Our guesthouse, which caters to women, is a small, cozy, simple inn right beside the ocean. We love to chat about the Kamakura area and Japan in general, so feel free to ask questions. Helen's French and Spanish are a bit rusty (her Spanish is... very rusty), but if you're happy to be patient, she's more than happy to give them a go. She also speaks English and Japanese. Hisashi speaks Japanese and a bit of English. Our greatest desire is for our guests to enjoy their stay with us, which is only possible if guests are fully aware of what we offer and what we are not able to offer. Please have a very good look at our photos and descriptions of the guesthouse to make sure our inn is what you're looking for. Please note that we live on-site. While this lets us easily answer questions and support our guests, it may pose a problem for travellers in need of accommodation with female-only on-site staff.

Welcome to 女性専用 Inn By The Sea Kamakura - Women's Guesthouse! We relocated to Kamakura in early 2014 from Tokyo and opened up shop in December of 2014. Both Hisashi and Helen have been fans of Kamakura for years, though - in Hisashi's case, for over 40 years! He grew up surfing and swimming along the Shonan coast, and always dreamed of living ocean-side. Our favourite spots are a little off the main drag — Helen's a big fan of Sasuke Inari Shrine (about 20min on foot from us) and Myohonji (across town). Hisashi has a soft spot for Zeniarai Benten (just up the street from Sasuke Inari) and Komyoji (across town). We both love Hasedera. Kamakura is overflowing with temples and shrines, and it's impossible to see them all in a short visit, but after visiting Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the Daibutsu and Hasedera (Kamakura's must-visit spots), we hope you have the time to check out a few of the less famous areas. Helen loves history, and has been thoroughly enjoying learning more about Kamakura's, which is, to put it briefly, tumultuous. She'd be happy to chat about what she's learned so far, and to look up anything else you'd like to know. We hope to see you soon!

The Hase neighbourhood of Kamakura is bustling during the day, and very quiet at night (as in, shops/restaurants close early!). There are souvenir shops galore, restaurants, cafes, and of course, plenty of temples and shrines to keep a person busy. Then there's the beach for ocean sports, and the hills for hiking. Most importantly, the Kamakura Daibutsu (Great Buddha) is just down the street, as is Hasedera (Hase Temple). For those on the Seven Gods of Luck walk, both Hasedera and nearby Goryo Jinja (Goryo Shrine) are part of the pilgrimage. A short walk down the coast will, on a clear day, provide stunning views of Mt. Fuji and Enoshima. But even if the elusive Fuji-san is being shy, there's a good chance the sea will be full of surfers and paddle boarders, providing a good amount of entertainment. During the summer, several fireworks shows are visible in the area, from Yuigahama's fireworks in July (deafeningly close on the beach) to neighbouring Zushi's and distant Hayama's (visible over the hills for Zushi, and the sea for Hayama). Enoshima also puts on a number of fireworks shows throughout the summer season which can be seen from nearby Inamuragasaki Seaside Park.