Enoshima

Contexto cultural

Enoshima's soul is the 'Enoshima Engi' legend: in 552 (the 13th year of Emperor Kinmei), a five-headed dragon was terrorising the area when a heavenly maiden descended, the island rose from the seabed overnight, and the dragon was reformed — the island is full of footnotes to this tale. From the Edo period the island was a destination for ordinary people's 'Enoshima-mōde' pilgrimages and pleasure trips; in the Meiji era the Irish trader Samuel Cocking built Japan's third-oldest botanical garden here (today's Samuel Cocking Garden), and Western plants and Eastern shrines have coexisted remarkably on the island ever since. The sailing events of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics were held here, and the name 'Shōnan' has been tied to blue seas, blue skies and young surfers ever since — a totem of Japanese ocean culture.

Costumbres locales

• Visitors usually climb the island worshipping at Enoshima Shrine's Hetsunomiya → Nakatsunomiya → Okutsunomiya in turn, the ascent adding to the sense of ritual
• on the approach, 'meoto manjū', 'tako senbei' (octopus crackers) and raw whitebait rice bowls are standard fare for the pilgrimage — locals say 'have a bowl of whitebait before you climb'. The Iwaya Caves (First and Second Caves) are associated with legends of Kōbō Daishi and Nichiren practising there
• at the entrance, staff hand out lit candles, and everyone files in candle in hand, exploring quietly in the flickering light and extinguishing the candles at the designated place on the way out. During the summer 'Enoshima Tōrō' lantern festival (August–September), strolling the lantern-lit island at night in a yukata is a Shōnan summer ritual.

Religión y creencias

• Enoshima Shrine honours the three Munakata goddesses (Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime and Tagorihime)
• Ichikishimahime is identified with Benzaiten, and with Chikubushima and Itsukushima, Enoshima is one of 'Japan's three great Benten shrines'. Worship etiquette: rinse your hands and mouth at the purification fountain → drop an offering gently into the box → two bows, two claps, one bow
• goshuin stamps are available at the shrine office. The Zuishin-mon gate, stone lanterns and other items in the grounds are historic artefacts — don't touch or climb them. The Iwaya Caves are a sacred place of practice: be sure to speak softly and don't use flash
• the rocks around Chigo-ga-fuchi are slippery and the waves big, so don't go near the water's edge at high tide — the legend of the 'chigo' who took his own life there is a reminder of the sea's mercilessness.

Consejos de viaje

• Access: from Enoden 'Enoshima Station' it's about 15 minutes' walk across the Benten Bridge to the island
• Odakyū 'Katase-Enoshima Station' (with its Ryūgū-palace-style building) also works
• the Shōnan Monorail's 'Shōnan-Enoshima Station' is on the mainland side. The island is free, but the 'Enoshima Escar' (paid escalators, tickets by section) saves you the climb
• the Samuel Cocking Garden is free before 17:00 and charged after (JPY 500 for adults), and climbing the 'Sea Candle' costs extra (JPY 800 for adults). Seeing the whole island takes 3–4 hours with lots of ups and downs, so wear trainers. Suggested route: Enoshima Shrine in the morning → whitebait at noon → Samuel Cocking Garden + Sea Candle in the afternoon → Chigo-ga-fuchi at dusk → Iwaya Caves. Hours are extended during the summer lantern festival and winter illuminations, and visitors entering the garden in yukata sometimes receive a free tenugui towel (while stocks last).

Notas sobre mapas y transporte

• Paste '江の島' into Google Maps to find the whole island
• for the shrine search '江島神社'
• for the garden and lighthouse search '江の島サムエル・コッキング苑' and '江の島シーキャンドル'
• for the caves search '江の島岩屋'. For transport search '江ノ島駅' (Enoden — note it's unrelated to JR) and '片瀬江の島駅' (Odakyū). The English 'Enoshima' also works. Note that '江の島' (with the hiragana の) is the official spelling and gives the most accurate results.