Discovering the Tale of Enoshima Island

The Slam Dunk wave is sweeping across Asia once again in 23 years since the release of the comic in 1990! How can you ignore this very place where the passionate youthful basketball story is staged? Ehem, well not exactly in Enoshima Island itself but it's close enough that you can see it from the famous railway crossing appeared in Slam Dunk.

Instead of looking at it from the outside this time, let's venture into the island and see what's there!

Getting to the island involves taking the cute tiny retro Eno-den, short form for Enoshima Dentetsu (Enoshima railway) from Fujisawa Station to Katase Enoshima Station.  

Arriving at the bridge connecting to the island! You'd be able to see Mt. Fuji on the right if you're lucky! It requires a clear sky from your end to Mt. Fuji to be able to see it. Even though it's a sunny day here I'm only able to see a silhouette so faint that one would easily pass it by.

The entrance to the heart of Enoshima marked by a tori-i, a gate commonly found at the entrance of shrines. Cool!

Out of the shops along the way up the island, this denim shop is by far the most eye catching and unique one. With its all-blue display, including the the blue ice-cream shop next to it, it's really hard to miss it. Everything sold in the shop such as shoes, bags, accessories, etc., is either of denim material or print. It's interesting even just for browsing.

Another tori-i, looks like I've come to a shrine!

Well, it's actually not just one shrine but three! Each shrine is dedicated to each goddess of Munakata Sanjoshin (Three goddesses of Munakata).

On the hill of Enoshima, the sky and sea spread across the landscape, a perfect view for a relaxing day.

Looking from afar, I have always wondered what the tower on top of the island is. This tower, named 'Enoshima Sea Candle', has an observation deck that gives you amazing views around the island, as well as Mt. Fuji if the sky is clear😉

You'll also see Tobi (black kite, a type of hawk-like bird) gliding around the in the sky. I witness one catching something mid-air with 100% accuracy! So cool! However, since they are bird of prey, please beware of them as they might snatch your food away!

A gallery near Enoshima Sea Candle displaying stunning photos of Shōnan with beautifully captured moments of the coastal region.

This yōkan shop can transport you back in time. It's so traditional that one can feel the historic presence of it! The shop is on both sides of the street. One side is the counter as shown in the picture; while the other side is an eat-in area with a bench outside - a traditional feature of a Japanese sweet place, allowing passers-by to take a brief break while having some tea and sweets.

Yōkan is a Japanese sweet bean jelly. The texture is firmer than normal jelly. It's usually too sweet for my taste but I imagine it'll go well with green tea since the tea has a bitter flavour to it. The salted yōkan I had was just right even taken without tea.

I walk past the Dragon Shrine thinking it's quite cool and intimidating at the same time. The shrine looks dark under the cave and I'm not sure if it's a place I can go in...(I suppose it's open to everyone but it's just a bit intimidating...)

The stunning view behind the island awaits after the climb over the hill.

The Tale of Enoshima
Iwaya cave located on the other side of the island is where I discover the tale of Enoshima:

Once upon a time there was a five-headed dragon living in a giant lake in Fukasawa (meaning deep swamp). The dragon would cause disasters such as landslide, typhoon and flood, wreaking havoc on the village nearby. In fear of the dragon, the villagers handed over children as sacrifice with great sorrow. One day after an earthquake a goddess descended from the sky and erected an island. The dragon fell in love with the beautiful goddess at first sight and proposed to her. However, the goddess rejected the proposal due to its evil deeds. Since then, the dragon rectified its act and successfully gained acceptance from the goddess. They married and the villagers lived a peaceful life ever after.

Heading back on the Romance-car because it's the earliest and fastest train I can get. It costs extra but totally worth it for a speedy trip back and a comfy reserved seat especially after a day of walking!

Before the visit, my impression for Enoshima was full of relaxing beaches and sea. However, as opposed to my initial thought Enoshima surprised me with its rich history and religious aspect on top of the wonderful view. I learned so much and it was definitely a fruitful trip for me.