17 February 2013, Sunday
Today, acting on my friend MB’s recommendation, I made a day trip to a coastal town called Kamakura and the nearby island of Enoshima, located about an hour south of Tokyo. I had not heard of these two places before so it was great that MB suggested them to me.
At 9am, I caught the subway train from Asakusa and arrived at Shinjuku 25 minutes later. At Shinjuku station, I purchased the Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass for JPY 1,430 (S$19.50). It included return travel on the Odakyu line from Shinjuku and also transport within the Kamakura area.
As there was no direct connection from Shinjuku to Enoshima, I took the rapid express train and transferred at Fujisawa station in Kamakura. The journey from Shinjuku to Fujisawa took exactly an hour. From Fujisawa, it was a short, eight-minute train ride to Enoshima and I arrived at 11:20am. Along the way, I made a new friend, IL, who was from the Czech Republic. She was also travelling solo so we struck up a conversation and decided to explore Enoshima together.
Enoshima is a small island connected to the mainland via a short bridge. After exiting the train station, we followed the crowd and walked across the bridge towards Enoshima. As it was a Sunday, there were many locals taking their children to the island for a nice day out. The weather was a very pleasant 8 degrees Celsius and the sky was clear. I was so happy I could see Mount Fuji in the distance.
Upon reaching the island, we passed through a bronze torii gate and made our way towards Enoshima Shrine on the hilltop. The street was called Benzaiten Nakamise and it was lined with shops selling souvenirs and plenty of interesting snacks. We saw a long queue at one of the food stalls so we joined in and observed how the snack was being made.
First, a lobster was placed on a metal pan together with the batter. Then, it was compressed and baked until it became a thin cracker biscuit. I tried the squid cracker instead of a lobster one. It was very crispy and tasty.
Next, we saw another stall selling a snack with red bean paste fillings. It looked so tempting we just had to try it. It was a small round bun like the bao we have in Singapore, slightly larger than a ping pong ball. I loved the azuki filling and it was really nice to eat it while it was freshly made and warm.
After the momentary gastronomic distractions, we continued our ascent up the hill. We passed through another torii, a bright red one this time, and reached Hetsumiya, one of the three shrines that make up Enoshima Shrine. The other two shrines are Nakatsumiya and Okutsumiya and they are located nearby.
Just like at other Shinto shrines, there were numerous small wooden plaques called ema hanging on a rack in front of a tree. Worshippers can write their wishes on the ema, which will then be received by the spirits or gods.
From Enoshima Shrine, we had a beautiful, panoramic view of the entire island and Sagami Bay beyond. If you want an even better view, you can pay a fee to climb the 60-metre tall Sea Candle lighthouse and observation tower.
As we walked to the westernmost point of the island, we decided that it was a good time to have lunch. We found a restaurant called Uomitei (click here) and chose the outdoor seating area. It had a SPECTACULAR ocean view and we could see the iconic Mount Fuji across the water.
I ordered a katsu don and it was the most perfect lunch…with the cool breeze and gentle late morning sun caressing my skin, yummy food topped by a marvellous view. It was just pure bliss sitting there sipping on my hot green tea while enjoying my meal.
After lunch, we proceeded back across the bridge to the mainland. There wasn’t much else to explore on Enoshima because the eastern part of the island was largely occupied by the yacht club and harbour. It was a short but highly enjoyable visit to Enoshima.
Back on the mainland, we took a stroll along Koshigoe Beach, where we saw some children playing in the sand and windsurfers catching the waves. It was a beautiful day to be at the beach for sure.
At 2:35pm, we hopped on the Enoshima Electric Railway (Enoden) train from Enoshima and arrived at Kamakura station at 3pm. From the station, we walked along the shopping street towards Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine. Compared to Enoshima, the Kamakura town centre was much larger and more crowded. It felt very touristy and I didn’t like it as much.
As we passed by the many snacks stands, a waft of cinnamon drifted across our path and my stomach told me it was time for food again. I gave in to temptation and ordered a cinnamon sugar crepe, which was unfortunately, a little too sweet for my liking.
It has been said that Kamakura is sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan because of its numerous temples, shrines and historical monuments. Indeed, the beautiful Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (click here) did give me some Kyoto vibes. The entire compound was surrounded by verdant trees, evoking a calm ambience. I even spotted some early blooming sakura flowers.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is Kamakura’s most important shrine, established in 1063. It was moved to its present site in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura government.
