Month chart
Hasedera temple in Kamakura, the Kannon of Hase
Pick a month
Hasedera month by month
Tap a month for its sunset, its temperatures and what flowers in the temple garden.
Sunset
Jan
- The sun goes down around 16:51
- Hours of daylight about 10 h
- Around the garden: Daffodil and plum11
- Daytime near 11°C, night near 4°C
Feb
- The sun goes down around 17:23
- Hours of daylight about 10.9 h
- Around the garden: Plum11
- Daytime near 11°C, night near 4°C
Mar
- The sun goes down around 17:49
- Hours of daylight about 11.9 h
- Around the garden: White magnolia11
- Daytime near 14°C, night near 7°C
Apr
- The sun goes down around 18:13
- Hours of daylight about 13 h
- Around the garden: Cherry, wisteria, peony11
- Daytime near 19°C, night near 12°C
May
- The sun goes down around 18:38
- Hours of daylight about 14 h
- Daytime near 22°C, night near 15°C
Jun
- The sun goes down around 18:58
- Hours of daylight about 14.5 h
- Around the garden: Hydrangea and iris11
- Daytime near 25°C, night near 19°C
Jul
- The sun goes down around 18:58
- Hours of daylight about 14.3 h
- Around the garden: Lotus and water lily11
- Daytime near 29°C, night near 22°C
Aug
- The sun goes down around 18:33
- Hours of daylight about 13.5 h
- Daytime near 30°C, night near 24°C
Sep
- The sun goes down around 17:51
- Hours of daylight about 12.5 h
- Around the garden: Red spider lily11
- Daytime near 27°C, night near 21°C
Oct
- The sun goes down around 17:08
- Hours of daylight about 11.4 h
- Daytime near 22°C, night near 16°C
Nov
- The sun goes down around 16:37
- Hours of daylight about 10.3 h
- Around the garden: Autumn maple11
- Daytime near 18°C, night near 12°C
Dec
- The sun goes down around 16:31
- Hours of daylight about 9.8 h
- Around the garden: Winter camellia11
- Daytime near 13°C, night near 7°C
Sunset is calculated for the 15th of each month, Japan time. Temperatures: NOAA averages for its Yokosuka station, 11.6 km from Kamakura, 1991 to 2020.
Hasedera temple holds a towering wooden Kannon, a garden with flowers in every month and a platform over the bay. Here are the hours, tickets, seasons and the way to pair it with the Great Buddha.
Editorial team, kamakuradaytrip.quest · Updated November 1, 2026 · A 6-minute read
Facts first
- Admission400 yen for adults, 200 yen for children aged 6 to 11.1
- Hours8:00 to 17:00 from July to March; 8:00 to 17:30 from April to June.2
- The statueAn eleven-headed Kannon, 9.18 meters tall.3
- Getting thereA 5-minute walk from Hase Station on the Enoden.4
- Pair it withKotoku-in, about 5 minutes away on foot.5
Hasedera temple at a glance
Hasedera temple stands on a hillside called Kannon-zan in the Hase district of Kamakura, and it is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. According to the legend the temple tells, two Kannon statues were carved from one sacred tree in Hatsuse, in present-day Nara Prefecture, in 721.6 One stayed in Nara; the other was set adrift on the sea.6
That second statue traveled across the water for fifteen years before it washed ashore in present-day Kanagawa Prefecture.7 The temple in Kamakura was established in 736 to enshrine it.6 Today the figure is known as the eleven-headed Kannon.3 It measures 9.18 meters tall, which the temple describes as one of the largest wooden Buddhist statues in Japan.3
The grounds climb from the main gate up through several halls to a platform at the top. The main gate is described as the fourth largest of its kind in Kamakura, with a big red lantern and a pine tree beside it.8 The hall that holds the Kannon was devastated in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and rebuilt in reinforced concrete, with the reconstruction completed in 1985.9
Season by season
What the garden lists, month by month
| Month | Around the garden | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| January | Daffodil and plum | New Year candles |
| February | Plum | Setsubun on 3 February |
| March | White magnolia | Open until 17:00 |
| April | Cherry, wisteria, peony | Buddha's birthday on 8 April |
| June | Hydrangea and iris | Open until 17:30 |
| July | Lotus and water lily | Open until 17:00 |
| September | Red spider lily | Open until 17:00 |
| November | Autumn maple | Open until 17:00 |
| December | Winter camellia | Kannon's foot on 18 December |
From the temple's garden list, its events page and its opening times.11,18,19,20,2,21,22,23,24
Hours, tickets and how to get there
From July to March Hasedera is open from 8:00 to 17:00, with the last entry at 16:30. From April to June it opens from 8:00 to 17:30, with the last entry at 17:00.2 The Hasedera Kamakura admission fee is 400 yen for adults, and children aged 6 to 11 pay 200 yen.1 At the ticket office, the vending machines accept Suica and Pasmo cards.10
