Enoshima

I took a day trip to Enoshima, taking the train to Ofuna, then changing to the Shonan Monorail to Enoshima Station. 

There is a 400 meter bridge to get from the mainland to the island.

I went on a weekday in September, so there were no big crowds as I imagine there are in August.

Immediately upon arrival to the island, is a shopping/restaurant street.

There are a number of shrine buildings throughout the island, known together as Enoshima Shrine. They are dedicated to Benten, the goddess of good fortune, wealth, music, and knowledge. Benten is believed to have created Enoshima before subduing a five headed dragon that was terrorizing the area.

There are a lot of stairs, but there is a one day ticket available for 1100 yen which includes escalators going up in the main area of the island (not the cave side of the island or going down), and entrance to the Samuel Cocking Garden, the Sea Candle, and the two caves. Yes, I did buy the ticket.

Samuel Cocking was a British trader who purchased a big part of Enoshima in the late 19th century and built a botanical garden there.

The Sea Candle is a 60 meter tall observation tower which was built on the former site of Samuel Cocking's home and also serves as a light house. The 360 degree views from the top are gorgeous. 

This is the bridge to the island.

The caves are back in this part of the island.

After coming down from the Sea Candle, I continued on to the caves. There are many steps up and down.

The Iwaya Caves are two fairly small touristy caves. The first cave contains some Buddhist statues and the second is dedicated to the legendary dragon that used to terrorize the area. The inside of the caves is flat and easy to walk through.

The first cave is a little dim, but still has lights.  Each person is given a little candle as part of the feeling of the cave, but not really needed.

In the second cave, there is an area where there are flashing lights and roars of the dragon when you clap your hands.

After crossing back over the bridge, I ate dinner at a seafood restaurant.

After dinner, I went back to the monorail, then the train and went home. It was a great day!