Enoshima (江ノ島)

Enoshima is an island in Kanagawa which is known for its beaches that are relatively close to Tokyo. Some websites even call it the Miami Beach of the East. But aside from the beaches, Enoshima also offers a dose of Japan's cultural heritage. There are shrines and temples all around, one even have the naked Benzaiten (弁財天) - a Shinto god, which is rarely seen that way.

We got to Enoshima via the Odakyu Enoshima Line (小田急江ノ島線), but we bought an "Enopass" at Fujisawa station (藤沢駅). The Enopass is actually just 1,000円/pax, but from Fujisawa station, it will be 1,250円 to include unlimited train rides to and from Katase-Enoshima station (片瀬江ノ島駅). This pass allows unlimited rides to the escalators at the island (called Enoshima Escar (江ノ島エスカー)) and admission to the Samuel Cocking Garden (コッキング苑), the lighthouse, and the Iwaya Caves (岩屋洞窟). For separate tickets, that would be 1,350円, so it's a 350円 discount plus discounts to other establishments.

However, we did not take the Odakyu Enoshima train from Fujisawa, because from Fujisawa, there's also another train going to Enoshima, and a vintage one at that. It's the Enoden (江ノ電) and it's an old train that travels from Fujisawa station to Kamakura station (鎌倉駅), with it's own Enoshima station (江ノ島駅) not far from the Odakyu station.

Originally, we planned to take the ferry from the beach to the southern part of the island, reversing the usual flow to avoid a long walk under the sun, but unfortunately, the was no ferry service when we went there. In retrospect, I think it was better to walk than to take the ferry because you can use the escalators going up. I think the sequence is also much better coming from the bronze torii when you reach the island compared to starting from the caves at the back, which were closer to the garden and lighthouse - the "highlight" of this trip.

Enoshima Island Spa

First stop is the Enoshima Shrine (江島神社). At the base of the shrine is also the entrance to the first of the escalators. However, I recommend that you skip this first escalator and take the stairs instead. Along the way is the Stone of Good Luck. Believers say that if you'll find anything near the stone, you'll have great luck. I found some 1円 coins that must have been thrown by those who thought that it was a wishing stone. Does that count?

Stone of Good Luck

At the top is the actual shrine, where we also prayed like the Japanese did, and the octagon temple that has the 3 Benzaiten, including the naked one, and the pond where you're supposed to wash your money so it can be doubled. There is an additional ticket needed to see the naked Benzaiten for 150円, but if you have the Enopass, it will just be 100円. Also, photography is not allowed inside.

Temple of the naked Benzaiten

After that stop, we took the escalator to another shrine and enjoyed the view along the way. Good thing it was sunny at that time, so everything was clear, even Mount Fuji can be seen. We headed towards the Samuel Cocking garden, but did not enter yet. We took another break at the benches outside the garden, then headed straight to the direction of the Iwaya Caves, passing by a couple of shrines and the Enoshima Daishi.

Enoshima Daishi

The road towards the caves also branched out going to the Love Bell, so before heading to our initial destination, we passed by the bell to see what it looked like. Unsurprisingly, there were many lovers waiting for their turn to ring the bell. There were also locks on the side, which I presume has the same symbolism as the locks we saw in N Seoul Tower - where putting locks and throwing away the key bind the lovers' hearts forever.

Heading back to the main trail, we continued our walk towards the Iwaya caves. The view was very captivating, we were almost at the edge and we could see the waves splashing against the rock formations. There were 2 caves, and both have their own Benzaitens. In one of the caves, we were also given candles to light up our way. It was quite cold inside, and water drips from time to time.

After the caves, it was almost sunset, so we went back straight to the garden. Again, admission was already taken care of the Enopass, so we just showed the tickets and went in. After another short break, we headed straight to the lighthouse and went up the observatory. The observatory was divided into 2 - the main observatory and the open air observatory which was another floor higher by stairs. Actually, you can also enjoy an open air view of the surroundings using the stairs around the lighthouse. We saw some people go this way going down when we were at the elevator going up. After enjoying the sunset and early night breeze at the top of the lighthouse, we walked out of the island to the Katase-Enoshima station to avail our free ride until Fujisawa station, and continued on the Odakyu line to the direction of Shinjuku station (新宿駅).

Enopass
Enoshima links from japan-guide and wikitravel