Great Buddha of Kamakura hosts exchange festival on 8 November

The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu) in Kamakura will host the International Exchange Festival on 8 November 2026. Kamakura City and the festival committee have scheduled the public programme at Kotoku-in Temple from 10am to 3pm.

International Exchange Festival comes to Kotoku-in on 8 November

The festival is organised by the International Exchange Festival Committee and Kamakura City. The city says participating groups will introduce their regular activities and share international crafts, sweets and cultural performances at the temple.

The programme names organisations including the Kamakura branch of Amnesty International, Kamakura UNESCO Association, the Kamakura Japan-France Association and The Shonan Post. It also lists stage contributions involving German, Balinese, Okinawan and Japanese musical or dance traditions. A stamp rally is planned in the cloister during the festival.

The event is designed as an accessible meeting point for residents and visitors rather than as a separate attraction away from the statue. That link gives travellers a chance to encounter the temple grounds while the programme brings local international-exchange groups into the setting of one of Kamakura’s principal Buddhist sites. The city programme for 8 November gives the date, venue, organisers and participation details.

The bronze image places the festival in Kamakura history

Kotoku-in is the temple associated with the seated bronze Buddha that gives the site its English name. The city’s historical landscape plan identifies the statue as a National Treasure and describes it as an image of Amida Buddha.

The statue belongs to the middle of the thirteenth century. A cultural history of Kamakura places the start of its bronze construction in 1252 and records that it was later left in the open air after the hall that once sheltered it was lost. The image therefore provides a fixed historical setting for a festival concerned with exchange between cultures and communities.

The Great Buddha is at Kotoku-in in southern Kamakura, while the wider city contains more than 100 temples. Its status as the only Buddhist image in Kamakura designated a National Treasure is noted by Nippon.com’s Kamakura account, which places the statue within the city’s broader Buddhist heritage.

Visiting Great Buddha of Kamakura: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The International Exchange Festival takes place on 8 November 2026 at Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura, with the city programme listing 10am to 3pm.
• The event is planned inside the temple grounds and includes cultural introductions, performances and a stamp rally; the city states that the festival proceeds in ordinary rain, while severe weather can cancel it.
• The programme names Enoden Hase Station as the transport stop for the venue.
• Japan’s official language is Japanese and its national currency is the yen.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Great Buddha of Kamakura

When does the International Exchange Festival take place at Great Buddha of Kamakura?

The festival takes place on 8 November 2026 at Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura. The city programme lists the event from 10am to 3pm.

What is Great Buddha of Kamakura?

It is the English name for the National Treasure bronze image at Kotoku-in. The statue dates from the middle of the thirteenth century.

Where is Great Buddha of Kamakura and how do you get there?

The temple is in southern Kamakura, and the event programme names Enoden Hase Station as the transport stop for the venue.