Before you go
Kamakura is a town most people reach by train.
You can drive there too, of course.
But there’s one thing we’d like you to know first.
Kamakura’s “Park & Ride” changed recently.
What to watch for is traffic, not restrictions
What you need to watch for is different from other sightseeing spots.
It isn’t rules about driving in, it’s traffic jams.
When is it crowded? — Weekends and holidays, from 10 a.m. until evening
Kamakura City has put together data on its traffic jams.
According to it, during long holiday weekends especially, traffic backs up on and off from 10 a.m. into the evening.
The “on and off” is the tricky part.
Just when you think you’re through, it backs up again.
If you can go on a weekday, go on a weekday.
Where to get out of the car — Park & Ride has shrunk
This is the most important part of this article.
Kamakura has a system called “Park & Ride”.
You park at a parking lot in the surrounding area and switch to the Enoden (江ノ電) line or a bus.
Over the past few years, this system has been cut back twice.
The first time was in March 2024. Inamuragasaki (稲村ガ崎) was suspended.
The second time was at the end of September 2025. The Park & Rail Ride at Enoshima (江の島) ended on September 30, and Shichirigahama (七里ガ浜) has been suspended since the following day.
The city has explained why the second cut happened.
Tourist numbers grew, the Enoden trains became constantly packed, and that affected the people who live along the line.
A system meant to move people from cars to trains ended up clogging the trains instead.
The only two you can use now are Yuigahama and Ofuna.
Park at Yuigahama and switch to the Enoden
Park at the prefecture-run Yuigahama Underground Parking (由比ガ浜地下駐車場).
The entrance is split into an “Enoshima side” and a “Kamakura side”, but you can go in from either.
Once you’ve parked, buy a Park & Ride ticket from the automatic ticket machine.
From there, walk to Wadazuka Station (和田塚駅) or Yuigahama Station (由比ヶ浜駅) on the Enoden.
The Park & Ride ticket comes with one all-day pass.
It covers the Enoden from Kamakura Station (鎌倉駅) to Hase Station (長谷駅), plus five designated bus routes.
It doesn’t cover the whole Enoden line.
Before you leave, go to the office next to the ticket machine and have the discount put on your parking ticket (駐車券).
That’s where you get the discount.
The other one, at Ofuna (大船), works by giving you a discount on the parking charge.
It works differently from Yuigahama.
Check the conditions on the city’s page.
Once you’ve parked, check the closing time at the entrance.
Can you book? — You buy the pass on the day, on site
There’s no booking for this system.
You arrive, park and buy the Park & Ride ticket there and then.
So what you need to check is the dates and times.
First, it doesn’t run in July and August, or from January 1 to 3. The summer beach season is left out entirely.
Even on days it runs, Park & Ride tickets are on sale until 3 p.m. (as of 2026). Arrive after 3 p.m., and you can still park, but you can’t buy the pass.
And during the Park & Ride period, Yuigahama Underground Parking is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (as of 2026). After 6 p.m., you can’t get your car out until the next day. Be back by 6 p.m., and you can return your rental car on schedule too.
It comes with one pass, so if there are two or more of you, buy extra passes.
Get the dates and times right, and on the day all you do is park and buy.
Switch to the Enoden, and you never join the line
Kamakura’s traffic jams run from 10 a.m. into the evening on weekends and holidays.
If you’re in a car at that time, you’re in that line.
Once you’ve parked at Yuigahama, from there on it’s trains and buses.
You never join the line of traffic.
At the same moment, there are people sitting in the line of cars, and people sitting on the Enoden.
The second group has a much easier time.
※ Where Park & Ride runs, the periods when it doesn’t, charges, the hours tickets are sold, the parking lot’s opening hours and what the pass covers can all change. Before you go, check Kamakura City’s official page. It shows the date it was updated, so you can tell whether the information is new.
