Enoshima 江ノ島

Cute play on words here...It reads...'Ga-Den', Den, meaning electric. Nice!

You have got to love the little electric train! It runs from Fujisawa through Enoshima and then along the coast to Kamakura.

the coastal journey is worth it, although it is a good few years since I have done that.

This time, we were beach bound with no distractions!!

These lanterns can be found all over the island of Enoshima around the temples and they light up at night.

East side beach...black sand and orderly sandals!!

The beaches of Kamakura and Enoshima are famed for being very busy. They are open through July and August and, along with some festivals, the crowds gather for lots of summer fun!

You will be pushed to find a spot of black sand to perch your sarong / towel / tent of shade, and even when you do, you will more than likely suddenly someone else will manage to squeeze into to the very same spot!!

We didn't think much of the east side beach - it was so busy that even in the water we we rammed in between rubber rings and girls (with full make up!) screaming away!

We quickly left the East side beach but not before seeing this awesome statue MADE OF SAND! Nice!

 You should expect to walk a little on this type of day trip. The main Enoshima station is 10-15 minutes from the beaches and then, in order to access the island itself, the bridge is another 15-20 minutes. Maybe, I would advise against doing it in 38 degrees heat like we did....

As we walked towards the island, we did our best to ignore the roar of all the jet skis! Clearly, a lot of them racing around..nice if you have one, not nice if you don't!!

You are greeted by many food stalls and small restaurants as you approach the island. And, if you follow the path through straight, it will lead you to the temple - (we were way too hot to bother...) - maybe great for an Autumnal day.

The quirky souvenir shops filled with all sorts of cute and colourful junk!

The temple..I promise to return on a cooler day and re blog with name and more info!!

 Some of the views were lovely! 

There are plenty of food places, be them restaurants, snack stops, beer stops....We enjoyed fresh wtermelon and ice cream...watch out for some of the flavours though...Corn soup flavoured ice cream???Wasabi???

 Hawks patrol the southern tip of the island...above the cave where these critters live....eeep. It's like your own starring part in a Ghibli movie, only the insects are RIGHT THERE!!!

Strolling around the island, there are a few treats for you...

Back down to sea level and still on the island, we had a job choosing what to eat - plenty of restaurants selling fresh fish, but we opted for something a little different - a taste of Hawaii...savoury pancakes! They were great!!

 

Heading over the bridge to the West beach. It's basically the same, though it felt less seedy and less busy. What I mean is that we weren't tripping over rubber rings or getting shouted at to go have a shower (showers and lockers are 1500yen, so expect to be harangued¬! Very unlike the Japanese, but it happens here.)

The layout is the same, with bars at the backside of the beach...with showers..! They re loud and nothing like your chilled European or beach resort vibe. Expect a wee headache! You can hear the crap music from tout in the water!

West Side

Diego stores and rents surfboards and offers lessons too.

YUM!

 Shirasu is popular here - it's whitebait and very yummy. At the end of our day (it had been quite the adventure!), we found a lovely riverside bar, Diego by  the river just on the inlet from the beach. ((http://www.bytheriver.jp/)) What a find; lovely food, reasonable prices and a satisfied tummy at the end. We even walked along the river a few stops to meet with the electric train.

And then, there was this dude...making his own way home the best way he knew how!!!! Love it!

Enoshima - a great day out from Tokyo whatever the season...just be very aware of just how hot it can be (38 degrees that day) and how busy (rubber ring bumper to rubber ring bumper!)