Thanks so much, this is a very helpful post!

Here's what I had sort of planned out in my head, without really understanding how we'd work it all out...

The idea initially was to rent a car and drive, in which case we'd be arriving along the coast. I had noted all the interesting sights in order of the route we'd be following. Here's what I had written down:

• Jojuin – (Hydrangea Garden Temple)
• Goryō-jinja – (Samurai Shrine)
• Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera / Hase-kannon – (Buddhist Temple) *
• Kamakura Kaihin Koen Seaside Park –
[Shichirigahama Beach and Inamuragasaki Point, Kotokuin, Museum of Literature, etc.]
• Kamakura-gū / Ōtōnomiya / Daitōnomiya – (Meiji Kamakura Shrine) *
• Kinbyōzan Zuisen-ji – (Rinzai Buddhist Temple in Momijigayatsu Valley / Valley of the Autumn Leaves) *
• Taizōzan Kannon'in Sugimotodera – (Tendai Buddhist Temple)
• Hōkoku-ji / Takedera Temple – (Kenchō-ji Rinzai Zen Temple) *
• Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū – (Landmark Hachiman Shrine) *
• Kenchō-ji – (Rinzai Zen Temple)
• Meigetsu-in / Hydranjea Temple – (Kenchō-ji Rinzai Zen Temple) *
• Shōkozan Tōkei-ji / Kakekomi-dera / Enkiri-dera – (Rinzai Zen Buddhist Temple and Cemetery) *
• Engaku-ji / Zuirokuzan Engaku Kōshō Zenji – (Zen Buddhist Temple) *
• Sasuke Inari Jinja – (Shinto Shrine at Kakurezato Hidden Village)
• Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Jinja – (Shinto Cave Shrine)


The ones with the * were of higher interest, however I figured that with a car, it would be easy to just sort of drive through at leisure to get an overall feel of the whole town and of each temple, without necessary spending the time to tour each one thoroughly. I figured we could just play it by ear and use the list as a rough guide, following that route but then chosing which sights to stop and spend time at, which were enough to just drive past, etc. In all likelihood, we'd probably do a bit more research beforehand (as we plan to do for Kyoto as well) into each of the temples and their purposes. For instance, there's one which used to serve as a refuge for abused women which I think my wife would find really fascinating.

In addition, I was hoping to stop at Kamakura Matsubara-an near the Seaside Park for a relatively quick soba lunch, perhaps before or after a morning walk along the beach.

Does the above "plan" sound like it's doable knowing that we're really more interested in just exploring Kamakura and seeing other towns outside of Tokyo and Hakone, rather than a keen interest in every last temple or checking a bunch of sights off a list? Kamakura seems like a pretty and small rural town and a very peaceful setting and while driving has been strongly discouraged on this forum, I had liked the idea of "getting outside of the big cities" and doing a bit of exploration; perhaps taking a few wrong turns and getting sidetracked or temporarily lost, seeing someplace new.

We want to be back in Tokyo by 6PM so even if it took 2 hours between Hakone (by train or car) and another 2 hours between Kamakura and Tokyo with heavy traffic, we'd still have 4-5 hours to sightsee, eat lunch, etc.

I've used Google Maps as a reference and input all of the big temples and shrines and they all seem fairly concentrated within 3 or 4 different areas of town, making an easy route to follow.

I'm now considering costs and wondering whether railway, busses, and taxis would be more cost efficient then just renting a car (with English GPS) for 7 hours. Perhaps I'm being stubborn or just not fully appreciating the concerns that others are expressing with regards to driving, but the car just seems so much more convenint to me.