報国寺

Behind the main building of this quiet temple in the residential part of Kamakura lies a bamboo garden so beautiful it will leave you speechless. And in the midst of all the bamboo shoots—numbering approximately 2,000—is a little tea house, where you can sip on green tea and sample traditional sweets while birdsongs echo in the air. This might not be the easiest temple to find, but that means that it’s not overcrowded and has a wonderfully serene atmosphere in which to relax. On clear days, the sunlight filters beautifully through the trees, but it’s on rainy days that it’s at its most austere and impressive.