"If you are ever coming to Tokyo try to squeeze in a day at Enoshima."
So we've made it to the Iwaya Sea Caves on the back side of Enoshima island. The caves were carved by waves and tides gnawing away at the rock. According to the literature the sea caves connect into another cave that stretches to Mt. Fuji.
There are actually two caves, one is about twice as long as the other, with the former being the first cave you enter.
Initially the caves start out at about 30 feet high, but quickly drop down to about 6 feet and then finally to about 5 feet high. It's quite uncomfortable at being hunched over at the end, with tons of rock above you. I say this even as a miner, considering the mines I go into are dry and therefore the rock is much stronger.
The end of the first cave is highlighted with lights that illuminate that the cave does indeed keep going, but gets much smaller and is off limits. There is also a small shrine back here. As the caves have been used by priests for hundreds of years to worship Benzaiten. Here is an old painting from the 1850's by Hiroshige Ando highlighting pilgrimages to the caves.
And the shrine.
You'll notice these are the "lion dogs" known in Chinese as Shishi or in Japanese Komainu. The lion on the left with the cub suckling at it's breast, these are the same lions I found out in the California desert a few months ago, @rt395/are-you-the-keymaster. One is male, one female. Very interesting.
Heading back out we we veer to the left for the second cave, but not before taking in the Pacific Ocean framed in by the cave walls.
The second cave is home to a special entity, which I won't tell you about since I thought it would be better as a surprise when you visit.
This cave is much shorter, narrower and the ceiling is quite low most of the way. There is an adjacent cave to this which is used for walking back out.
At the end you are greeted by the entity who is enshrouded in fog produced by a hidden machine. At first I thought it was kind of interesting to have this low hanging fog back in the cave, then I heard the machine and noticed it spitting the fog out. I was a bit let down....
Once back outside we caught these amazing cloud formation off in the distance. If you can zoom in you will see these very interesting patters/shapes. I imagine our ancestors might have thought were gods or their wrath due to the wind and rain.
If you can zoom in you will see these very interesting patters/shapes. I imagine our ancestors might have thought were gods or their wrath due to the wind and rain.
They were quite stunning to see.
Walking the the full length of Enoshima is quite a workout due to the amount of stairs. This actually works out nicely though because of all of the cafe's & restaurants on the island. You can stop by several places to take coffee breaks and make the trek easier. One place we saw on the was out called Cafe Madu looked nice so we headed back there. Of course, not before the brutal stairs you have to climb. (photo from last time I was here)
Just before we reach the cafe we saw the black & white cat we had seen earlier. He was sitting very close to Cafe Madu so maybe it was a good sign?
Cafe Madu is located on this second part of the island, the side the caves are on. It's also located on the west side so it faces the Japan coast and Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately due to the cloudy weather we couldn't see Mt. Fuji.
The interior of Madu was pretty cool and gave off a relaxing, home vibe.
However, it was the view of the mainland we were after.
I sat and contemplated living down here.
Then came our food! A beautiful banana, walnut crepe!
The crepe cost $10 and I believe coffee was $6, but it was delicious. For two people and the view it was well worth the price.
Cafe Madu isn't the only place that offers views like this. There are actually quite a few places on both sides of the island, each with their own cuisine so don't fret if you can't make it into one. I can recommend Cafe Madu though.
Sweet tooth satisfied we continued our trek back.
One thing I began to notice were these signs.
Just after reading it I heard the hawks squawking, then I noticed them flying around. Hawks indeed own the island, so do be careful if you are carrying food around.
More stairs.....
Just past these stairs we were able to get one last view of the marina and coast.
I swear, when I retire I'm moving down here. It's such a beautiful area with so much to do.
It was just past 5pm and we thought about getting dinner on the mainland before heading home. As luck would have it just as we crossed the bridge back to the mainland it started raining with strong winds. So we ducked into the first restaurant we saw, Date, which happened to be an Italian/Japanese fusion place, also with a great view!
It seemed they chose not to follow the lock down panic in Tokyo, this is Kanagawa prefecture, and were serving alcohol. So I got the most beach appropriate beer, Corona and enjoyed the view. My wife went with a non-alcohol beer because she had never had one before and was too tired to actually drink.
As is typical in many Japanese restaurants we were given a dish we didn't order, but have to pay for. Usually they are $3-$5 and pretty good. In this case it was mangos topped with cinnamon. My wife hates cinnamon so lucky me! She tried it anyway and wasn't really a fan. I thought it was quite a good combination.
The interior.
After about 5-10 minutes our dishes started arriving. My wife ordered some noodle dish, I forgot what it was and I ordered shiitake mushrooms with cheese and ham.
My mushrooms were excellent. A bit on the salty side, but delicious.
We also ordered a salad and roast beef with fondue. that was hands down the best. The roast beef is home made as we would find out when the chef/owner came out and asked us how our food was. This was very cool, something I haven't encountered for a long time. He was a young guy in his late 20's, early 30's and he may have taken additional interest in us because I am a foreigner. We honestly told him what we though about each dish and he thanked us with a free entree next time we are in town. It was a great way to end a really spectacular day.
In closing, this area is called Shonan located in Fujisawa city. Enoshima is included in Shonan. It's a wonderful place to visit. On sunny days the beach is lively with people and lots of surfers, even though the break is quite small. I didn't include many things on the island so if you do visit there is plenty more to do and discover on Enoshima. Kamakura, once the seat of power during feudal Japan, is only a few train stops away up the coast so the area has more than just Enoshima & Shonan. It's even worth it to stay down here for a few days because there is so much to see and do. If you are ever thinking of visiting give me a holler and I'll be glad to help you out.
Almost forgot, I found this cool picture of Enoshima from the 1890's, colorized. It was taken by a gentleman named Kusakabe Kimbei. Fair use.
I'm back in the states now running around the desert and mountains so let's go to an old mine in California next time!