As we approached the Maiden, a stage for dance and music performances, we noticed that a wedding ceremony was about to take place so we paused to take a look. Shortly after, three ritual musicians dressed in magnificent green robes and black headgear began blowing their wooden instruments. A procession of people walking in pairs followed them, with a Shinto maiden leading the bride and the groom, who were also dressed in traditional robes. They eventually ended up at the Maiden, where the rest of the ceremony took place. You can read more about the ceremony here.
After observing the wedding proceedings for a while, we continued to explore the rest of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, climbing up the stairs to reach the main hall. It was a pleasant visit and we enjoyed it.
Following that, we walked back to Kamakura station to take the Enoden train again to our next destination, Kamakura Daibutsu, or the Great Buddha of Kamakura (click here). We alighted at Hase, three stops away. From the station, we walked for less than 10 minutes and arrived at Kotoku-in temple. After walking a short distance from the temple entrance, we came face to face with the giant Buddha statue.
The 11.3m-tall bronze statue bears the image of Amitabha Buddha. It is not as large as the one at Todai-ji Temple in Nara but it is unusual because it sits in the open air. However, it was not originally intended to be exposed the elements.
The statue was cast more than 760 years ago in 1252. It was originally enshrined in a large temple hall but the building was destroyed by typhoons and subsequently by earthquakes as well. As a result, the statue has been standing in open air since the late 15th century.
Looking at the Great Buddha statue, I could not help but feel a sense of calmness. The surrounding woods created a tranquil sanctuary, sheltering the area from exterior noise. The soft glow of the late afternoon sun added to the otherworldliness of the scene. I felt at peace just standing there, gazing at Buddha’s benevolent face.
After having our fill, we took the Enoden train once again from Hase to Fujisawa station. At 6:04pm, we caught the Odakyu train back to Shinjuku station, arriving an hour later. From there, I said my goodbyes to IL, who had been a wonderful companion. We exchanged contacts and pledged to meet again if I were ever to visit Prague in the future (which I did in 2015, and we really did meet up!).
From Shinjuku, I caught another train to Shibuya, where I met up with MB yet again. I told her how much I enjoyed Enoshima and Kamakura and how grateful I was that she recommended those places to me. Really, nothing beats having a locally-based friend tell you where the best spots are!
We walked from Shibuya to Daikanyama, a stylish and quaint neighbourhood that is home to many boutiques, cafes and low-rise houses. MB brought me to Tsutaya Books, also known as Daikanyama T-Site. It comprised of three buildings with white facades made up of thousands of letter T’s interlocked together. It was named one of the 20 most beautiful bookstores in the world and rightly so.
Tsutaya stocked everything from books to magazines to DVDs to stationery, but I was most impressed by its expansive music collection. There were tons of jazz, classical, rock and pop titles and the best thing was that almost all of the CDs could be sampled for free. Just pick a few titles and head over to one of the 40 listening stations, where you can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee while plugged in to the Bose headphones. We didn’t have time to linger for long but I made a point to return here on my own in the next few days.
We then continued walking to Nakameguro, which was MB’s hood. She pointed out to me Nakameguro Canal, the most famous spot in Tokyo for viewing sakura. This is because the canal is lined with cherry blossom trees on both sides. I could only imagine how nice it must be to walk along the canal every day during sakura season.
The most amazing thing about Nakameguro is that it is full of small, hidden gems. On the outside, what appeared to be tiny dwellings often turned out to be unassuming shops and eateries. I would not have given them a second glance on my own, had MB not pointed them out to me. There’s so much to discover if you keep your eyes open.
We eventually settled on a tiny eatery called Mahakala (click here), run by two friendly Japanese chaps. It was very small and cosy, like a hole-in-the-wall. It had earthy walls and ceilings, and every inch of space was maximised and put to good use.
MB ordered a serving of Ikatamayaki, which was grilled squid omelette. It was super oishii! We also tried Mahakala’s Happy Pudding, which was egg pudding served in a small glass jar. It was so, so good!
After some drinks and more chit chatting, it was time to go. When MB asked for the bill, we saw that one of the staff drew a picture of a “Merlion” on the check and labelled it “Kumalion”, so cute! For the uninitiated, the Merlion is a mythical half-fish, half-lion creature and it is the tourism icon of Singapore.
He drew the image because he found out that we were from Singapore. He also scribbled some words in Japanese on the check, which said “Thanks for coming today and please come again”. It’s little things like these that make the experience so memorable and special. Love it!
At 10:30pm, I bade farewell to MB and took the subway back to Asakusa. It had been yet another glorious and wonderful day, all thanks to MB’s recommendations. This was turning out to be an excellent trip, way better than I could have ever imagined.
