A popular tourist spot in Kamakura! Introducing recommended shops on Komachi-dori Street

When it comes to sightseeing in Kamakura, one place you can't miss is Komachi-dori. One of the highlights of the area is strolling through the old streets nearby while visiting the various shrines. Komachi-dori is a shopping street located just one street west of the approach to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. It's a great place to eat while walking, look for souvenirs, and enjoy lunch or tea time, so it's a must-stop when you visit Kamakura. In this article, we will introduce recommended cafes and restaurants on Komachi-dori, from classic Japanese sweets to pancake and curry shops.

1. What is Komachi-dori?

Komachi-dori is a shopping street that starts right outside the east exit of Kamakura Station and continues all the way to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

This small street is packed with the charm of Kamakura, lined with restaurants such as matcha sweets and dumpling shops, seafood shops serving Shonan specialty shirasu donburi (whitebait rice bowls), and old-style cafes.

There are also plenty of souvenir shops, including stores selling traditional crafts such as Kamakura carvings and washi paper, and general stores with a Japanese feel. You can get a great feel for the charm of Kamakura just by walking back and forth along the street.

Of course, it's not just a place to stroll around, it's also a great place to eat your way through, so enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Kamakura while savoring some delicious food.

2. Pancake Shop

Kamakura may have an image of Japanese sweets, but it is also a hotbed of pancakes, with many pancake shops on Komachi-dori. Today, I would like to introduce some of the most recommended shops.

◆ Happy Pancakes

Happy Pancake is a very popular pancake specialty store in Omotesando, and this is its first store in Kanagawa Prefecture. Its most distinctive feature is the fluffy texture that is created by slowly and carefully mixing high-quality ingredients such as high-purity Manuka honey imported directly from New Zealand and whipped butter made from raw milk from Hokkaido for a long time. Once you try it, you'll be hooked.

The sauces and granola used to top the pancakes are also homemade, so one of the attractions is that you can enjoy a taste that is unique to this store. There are also limited-time and store-limited menus, so be sure to check them out.

3. Matcha sweets shop

Next up is a classic Japanese sweet, a dessert made with matcha. There are many shops offering matcha sweets, from new shops to long-established establishments, but this time I would like to introduce a shop that specializes in matcha ice cream.

◆ Kamakura Chacha

This shop specializes in matcha gelato and matcha soft serve, and the most distinctive feature of this shop is its strict attention to the quality and richness of its matcha. They use matcha from Shizuoka, which has won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Award for three consecutive years, so you can enjoy the finest matcha with little bitterness or astringency. With their

matcha gelato, you can order your choice of five levels of matcha richness, but matcha lovers should definitely try the strongest level. You can fully enjoy the rich, deep flavor of the matcha, so it's irresistible for matcha lovers.

4. Dango and Japanese sweets shop

Next, we will introduce a shop that sells dango (rice dumplings) and wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets). From basic soy sauce-flavored dangos to colorful dangos that look great on Instagram, this shop has a wide variety of dangos, making it a recommended choice for women who love social media.

◆ Sakura's Dream Shop

With the theme of "Kamakura, the birthplace of Japanese coffee shop culture," this is a modern Japanese-style cafe where you can enjoy Japanese sweets and drinks.

The best feature of this cafe is the wide variety of Dango that dango lovers will love, from basic dango with mitarashi or soy sauce to seasonal dangos and colorful dangos with fruit. All the dangos are very soft and chewy, so you can eat as many as you want. Of course, you can purchase just one dango, so be sure to try these dango when you're out eating.

5. Curry restaurant

Although it may be a little different from the typical image of Kamakura, Kamakura is in fact a city with many delicious curry restaurants. Today, I would like to introduce a long-established, authentic European curry restaurant.

◆ Caraway

This is a long-established restaurant with over 40 years of history, with a retro coffee shop-style atmosphere that evokes the Showa era. The menu is an authentic European-style curry restaurant that only offers curry rice and hayashi rice, and the most distinctive feature of this restaurant is the heaping portions of rice.

Even the regular portion is 550 grams, the equivalent of four rice bowls, so women and children may be better off going for the small portion. The curry is also delicious, with the vegetables and meat simmered so thoroughly that they lose their shape, and the spicy, concentrated flavor is exquisite. Curry lovers should definitely try this traditional, authentic curry.

6. Recommended Cafes

When you get tired from walking around and eating, why not take a break at a cafe? There are many cafes on Komachi-dori, from long-established old-style cafes to warm, modern Japanese cafes, but this time we will introduce some relatively new modern Japanese cafes.

◆ Momiji Teahouse

This shop opened on Komachi-dori in December 2016 and has gained popularity mainly on social media, with queues constantly forming. The interior of the shop is unified with wood-toned decor, creating a very calm and warm space where you can feel refreshed and relaxed just by being there.

They also offer a lunch menu using whitebait, a Shonan specialty, but we recommend the Uji matcha tiramisu, which has become a hot topic on social media. Not only does it look great on Instagram, but the matcha and mascarpone cheese go perfectly together. Be sure to give it a try when you visit.

7. A restaurant you want to go to for lunch

Next, I would like to introduce a restaurant where you can enjoy Kamakura's specialty raw whitebait bowl for lunch. It is a short walk from the station, so it is very accessible. However, please note that raw whitebait is prohibited from fishing from January 1st to the end of March, so it may not be served depending on the season.

◆ Akimoto

The restaurant is located on the third floor of a building along Komachi-dori Street. The entrance has a high-class atmosphere with wooden lattice doors and a white curtain, but the interior has a modern Japanese and relaxed atmosphere, allowing you to enjoy a leisurely lunch.

The recommended dish is the "Raw Shirasu Bowl" which is a generous serving of both boiled whitebait and raw whitebait on top of rice. Enjoy the taste of fresh whitebait that was just caught that morning in Koshigoe, Kamakura. Enjoy the change in flavor with the accompanying soft-boiled egg and condiments.

8. Access

Komachi-dori is a one-minute walk from Kamakura Station, so it is extremely convenient to access by public transport, and we recommend that you do so. If you are accessing by car, there is only one road from the nearest interchange, but please note that there are many cases of traffic jams, so the travel time varies greatly.

■ Access by public transport
Nearest station: Kamakura Station, JR Yokosuka Line
Travel time: 1-minute walk from the east exit of Kamakura Station

■ Access by car
Nearest interchange: Asahina Interchange, Yokohama Yokosuka Road
Travel time: 20 to 30 minutes

Parking lots in the vicinity

The surrounding parking lots are usually crowded and often full. Below are some large parking lots that are relatively easy to secure, and some parking lots that can be conveniently reserved in advance if you know the dates you will be going in advance.

■ Parking lots that can be reserved
Name: Kamakura Station Parking Lot
Address: 1-1 Komachi, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Opening hours: 24 hours
Capacity: Varies as it is reserved only

■ Parking lots with large capacity
Name: Soubien Parking Lot
Address: 2-5-26 Yukinoshita, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Opening hours: 8:00-17:00
Capacity: 100 cars