Very Small Fish
Trip Start
Jul 22, 2006
1
44
59
Trip End
Aug 15, 2010
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Enoshima, Kanagawa, Japan
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Enoshima isn't that long a train ride from where I am, and my local train line crosses the Odakyu line, which takes you directly to Katase-Enoshima Station, the nearest one to the beach and Enoshima itself.
The day was hot and sunny, perfect for the beach. I'd had a tiring week, so the first thing I did, when I arrived, was find a place to roll out my mat on the sand. Surprisingly, the beach wasn't all that crowded, and between frequent reapplications of sunscreen, I dozed and read (Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters) for an hour or so. I even went into the water for a few minutes, and it was wonderful to let myself be carried by the swells.
The sand was rather dark, and extremely fine, and I was soon coated with it, thanks to the combination of sweat, sunscreen and wind. When I left the beach, I brushed myself off as best as I could, but I managed to bring plenty of sand home with me. The next morning, when I washed my hair, there was a deposit of dark sand at the bottom of the tub.
When I'd grown tired of the beach, and was getting hungry for lunch, I packed my bag and walked across the causeway to Enoshima proper. It's an island, and famous enough that it was packed with tourists that day. I didn't feel like standing in line for a restaurant, so I got myself a hot-dog, planning on sampling various street foods later.
The first of those turned out to be wasabi ice cream, which I'd never tried before. It tasted much more like fresh wasabi than the green paste you usually see alongside sushi, and the earthy tones and slight spicy kick worked really well with the ice cream. Definitely something I'd like to have again, someday!
Feeling suitably refreshed, I began ascending. The island is basically a large hill, and pretty much all paths lead up. The streets leading up toward the first of several temples and shrines were crowded, but as I went higher, there was more and more breathing space.
Since I hadn't done any research before setting off beyond, "How do I get to Enoshima, and where is the beach?", I didn't have any particular destination in mind. I wandered around at a leisurely pace, stopping for a snack or two, and when I grew tired, I headed back down. I didn't make it all the way to the far side of the island (where there is more nature to be seen, and some caves to explore), but I had a nice time.
One thing that struck me was the number of cats lounging around in the shade. It was almost like Greece, where you can't walk twenty paces without seeing a cat!
Before leaving the island, I treated myself to some more ice cream, this time purple sweet potato. I usually find ice cream makes me very thirsty on hot days, but the wasabi ice cream and this one both had an earthy quality that sat well with me, so I didn't feel the need to chug a whole bottle of water afterward!
Even though the day had been nothing but a long relaxation session -- or perhaps because of that -- I slept soundly on the train ride home. So soundly, in fact, that I missed my stop entirely and ended up at the last stop, Shinjuku. Luckily, backtracking didn't take long, and I was back home by the early evening.
