Taxis in Kamakura

Taking a taxi isn’t the cheapest way to get around, and thanks to Japan’s excellent public transportation system, it often isn’t necessary. However, if you have a lot of luggage, or your hotel is too far from the station, or if you are simply just too tired — taking a taxi could be your best option.

Fortunately, taxis are easy to find in Kamakura. There are taxi stands at both exits of Kamakura Station, and in other areas you can easily hail a taxi on the street.

And though taxis aren’t cheap, if you are traveling in a group and can split the cost between you, they can be economical.

Taxi Fares

Taxi fares will differ by the size of the car. There are three basic sizes in Kamakura: standard (futsu-sha 普通車), large (ogata-sha 大型車) and extra-large (tokudai-sha 特大車). If you take a larger car, the fare will be more expensive. A standard sized taxi can seat four people, but if you have more people in your group you will need either a bigger taxi or another vehicle.

The fare on the meter is calculated by both distance and time. How fares are calculated may also differ by the company, but generally distance-based fares are calculated in line with the fare table below:

	Standard Taxi	Large Taxi	Extra-large Taxi
Base Fare	500 yen for first 1.091 kilometers	530 yen for first 1.091 kilometers	560 yen for first 1.091 kilometers
Additional fare	100 yen every 239 meters	100 yen every 226 meters	100 yen every 214 meters

If the taxi is held up by traffic, the meter will also go up according to the time. Again, how this is calculated may differ by the company, but the following time-based fares are typical in Kamakura:

	Standard Taxi	Large Taxi	Extra-large Taxi
For speeds of 10 kilometers per hour or less	100 yen for every 1 minute and 30 seconds	100 yen for every 1 minute and 25 seconds	100 yen for every 1 minute and 20 seconds

There is also a late-night fee which is charged between 22.00 and 5.00. During this period fares increase by 20%.

Getting a Taxi

There are taxi stands outside both the East Exit and West Exit of Kamakura Station. At the taxi stands, the taxis line up and customers board them as they become available. The only disadvantage of this system is that you can’t pick the taxi you want to ride in, but most taxi drivers will give you good service, so you probably don’t need to worry about that.

At other locations you can easily hail a taxi on the street by raising your hand. Keep an eye out for the illuminated sign in the taxi’s front window that shows if it is available or not. Vacant taxis have a red sign saying 空車 at the front of the car. If a taxi is occupied, the sign will be green and say 賃走. But you don’t need to remember the words, just remember that red means vacant and green means occupied. Because the signs are illuminated, they are very easy to spot.

Taxi apps that can be downloaded to your smartphone are also a convenient way to call a taxi. Using an app means you can set your destination, boarding location and payment method in advance and so avoid any communication difficulties. The following taxi apps are popular in Japan and both have English-language interfaces: Go and Uber.

Taxi Companies in Kamakura

A number of taxi companies operate in the Kamakura area. Below are listed three of the biggest and most reliable companies.

Keikyu Taxi

Keikyu Taxi is part of the same corporate group as the Keikyu Bus company that also runs buses in Kamakura and the Keikyu Railway network that operates in Tokyo and in Kanagawa Prefecture. Being a part of such a big group means you can expect reliable service from Keikyu Taxi drivers!

An unusual feature of Keikyu Taxi is that it accepts prepaid IC cards like Pasmo or Suica for payment as well as regular credit cards. Call 0467-44-2214 to book a taxi, or fill out the inquiry form on the official Keikyu Taxi website.

KG Group

Four long-established taxi companies are members of the KG Group: Kamakura Taxi, Kamakura Enoshima Hire, Zushi-Hayama Taxi, and Gurin Hire. Taxis belonging to this group can be recognized by the green KG logo on their roof. The KG Group is notable for its code of conduct which includes impeccable manners, such as getting out of the car to greet passengers and usher them into the car, and escorting passengers to the car with an umbrella if it is raining. Some KG Group taxi drivers may speak English.

The KG Group also has a sightseeing taxi service, with courses you can decide on to suit your own schedule and interests. However, this is not an English-language service. The price for a sightseeing taxi is 7,280 yen for the first hour and 3,640 yen for every 30 minutes after that. For regular taxis call 0467-31-0101 between 6.00 and 26.00. To inquire about the sightseeing taxi service call 0467-31-0606 between 8.00 and 17.00 or send an email to kggroup@grin.co.jp. Check the official KG Group website for more details (Japanese language only).

Kamakura Smile Taxi

Kamakura Smile Taxi usually has cars at the West Exit of Kamakura Station. This company’s taxis are easily recognized by their grey-colored cars. Kamakura Smile Taxi only has standard sized cars that take up to four passengers, so if you have more people in your group, you will need an extra car.

Kamakura Smile Taxi also offers a number of sightseeing courses which last between 2 to 5 hours. This company’s official website also has an English-language page with more information. For regular taxis call 0467-40-5396. To inquire about sightseeing courses or to make reservations call 0467-40-5370 or send an email to info@k-smile.co.jp.

How to Use a Japanese Taxi

• The rear doors of Japanese taxis are remote controlled by the driver and will open and close automatically. For this reason you should not try to open and close the door yourself.
• Your fare will be indicated on a meter beside the driver. Japanese taxi drivers are generally honest so you usually don’t need to worry about being cheated.
• There is no need to tip a taxi driver so you should just pay the fare on the meter and nothing more. Tipping is not expected in Japan, and if you try to tip a driver it will probably cause only confusion or embarrassment.
• Most taxi drivers can’t speak English, so it’s a good idea to prepare a map to your destination, or have the address written down in Japanese.
• Japanese taxis usually accept credit cards, but not always. If you need to pay with a card, you should check that your card is acceptable before the journey begins. In case you can’t use a card, it’s a good idea to have some cash ready to pay your fare.

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Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 22-Nov-2025.