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Enoshima
Native name: 江の島
	A 1988 aerial image of Enoshima
Geography
Coordinates	35°17′59″N 139°28′49″E / 35.29972°N 139.48028°E
Archipelago	Japanese archipelago
Administration
	Japan
Demographics
Ethnic groups	Japanese
Additional information
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9);

Enoshima (江の島) is a small offshore island, about 4 km (2.5 mi) in circumference, at the mouth of the Katase River which flows into the Sagami Bay of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Administratively, Enoshima is part of the mainland city of Fujisawa, and is linked to the Katase section of that city by a 389-metre-long (1,276 ft) bridge. Home to some of the closest sandy beaches to Tokyo and Yokohama, the island and adjacent coastline are the hub of a local resort area.

History

Classical era

Benzaiten, the goddess of music and entertainment, is enshrined on the island. The island in its entirety is dedicated to the goddess, who is said to have caused it to rise from the bottom of the sea in the sixth century.^[1] The island is the scene of the Enoshima Engi, a history of shrines on Enoshima written by the Japanese Buddhist monk Kōkei in 1047 AD.

Modern era

In 1880, after the Shinto and Buddhism separation order of the new Meiji government had made the land available, much of the uplands was purchased by Samuel Cocking, a British merchant, in his Japanese wife's name. He developed a power plant and extensive botanical gardens including a very large greenhouse. Although the original greenhouse was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the botanical garden (now the Samuel Cocking Garden) remains an attraction with over half a million visitors a year.

Gallery
"Enoshima in the Sagami Province" by Hokusai (part of the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji), circa 1830
Pilgrimage to the Cave Shrine of Benzaiten by Hiroshige Ando (c. 1850)
Enoshima by Yuichi Takahashi. Between 1876 and 77.
Photograph by Kimbei Kusakabe. 1890s.
Lucky Gods' visit to Enoshima (1869)
The Seven Ri Beach

Contemporary era

Enoshima is now the center of Shōnan, a resort area along the coast of Sagami Bay.

Food

Various forms of rice cracker, including those of octopus ("Maruyaki Tako Senbei") , shrimp, and whitebait at Asahi Honten

Transportation

Enoshima is served by three nearby railway stations: Katase-Enoshima Terminus on the Odakyū Enoshima Line, Enoshima Station on the Enoshima Electric Railway ("Enoden"), and Shōnan-Enoshima Station on the Shonan Monorail.

Features

Enoshima Illuminations - A large-scale light show that runs from December through the end of February. The show is free, but admission to the Samuel Cocking Garden is required.^[2]
Enoshima Sea Candle- located within the Samuel Cocking Garden.
Enoshima Shrine
Iwaya Caves - were formed by the erosion of waves in ancient times. It has also been a place for Buddhist monks to train. The Iwaya caves consists of the First Cave (153 m (502 ft) in length) and the Second Cave (56 m (184 ft) in length). These caves can be entered by purchasing a ticket.^[3]
Lover's Hill/Bell of Ryuren - A romantic place where lovers post messages with padlocks, a mini-version of the love locks in Paris.^[4]
Luminous Way - A set of three illuminated escalators which take visitors from the base of the Enoshima Shrine to the Samuel Cocking Garden, bypassing a series of long and steep stairways. Fees required.^[5]
Samuel Cocking Garden- located at the island's summit.

Enoshima
Enoshima yacht harbor
Various scenes of the island, 2022
Looking towards Fujisawa from Enoshima Lighthouse
Viewed from Miura Peninsula.
Enoshima Shrine
Iwaya Caves
Luminous Way - The first of a set of 3 escalators

Sport

Enoshima was the Olympic harbor for the 1964 Summer Olympics.^[6] Enoshima was also used as the sailing venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics.^[7]

Accessibility

While the bridge and town area of Enoshima are wheelchair accessible, anything past the main gate of the shrine (including the observation tower, caves, etc.) is inaccessible to those with mobility difficulties.^[8]

In popular culture

In the 1951 film Tokyo File 212, a key scene takes place in Enoshima.
In the 2004 anime Uta Kata, the main character and her friends visit Enoshima in one episode.^[9]
In the 2004 anime Elfen Lied, Enoshima and the Enoshima Sea Candle are the location for the battle with Mariko.
In the 2012 anime Tsuritama, Enoshima is the main location.
In the 2015 anime Himouto! Umaru-chan, the characters visit Enoshima in episode 12.
In the 2018 anime Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, the island is featured in episode 6. Characters live in nearby Fujisawa.
In the 2022 anime Bocchi the Rock!, the main protagonists visit the island in episode 9.
In the video game series Danganronpa, the main antagonist is named Junko Enoshima.
In the Blue Exorcist spin off, Salaryman Exorcist: The Sorrows of Yukio Okumura, the characters visit Enoshima in chapter 43.

Notes

^ Papinot (1972:82)
^ "An award-winning winter illumination of Enoshima". Travel Enoshima. February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
^ "About Enoshima - Kamakura Travel Guide | Planetyze". Planetyze. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
^ "Love Bell: Locked in Love in Japan". Japan Talk. June 16, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
^ "Daytrip to Enoshima from Tokyo". Gourmet Flyer. January 15, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
^ 1964 Summer Olympics official report. Archived July 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Volume 1. Part 1. p. 115.
^ "東京五輪、26競技の会場決定自転車・サッカー除き". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
^ "Enoshima - Accessible Japan | アクセシブルジャパン". Accessible Japan | アクセシブルジャパン. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
^ Hidefumi Kimura (writer), Keiji Gotoh (director) (November 27, 2004). "Ren'ai no Tsūyō". Uta Kata. Episode 9. TV Kanagawa.

References

Johnson, H. (2022). 'Enoshima: Signifying Island Heritage Across Space and Place'. Okinawan Journal of Island Studies 3 (1): 3–20.
Papinot, E. (1910). Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan. 1972 printing. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company. ISBN 0-8048-0996-8.
Sabin, Burritt (2002). A Historical Guide to Yokohama. Yokohama: Yurindo. ISBN 4-89660-172-6.