By train, take the Enoshima Electric Railway to Hase Station. The temple's Japanese-language access page gives a 5-minute walk from there.4 Kotoku-in and its Great Buddha are about 5 minutes on foot from Hasedera, so the pair fit naturally into one outing.5 If you come by car, the car park charges 350 yen per 30 minutes, does not take reservations and does not take motorcycles.15
A guided day from Tokyo may be the least effort. Our Kamakura and Enoshima day trip lists Hase-dera among its stops, between Komachi Street and Kotoku-in. A private 1.5-hour listing covers Hase-dera and then Kōtoku-in. The temple's bell, cast in 1984, is struck at 8 o'clock every morning when the gate opens, a good reason to arrive as early as the gate does.16
A flower for every month
The temple calls its garden an attempt at the Pure Land: in Buddhism paradise is thought to lie to the west, and Hasedera's garden sits on the west side of Kamakura.27 The official flower list gives each month its own blooms. January brings daffodil and plum, February plum, and March white magnolia.11
April lists cherry, wisteria, rhododendron and peony, and June brings the hydrangeas and irises.18 Summer turns to lotus and water lily in July, with bellflower; August and September bring crape myrtle and lilies, then the red spider lily in September.19 This is the temple's own list, so treat it as a guide to what is in season, not a promise for a given week.
Autumn begins with osmanthus in October and shifts to autumn maple and leopard plant in November. December closes the year with camellia.20 That makes Hasedera a temple you can plan around a flower you like. If you come for the hydrangeas, read the next section; if you come in winter, the plum and daffodil bring color when other gardens are bare.
Decision helper
When should you visit Hasedera?
Pick by the sight you want
If I want the hydrangeas
Go in mid-June
In 2024 the temple reported full bloom on 10 June.25
If I want the most daylight
April to June
The gate stays open until 17:30 in those months.2
If I want the sea view with lunch
Plan lunch at Kaikoan
The restaurant opens from 10:00 to 16:00.26
If I want to touch the Kannon's foot
Visit on 18 December
It is the one day a year visitors can do so.24
If I am combining with the Great Buddha
Walk over after
Kotoku-in is about 5 minutes on foot away.5
Hydrangea season in June
June is the month that brings the Hasedera temple hydrangeas into bloom, and the garden list puts hydrangea in June.18 The temple stretches its hours for the season: from April to June it stays open to 17:30.2 The temple's news pages show how the bloom ran in 2024, which gives you a pattern, not a forecast.28
On 3 June 2024 the temple reported the hydrangea path at six tenths in bloom overall.28 On 10 June it reported full bloom.25 On 17 June it said the flowers were at their best in a morning report.29 By 24 June it said they were past their best, with gradual care starting on 25 June and full pruning from 1 July.30
So the useful window in that year ran through the middle of the month. Weather and the season shift the dates each year, which makes the temple's own news page the thing to check a few days before you go. Arriving at opening gives you the garden at its calmest hour.
Cost calculator
Price a guided visit
Type your group size to price four ways of seeing Hase-dera.
Weigh up 4 choices
Price a guided visit
Type your group size to price four ways of seeing Hase-dera.
- Kamakura day tripFrom Tokyo · a head, starting at $51
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View - Walking tourHalf day · a head, starting at $45
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View - Private visitTwo temples · a head, starting at $73
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View - Private Kamakura dayFull day · a head, starting at $635
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View
Starting prices from GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate; the booking page shows the exact sum.
Step by step through the visit
From the gate to the sea view
Entrance
Buy your ticket
Lower garden
Walk among the flowers
The garden lists blooms for every month.11
Stairs
Reach the Jizo-do
Rows of Sentai Jizo stand around the hall.12
Cave
Enter the Benten cave
Believed to be where Kobo Daishi practiced in seclusion.13
Main hall
See the Kannon
A wooden statue 9.18 meters tall.3
Upper ground
Take in the view
A platform over Kamakura and the ocean.14
Inside the grounds: the Kannon, Jizo and the cave
The eleven-headed Kannon stands in the Kannon-do hall.3,9 Around the Jizo-do hall, reached by stairs from the lower level, a great many statues called Sentai Jizo stand in long rows.12 A Jizo is a Buddhist deity believed to protect children, and the rows give the garden a quiet, slightly solemn mood.
