Guide · Akihabara

Part of: Anime Pilgrimage in Japan: How to Plan It

Slam Dunk Crossing in Kamakura: What the City Asks of Visitors, and How to Visit Without Being the Problem

The Slam Dunk level crossing next to Kamakura-Kōkōmae Station on the Enoden line draws so many anime fans that Kamakura City says the crowds and litter have become a serious problem for residents. Over the past year the city has run crowd-control trials: a designated photo area in Koshigoe Racco Park next to the station, guides telling people not to stop on pavements or shoot from the road, trash stations, no-parking appeals, and AI cameras. The short version: take your photo from the designated area, never from the road or private land, keep moving, and take your rubbish home. I run private anime tours in Akihabara most weeks, and this is what I tell guests heading to Kamakura.

This guide uses Kamakura City's official pages only; follow the signs and guides on the day, because arrangements change.

What has Kamakura City done at the Slam Dunk crossing?

In September 2025 the city ran an emergency four-day trial with about 12 staff a day: it set up a photo area in Koshigoe Racco Park, the park closest to the station, steered photographers off the road, asked drivers not to stop, put in trash stations and warned people off private land. From 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2026, security guards guided visitors daily, and AI cameras tracked crowds from December 2025.

For anime pilgrimage manners in general, see anime pilgrimage in Japan; for the anime shopping side of your trip, my Akihabara anime tour.

Where should you take the photo?

From the designated area in Koshigoe Racco Park, next to the station, where the city has set up its photo spot during its trials, or wherever the guides and signs on the day direct you. Not from the road, not standing in the crossing, and not from private land around it.

This is the honest section. This is a working level crossing on a local railway and a road in a residential area, not a theme park. The city's numbers, over 9,000 people at the photo area in four days and bags of plastic bottles left behind, are why the city describes the crowds as a burden on local residents' daily lives. If the area is packed, come back early on a weekday, or skip the photo and enjoy the coast.

How should you behave around the crossing?

Do what the city asks: do not stop on pavements, do not take photos from the road, do not go onto private land, do not stop or park cars nearby (use park-and-ride), and take your rubbish home or use the bins the city provides. Follow the guides' directions.

These are the same manners that apply at Kanda Myojin and other pilgrimage spots: the place belongs to the people who live there.

Is the Slam Dunk crossing worth visiting?

For Slam Dunk fans, yes, if you visit the way the city asks. It is a short stop on the Enoden coast line, so combine it with Kamakura's temples or Enoshima rather than making it the whole day.

Kamakura City has also run a government crowdfunding project for the area's overtourism measures, and its live camera of Koshigoe Racco Park, when running, shows how crowded it is. For more pilgrimage ideas near Tokyo, real anime places in Tokyo has them.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Slam Dunk crossing? Next to Kamakura-Kōkōmae Station on the Enoden line, in Kamakura.

Where can I take photos of the Slam Dunk crossing? From the designated photo area in Koshigoe Racco Park, next to the station, or wherever guides direct you. Not from the road or the crossing.

Is it allowed to stand in the road to take the photo? No. Kamakura City asks visitors not to take photos from the road.

Can I drive to the Slam Dunk crossing? The city asks people not to stop or park near the station and promotes park-and-ride.

Why is the Slam Dunk crossing controversial? Crowds, people blocking pavements and the road, trespassing and litter; the city has run guides, a photo area and AI cameras to manage it.

A careful photo in Kamakura, an easy day in Akihabara

If you would like an Akihabara day chosen around the series you love, Adventure in Akihabara with Anime is my private half-day walk, three to four hours, never shared with other guests. The price is on the tour page.

About the author. I am Yuuki, a Japanese teacher and Akihabara anime tour guide based in Tokyo. I run private anime tours here most weeks, rated 4.96★ on Airbnb across 171 reviews. I have watched over 1,500 anime series, which is either a qualification or a warning depending on your point of view.

See the Akihabara anime tour →

Sources: Kamakura City, City measures at Kamakura-Kōkōmae Station (guards 1 October 2025 – 31 March 2026; guidance to Koshigoe Racco Park; no stopping on pavements; updated 3 April 2026), Order-keeping trial (congestion and litter; 13–16 September 2025 trial; photo area; no road photography; no stopping cars; trash station; private land; park-and-ride; 9,490 photo-area users; rubbish collected) and AI camera trial press release (19 December 2025 – 31 March 2026; what the cameras track; live view; warning signs; government crowdfunding). All checked 4 October 2026.