Train to Kamakura

I%26#39;ll be in Tokyo for a week in April and I%26#39;m planning a day-trip to Kamakura. I already know that I must take the JR Yokosuka line from Tokyo station to Kamakura or Kita-Kamakura, but just can%26#39;t find the schedule on the JR web page. Can anyone tell me where to find it or what are the service hours of this line and how frequent are the trains? Also, if it is necessary to make a reservation or is it OK if I just show up at the station to get the train?

Thanks a lot everybody!!

Train to Kamakura

You might want to get a special excursion ticket. See explanation at:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3115.html

For schedules, try Hyperdia:

www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

Enter kitakamakura as all one word (no space, no hyphen). Hyperdia is very unforgiving as far as station names.

For local trains, you cannot make a reservation. So just show up.

Train to Kamakura

One more thing on Hyperdia: If you click on the various icons in the Timetable and Information columns in your results, you will get details regarding service hours, departures per hour and exactly where each train stops.

As mentioned getting something like the Kamakura Free Kippu by JR is good.

You don%26#39;t have to take the Yokosuka line, but it is the most direct if you wanted to go to Kamakura Station. Tokaido Line/Shonan Shinjuku Lines can take you to Ofuna or Fujisawa Stations where connections to the Enoden train or the Shonan Monorail can be made as well, that will take you into Kamakura and Enoshima.

If you take the Yokosuka Line, I recommend changing at Shinagawa Station instead of Tokyo Station (if you are coming by other JR trains), Tokyo Station the Yokosuka Line is way down in the basement level 5, whists at Shinagawa its level with the other JR lines making it easier to connect to.

Just a couple of overall thoughts --

Getting to Kamakura is easy. I did it last summer from the Chidoricho area of Tokyo and it was a piece of cake. No reservations needed, and the trains run frequently.

I did have instructions in English, but your Hotel/ Inn/ Ryokan could supply you with instructions in Japanese if you want; you could then show them to almost anyone and they would help you.

The ticket kiosk staff at the rail lines are also incredibly helpful, and once I asked where to go, they happily pointed me in the right direction.

Have fun!

Thanks for all the valuable information, just what I needed. You people are amazing!

I suggest you leave Tokyo early in the morning right after breakfast and plan on returning right before dinner time. Start your walk in Kita-Kamaura, which I think it%26#39;s even more charming than Kamakura. Search this forum for discussions about Kita-Kamakura. it%26#39;s within walking distance from Hachi-mangu in Kamakura. In fact, ';kita'; means north in Japanese.

The JR Yokosuka line runs frequently. Don%26#39;t worry.