Our first day in Tokyo, and the weather forecast was hot, hot, hot, so Oscar, our son (whose been living in Tokyo for the past year) suggested we take a train to Enoshima. So at 8 a.m. in the morning we met up at Shinagawa Station, which is just across the road from our hotel. We travelled out to Fukisawa station and then changed to the Odakya Enoshima line. The journey took just over an hour.

On arrival, we made our way to a bridge which connects the mainland to Enoshima Island. We immediately noticed some huge birds flying overhead. According to Oscar, these are the Enoshima Island hawks which have a fiercesome reputation for stealing food. He’s been a victim himself – sitting down to enjoy an enchilada, he found it snatched out of his hand by a hawk. Fortunately, he managed to snatch it back, but others have not been so lucky. So beware of picnicking at Enoshima!

Once across the bridge, we found ourselves on a pretty street lined with picturesque shops selling souvenirs to visitors. Definitely upmarket compared to the UK! Exquisite fans, beautifully crafted chopsticks, hand made sweets, and a surfeit of cat related items. Apparently, the Island is home to many stray cats which are fed and looked after by locals and visitors. I’m not a cat person (sorry!) so this didn’t really thrill me but for others I hear it is a major draw.

Once past the shops, we came to the entrance into Enoshima Shrine. The shrine is set in gardens which can only be reached on foot by climbing up a steep hill. It’s a beautiful and peaceful place to visit and especially nice on a hot day, being shaded by a good many trees. The Shrine consists of three separate temples which are dedicated to the Shinto Goddess Benten, a goddess of wealth, music and knowledge.  Arriving at a temple, I found an atmosphere of peace and quiet. Oscar showed me how to purify myself by rinsing my hands and mouth before making an offering at the temple. Next, I approached the temple, bowed my head, then threw a coin into a collection box. After making the offering, I bowed again, then clapped my hands twice, and made one final bow. All this had to be done slowly and with reverence. According to Oscar, these rituals are commonly observed all over Japan, by people of all or no faith.

Moving up the hill, we paid a small fee to enter the Samual Cocking Garden and go up the Sea Candle. The Samuel Cocking Garden is an attractive botanical garden which belonged to Samuel Cocking, a British trader in the late nineteenth century. The Sea Candle is a working lighthouse with a couple of observation decks. It has fantastic views of the surrounding land and sea. The wind was blowing hard on the outdoor deck and I can only imagine how windy and cold it must be up there in Winter. The trees below were all bent over, indicating just how windy it gets. On a clear day it’s possible to see Mount Fuji, but sadly it wasn’t clear enough today.

After the Sea Candle, we headed up a short side trail, until we came to a small shrine where young couples were making romantic wishes and ringing a ‘Love’ bell. The couples write their names on locks and leave them attached to the fence.

There are lots of lovely restaurants dotted around the hill. We took a table outside one of these for lunch. It was very blowy outside but worth it for the jaw dropping views of the sea. David ordered Shirasu fish, the tiny fish which are caught in large numbers around Enoshima. They were served half raw and half cooked over white rice.

 

After lunch, we headed down to our final destination on the island, the Iwaya Caves. These two impressive caves have been carved out by the sea on the Southern part of the island. One is said to be the home of a dragon which used to terrorize the locals until he was subdued by the Goddess Benten, who agreed to marry him but only on condition that he mend his evil ways.

The Iwaya Caves have been a shrine since 552. Yes, 552! Inside the caves there are a number of ancient stone carvings which have been put there over the years. On entering the cave, you are presented with a candle in a candle holder, which helps to give the caves a more ‘mystical’ atmosphere. As you go deeper into the tunnel, you have to stoop to continue as the ceiling gets narrower and narrower. Coming out of the cave is a relief, as the sea breeze refreshes the senses. Unfortunately, the approach to the cave and the caves themselves were badly damaged by a typhoon last year and closed for some time. It’s still possible to see signs of damage.

After visiting the caves, we walked down onto the rocks below and meandered about inspecting the rock pools whilst enjoying the fresh air. There were plenty of people fishing off the ledges – apparently, it’s a famous fishing spot.

Coming down the hill, we browsed round the shops, then headed down to Enoshima Onsen. Onsen is the Japanese word for a hot spring or Spa and Oscar says there are thousands all over Japan. The Onsen in Enoshima is a large, sophisticated building with several floors. We started in the ‘mixed bathing floor’ where men and women bath in pools together whilst wearing swimming costumes. On the second floor, there were five different pools of various temperatures. My favourite was the outside one, which had fantastic views over the bay. A staff member came out and made an announcement and Oscar suggested we head downstairs to the sauna. This floor was carved out of the rock to create a ‘cave’ like atmosphere.

In the sauna, we were subjected to a German ritual known as ‘Aufguss’. The ‘Aufgussmeister’ adds essential oils in water and then wafts the steam towards you with a towel. Actually, ‘wafts’ is too passive a word. It’s an alarmingly energetic action, which sees the meister take the towel overhead and then snap it down with whip cracking force. This Japanese Aufgussmeister could sure move that towel, despite being a tiny woman! The ‘aufguss’ lasts about 15 minutes, during which time the heat builds up to an almost unbearable degree. I ran for the door a couple of minutes before it was over. Fortunately, there’s a freezing cold plunge pool right outside and it was blissful to jump in there.

After the ‘Aufguss’ we split up and headed to the third floor to the single sex bathhouse. All costumes to be left at the door! I felt somewhat out of my comfort zone as I headed in. Fortunately, Oscar had briefed me on the etiquette of the Onsen – first, I had to sit at a low stool in front of a mirror and clean myself with soap and water from head to toe. Only then could I enter the baths. Once in, I realised that despite Oscar’s briefing, I had made a faux pas. No one else let their hair get in the water. Instead, they put their folded towels on their head. Not quite sure what the towel was for. Ah well. Better luck next time. Other than that, I think I did quite well. At the slightest hint of sweat, I returned to the shower and washed myself down again, as instructed. I even washed again from head to toe at the end. I came out feeling cleaner than I’ve ever felt before.

Downstairs, I met up with David and Oscar and we headed off back to Tokyo, only stopping to pick up a fresh mango and coconut juice to drink on the train. Unexpectedly, it had big lumps of black tapioca in it.  After one day, I can safely say, they do things differently in Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

Enoshima shrines

Sea candle

Enoshima Caves

Onsen