Kamakura, Kanagawa

Kamakura 鎌倉市
City
Kamakura City Hall
Flag Seal
Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture
Kamakura
Coordinates: 35°19′N 139°33′E / 35.317°N 139.550°E / 35.317; 139.550Coordinates: 35°19′N 139°33′E / 35.317°N 139.550°E / 35.317; 139.550
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Kanagawa Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Takashi Matsuo
Area
• Total	39.53 km2 (15.26 sq mi)
Population (September 1, 2016)
• Total	172,302
• Density	4,358.77/km2 (11,289.2/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
– Tree	Yamazakura (Prunus jamasakura)
– Flower	Gentian
Phone number	0467-23-3000
Address	18-10 Onarimachi, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken 248-8686
Website	www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp

Kamakura (鎌倉市, Kamakura-shi^?) is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) south-south-west of Tokyo. Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the Kamakura Period. Kamakura was designated as a city on November 3, 1939.

As of September 1, 2016, the modern city has an estimated population of 172,302 and a population density of 4,358.77 persons per km². The total area is 39.53 km² (15.26 sq mi).

As a coastal city with a high number of seasonal festivals, as well as ancient Buddhist and Shinto shrines and temples, Kamakura is a popular tourist destination within Japan.

Surrounded to the north, east and west by hills and to the south by the open water of Sagami Bay, Kamakura is a natural fortress. Before the construction of several tunnels and modern roads that now connect it to Fujisawa, Ofuna and Zushi, on land it could be entered only through narrow artificial passes, among which the seven most important were called Kamakura's Seven Entrances (鎌倉七口^?), a name sometimes translated as "Kamakura's Seven Mouths". The natural fortification made Kamakura an easily defensible stronghold.