The Benten-kutsu cave is believed to be where Kobo Daishi practiced in seclusion, and inside it Benzaiten and her Sixteen Children are chiseled out of the rock.13 The Daikoku-do holds the original Daikokuten statue, carved in 1412 and the oldest of its type in Kanagawa Prefecture, though it is exhibited only on special occasions.31 The Amida-do has a wood block that is 105 cm wide, the largest in Japan.32
The Kannon Museum on the grounds exhibits historic treasures of Hasedera in three exhibition spaces, and it closes occasionally between exhibitions.33 The old temple bell cast in 1264 is the third oldest in Kamakura and has been an Important Cultural Property since 1953; it now rests in that museum.16 The museum's own site and the temple's page list different admission figures, so check before you pay.
Video
Hasedera temple in Kamakura
Deep Japan By the Last Samurai on YouTube · YouTube stays silent until you press play.
In Buddhism, it is thought that “the Buddhist paradise is located in the west”. Therefore Hasedera’s garden in the west side of Kamakura in Hase aims to become Pure Land.
Checklist
Before you visit Hasedera
Plan the day4
- Check whether your month opens until 17:00 or 17:30
- Carry 400 yen per adult or tap a Suica or Pasmo card
- Take the Enoden to Hase Station and walk about 5 minutes
- For June, check the temple's news page for the bloom
Make the most of it4
- Arrive when the gate opens and the bell is struck at 8 o'clock
- Climb to the observation platform for the view
- Pair it with Kotoku-in, a short walk away
- Plan lunch at the Kaikoan between 10:00 and 16:00
Comfort2
- Bring a rain jacket: the grounds climb in the open
- Wear comfortable shoes for the stairs
The view and where to eat
The observation platform is the reward for the climb. It overlooks the townscape of Kamakura and the ocean, and it is known as one of the best viewpoints in Kamakura.14 Tables and chairs are set out so that you can sit and take in the view. The temple ranks the scenery from the upper ground among the most picturesque in Kamakura.34
The Kaikoan restaurant on the grounds is open from 10:00 to 16:00.26 Its windows look over Yuigahama Beach, and the menu includes vegetarian curry and vegan meat pasta, which is useful if you avoid meat.26 There is also a cafe and shop, Teraya, near the ticket office.
If you plan to eat at Kaikoan, plan around its hours rather than around closing time. Lunch fits between a morning of garden walking and the Great Buddha in the afternoon. The beach in the view, Yuigahama, is close if you want to walk down to the sand afterwards.
FAQ
Asked often, answered briefly.
How much does Hasedera temple in Kamakura cost?
Children aged 6 to 11 pay 200 yen.1
What are Hasedera's opening hours?
The last entry is at 16:30; from April to June it stays open until 17:30, with the last entry at 17:00.2
How tall is the Kannon at Hasedera?
The temple says it is one of the largest wooden Buddhist statues in Japan, and it has eleven heads on top of its own head.3
When do the hydrangeas bloom at Hasedera?
How far is Hasedera from the Great Buddha?
Kotoku-in's own list of nearby places gives that walking time.5
How do I get to Hasedera from Hase Station?
The temple's Japanese access page gives a 5-minute walk from the Enoden Hase Station.4
Is there a restaurant at Hasedera?
It is open from 10:00 to 16:00 and serves vegetarian curry and vegan meat pasta with a view of Yuigahama Beach.26
Can I pay by IC card at the ticket office?
The ticket vending machines accept both cards.10
Sources
- Hasedera · Admission and access ↩
- Hasedera · Admission and access ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Admission and access (Japanese) ↩
- Kotoku-in · Guide to Visiting Kotoku-in ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Garden ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Admission and access ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Kotoku-in · Guide to Visiting Kotoku-in ↩
- Hasedera · Garden ↩
- Hasedera · Garden ↩
- Hasedera · Garden ↩
- Hasedera · Annual events ↩
- Hasedera · Annual events ↩
- Hasedera · Annual events ↩
- Hasedera · Annual events ↩
- Hasedera · Hydrangea news (Japanese) ↩
- Hasedera · Restaurant and shop ↩
- Hasedera · Garden ↩
- Hasedera · Hydrangea news (Japanese) ↩
- Hasedera · Hydrangea news (Japanese) ↩
- Hasedera · Hydrangea news (Japanese) ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Introduction ↩
- Hasedera · Annual events
- Hasedera · Introduction
- Hasedera · Annual events