10 Temples on 2 Wheels

A book review.

10 Temples on 2 Wheels

'Exploring Kamakura by Bicycle or on Foot'

by Vicki. L. Beyer

published: 2008

ISBN: 9780646489834

genre: Travel Guidebooks

reviewed:2009.08.04

👍🏼 recommended

This guide book is quite simply a must if you're visiting Kamakura, the old capital of Japan and Tokyo's culture-steeped exurb. While the structure of the book takes some getting used to, it's got very clear maps and a lot of information packed into its slim form. The text is readable and having the recommended tours on the back cover is clever. With smart phones we no longer need the written descriptions of the routes to take, but it's good to have the context from someone who clearly knows the town well.

But all of that aside, it's the tours that count. I had been to Kamakura several times before I spotted this book in a foreigner's supermarket in Tokyo circa 2008. This book revolutionized my next trip to the town. Armed with this book, I was able to show my guests several things that I'd not only never seen but had no idea were hidden away in Kamakura: bamboo forests, mountain-side shrines with cave systems, a wooded cemetery, and on and on. The simple idea of self-guided bicycle tours opens up a whole new dimension for this town. This book has enough material to make at least two trips.