Inamuragasaki

Inamuragasaki is the rocky cape that juts into Sagami Bay at the western end of Kamakura's coastline, dividing the long beach of Yuigahama from Shichirigahama beyond. Its name is said to come from its shape, which resembled inamura, the stacked sheaves of rice left in the fields at harvest time. Today it is one of the most beloved viewpoints on the whole Shonan coast, a place people come to watch the sun sink behind the sea with the silhouette of Enoshima island in the middle distance and, on a clear day, the perfect cone of Mount Fuji floating on the horizon.

A small clifftop park, Inamuragasaki Park, occupies the headland on the Shichirigahama side. It is nothing elaborate: grassy slopes, a scatter of benches, stone steps and a few pine trees bent by the sea wind. But the view does all the work. From the top you look west across the water to Enoshima, its observation tower catching the light, and behind it Fuji changes colour through the afternoon, sharpest in the cold, dry air of winter. Photographers gather here for the golden hour, and the scene has appeared in countless films and music videos as shorthand for the wistful romance of the Shonan coast.

The cape also carries a heavy piece of history. In 1333 the warrior Nitta Yoshisada led an assault on Kamakura and, according to legend, was blocked here by the sea cliffs and the defending forces. He is said to have thrown his gold sword into the waves as an offering, upon which the tide drew back and let his army pass along the exposed shore to attack the city, bringing down the Kamakura shogunate. A weathered monument on the headland commemorates the episode, giving the pretty viewpoint an unexpected depth of story.

Visiting is easy and free. The Enoden Line, the charming single-track tram that trundles along the coast between Kamakura and Enoshima, stops at Inamuragasaki Station, from which the cape is a five-minute walk toward the sea across Route 134. The park paths involve some steps and are not fully accessible, but the effort is minimal. There are restrooms and benches, and the small beach at the foot of the cape is popular with surfers year-round. Note that the Enoden is a private line and is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass, though IC cards such as Suica and Pasmo work normally.

Aim to arrive in the late afternoon and stay for sunset, ideally on a clear winter's day when Fuji is most likely to appear. Bring a jacket, because the sea wind is bracing, and a camera or steady phone, because this is one of those views that people travel a long way to see. Combined with a stroll along neighbouring Shichirigahama or a ride on to Enoshima, Inamuragasaki makes a perfect, unhurried end to a day on the Kamakura coast.