Mandarado Yagura Tombs Limited Opening (まんだら堂やぐら群の限定公開)

What Is the Mandarado Yagura Tombs Limited Opening?

The Mandarado Yagura Tombs (まんだら堂やぐら群) limited opening is an event in which Zushi City (逗子市) opens the yagura tombs inside the Nagoe Kiridoshi Pass (名越切通), a national historic site, to the public only during set periods in early summer and autumn. Yagura are medieval tombs and memorial chambers carved into the bedrock, and more than 150 of them line the cliffs here, tier upon tier. The entrance fence stays closed the rest of the year, so these opening days are the only time you can go inside.

Dates, Hours and Admission

The site opens twice a year, in early summer (late April to May) and autumn (late October to mid-December), on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and national holidays during those periods. Hours are 10:00 to 16:00 in early summer and 10:00 to 15:00 in autumn, with last entry 5 minutes before closing. The autumn closing time was 16:00 in the past but has been 15:00 since 2023. The site may close without notice in stormy weather.

Admission is free and no reservation is needed; voluntary donations are accepted for the upkeep of the site. According to visitors’ accounts, donations go into a box at the reception desk.

Highlights: Looking Down on the Yagura from the Viewing Terrace

On opening days there is a reception desk at the entrance, where staff hand out pamphlets. Stairs behind the desk lead up to a viewing terrace, where you can look down on the tiers of yagura across the cliff and catch a faint glimpse of the sea beyond the trees. Many chambers still hold gorinto (五輪塔), memorial towers built from five stacked stones.

Visitors are kept back from the yagura, so you cannot enter or touch them. Only the open area can be visited; the part of the site called Group C is not open to the public because its safety cannot be ensured.

Visitor Notes

Eating is not allowed on site; only drinks are permitted, because kites have snatched food from behind and injured visitors. There are no restrooms, so use one at the station before you set out. There is no car or bicycle parking and no coin parking nearby.

Access: Visiting During a Stay at Toshi’s Place

Take a bus from Zushi Station (逗子駅) or Kamakura Station (鎌倉駅) and walk uphill from the bus stop. From bus stop 6 at Zushi Station, take the Kamegaoka Danchi loop bus and get off at Midorigaoka-iriguchi (緑ヶ丘入口), about 12 minutes, or Kamegaoka Danchi-kita (亀が岡団地北), about 18 minutes. From bus stop 3 at Kamakura Station, the bus bound for Midorigaoka-iriguchi takes about 10 minutes. The walk from the bus stop takes about 10 to 15 minutes, but every route ends with steep stairs or a mountain path, so a visit with a stroller or wheelchair is not practical. After rain the paths turn muddy and slippery with fallen leaves, so wear sturdy walking shoes. In autumn the site closes early, at 15:00, so set out early to allow time for the mountain path.

Many visitors combine the visit with a walk to Osarubatake no Okirigishi (お猿畠の大切岸), a long rock cliff near the Nagoe Kiridoshi Pass. Heading down the pass toward Kamakura on the way back, you can also stop at three temples linked to the monk Nichiren (日蓮): Choshoji Temple (長勝寺), Ankokuronji Temple (安国論寺) and Myohoji Temple (妙法寺). Because opening days are limited to Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and holidays, a stay of a few days in Kamakura makes it much easier to fit a visit in. Staying at Toshi’s Place (トシズプレイス), fully unmanned smart hotels with kitchens for self-catering stays, lets you start up the mountain path with time to spare on the morning of an opening day.

Wrap-Up

The Mandarado Yagura Tombs limited opening is your chance to step into a medieval memorial site where more than 150 yagura are stacked on the cliffs, on only a few days in early summer and autumn. For the history of the site and its seasonal scenery, see Mandarado Yagura Tombs.

Basic Information

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