benten and other deities are carved into its walls, and candles flicker in the half-dark. The passage is low, so you'll need to stoop in places. In June the hillside behind the temple is covered in hydrangeas, and the path is sometimes entered with timed tickets.

## Tickets and hours

According to the official site, entry is **¥400** for adults and ¥200 for elementary pupils. The ticket office is open **8:00 to 16:30**, and the temple closes at 17:00; from April to June entry is until 17:00, closing at 17:30.

Next to the main hall is the small **Kannon Museum** with Buddhist statues and scrolls; according to guides, it costs about ¥300 extra. On the terrace there's a café with Japanese sweets and a sea view.

## What to see

- **The Kannon statue**, 9.18 metres, in the Kannon-do.
- **The terrace** overlooking Yuigahama bay.
- **The Benten-kutsu cave** with carved deities.
- **The Jizo-do hall** — hundreds of small Jizo.
- **The Amida-do hall** — a golden Amida Buddha.
- **The pond garden** at the entrance.

## How to get to Hase-dera

1. **Enoden** — from Kamakura Station to Hase, about 5 minutes, then 5 minutes on foot.
2. **From Tokyo** — JR Yokosuka line to Kamakura, about an hour, then change to the Enoden.
3. **From the Great Buddha** — about 5 minutes on foot.
4. **From Enoshima** — Enoden to Hase, about 20 minutes.
5. **To Yuigahama beach** — about 5 minutes on foot to the sea.

## Hase-dera or the Great Buddha

|  | Hase-dera | Great Buddha |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Highlight | A wooden Kannon and sea view | A bronze Buddha under the sky |
| Entry | ¥400 | ¥300 |
| Time | 1–1.5 hours | 30–40 minutes |
| Distance | 5 minutes apart | 5 minutes apart |

## How long do you need?

Allow **1–1.5 hours** for Hase-dera: the garden and cave below, the stairs up to the Kannon-do, and the terrace with its view. The temple is almost always paired with the **Great Buddha** five minutes away — together they fill a morning.

The loveliest time is **June**, when thousands of hydrangeas bloom on the hillside — but that's also when it's most crowded. In autumn the garden turns red with maples, and in spring the cherry trees bloom.

In Japanese Buddhism Jizo protects children and travellers, so the small statues in the Jizo-do often wear red bibs and knitted caps. In the garden you'll also find cheerful smiling Jizo figures that people love to photograph.

## Is Hase-dera worth visiting?

Yes: a huge gilded Kannon, a cave, gardens and a sea view — all in one temple and for a cheap ticket.

The YesGo take: many people come only for the Great Buddha and never reach this temple, though it's five minutes away. That's a mistake — Hase-dera is more interesting and varied. In hydrangea season, arrive at opening, or the queue for the path can stretch to an hour.

## Before you go: checklist

- [ ] ¥400 for entry
- [ ] Ticket office until 16:30
- [ ] The cave — mind your head
- [ ] June — hydrangeas and queues
- [ ] The Great Buddha nearby

## Kamakura temples: compare and choose

Temples and shrines in Kamakura rated by YesGo.

- [Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kōtoku-in)](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/kamakura-great-buddha) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · ¥300
- [Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Shrine](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/tsurugaoka-hachimangu) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · free
- [Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/zeniarai-benzaiten) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · free
- [Sasuke Inari Shrine](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/sasuke-inari) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · free
- [Hōkoku-ji Temple (Bamboo Temple)](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/hokoku-ji) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ≈ ¥400
- [Kenchō-ji Temple](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/kencho-ji) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ ¥500
- [Engaku-ji Temple](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/engaku-ji) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ¥500
- [Hase-dera Temple](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/kamakura-hase-dera) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ¥400
- [Enoshima Island](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/enoshima) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · free; tower and caves ≈ ¥500

## Kamakura in a day

The Great Buddha and Hase-dera in the morning, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine at midday, and the Komachi-dori shopping street in the evening. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers.

1. [Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kōtoku-in)](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/kamakura-great-buddha) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · ¥300
2. [Hase-dera Temple](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/kamakura-hase-dera) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ¥400
3. [Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Shrine](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/tsurugaoka-hachimangu) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · free
4. [Komachi-dori Street](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/komachi-dori) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · free

## Good to know

Hase-dera in Kamakura is not the Hase-dera in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, though legend says their Kannon statues were carved from the same tree.

## Tips

- Ticket office until 16:30.
- Climb to the terrace for the view.
- Look into the Benten-kutsu cave.
- June — hydrangeas.
- Nearby: [the Great Buddha](https://yesgo.io/japan/kamakura/kamakura-great-buddha).

## Questions

### How much is entry to Hase-dera?

¥400 for adults, ¥200 for elementary pupils.

### What are the opening hours?

Entry 8:00–16:30, closing at 17:00; half an hour later from April to June.

### How tall is the Kannon statue?

9.18 metres.

### When do the hydrangeas bloom?

In June.

### How do I get there?

Enoden to Hase station, then 5 minutes on foot.

### How long do you need?

1–1.5 hours.

### What's nearby?

The Great Buddha and Yuigahama beach.

### Is there a museum?

Yes, the Kannon Museum, about ¥300 extra.

## How we checked

Hours and prices are from the temple's official site. The statue, legend, halls, cave and museum are from japan-guide.com; the museum price is marked 'being checked'. Hydrangeas are from guides. Time needed is the YesGo estimate.

## Sources

- Temple official site (hasedera.jp/guide) — hours, prices (checked 09.11.2026)
- japan-guide.com — statue, legend, halls, cave, Kannon Museum, access (via curl 09.11.2026; unofficial)
- Travel guides — hydrangeas and timed tickets (unofficial)
- Wikidata Q1034293 — coordinates

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