Japan with Cleo #7/10 - Sun, Sea & Snacks on Enoshima
(This post is Part 7 of 10 on Japan with Cleo, 28 April - 14 May 2017)
After our short trip up to Aomori, Hirosaki (Part 5) and Hakodate (Part 6) to catch the sakura, we returned to the Greater Tokyo Area, and spent a day in Enoshima.
Enoshima (江の島) is a small island in Sagami Bay, in Fujisawa city, Kanagawa Prefecture. It is a popular summer location because of its sandy beaches and close proximity to Tokyo and Yokohama. Enoshima is the center of Shonan, a beach resort area along the Sagami Bay coast.
The last time we visited Enoshima was the 2013/2014 trip with Caramelaw (posted here), and we totally enjoyed the grilled seafood and the aquarium, Enosui. We were totally looking forward to having some fun and food on the island!
The entire island of Enoshima is dedicated to Benzaiten (aka Benten), the goddess of everything that flows - water, music, eloquence, learning. She has also been associated with femininity and love. She is depicted carrying the biwa, a traditional Japanese lute. (Benzaiten is one of Japan's most complex syncretic deities, and has long been conflated/associated with various Hindu, Buddhist, and Japanese deities.)
It took a little over an hour by train to get to Enoshima from Tokyo. We took the Odakyu line to Fujisawa Station, and transferred to the Odakyu Enoshima line for Katase-Enoshima Station.
The first thing that stands out is the unique architecture of Katase-Enoshima Station (片瀬江ノ島駅). The station was designed to evoke an image of Ryugu-jo (竜宮城), the underwater palace of Ryujin (龍神), the dragon-god of the sea. Legends have it that the palace is built of either red and white coral, or of solid crystal, and that on each of the 4 sides of the palace was a different season (i.e. spring, summer, autumn, winter). And no, we did not emerge from it to find ourselves in the year 2117. (According to folklore, a day in Ryugu-jo is 100 human years in the outside world.)
As mentioned above, Enoshima is dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten (or Benten). According to the island's creation myth, Benzaiten caused the island to rise from the bottom of the sea to serve as her dwelling place.
As the story goes, villagers in the vicinity were plagued for over 1,000 years by a 5-headed dragon called Gozuryu (五頭竜). Aware of the hardship caused to the villagers by this dragon, Benzaiten caused the island of Enoshima to rise from the bottom of the sea, and then descended onto the island. Having fallen in love with her beauty, the dragon reformed his ways and asked Benzaiten to be his consort. In some versions, such as the Enoshima Engi (江嶋縁起), Benzaiten refused his proposal. Ashamed, Gozuryu agreed to stop causing trouble for the villager, faced south (in the direction of Benzaiten's abode) and turned into a hill, today known as the Dragon's Mouth Hill (龍の口山). In other versions, the Benzaiten married the reformed dragon.
On crossing Enoshima Bentenbashi, we stepped foot on the island itself, and the first prominent feature - other than the awesome food stalls - is a large bronze torii at the start of a narrow, stone-paved main street.
It was also super crowded the day we visited because it was a Golden Week public holiday. Midori no Hi to be precise. Not the smartest move, and the main street (called Benzaiten Nakamise-dori) was completely jam-packed with people.
At the end of the main street stands a large vermilion torii (朱の鳥居 shu no torii) and just past it is the Zuishinmon (瑞心門) which is also modelled after the mytical underwater palace Ryugu-jo (mentioned above). Zuishinmon is also taken to mean "pure heart", with the intent that the minds/hearts of those who visit will be refreshed.
The vermilion torii and white Zuishinmon mark the entrance to Enoshima Shrine (江島神社), one of the Three Great Shrines of Benzaiten (日本三大弁天) in Japan. (Another one of these 3 is the Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima, which I've visited with Shion (posted here).) Not surprising considering the whole island is dedicated to her.
Enoshima Shrine actually comprises of 3 shrines, namely Hetsunomiya (辺津宮), Nakatsunomiya and Okutsunomiya. According to Japanese legend, the origins of the Enoshima Shrine go back to the 6th century when Emperor Kinmei (510-571) founded a small shrine inside a cave in the southern cliffs (more below). This original shrine enshrined the 3 sister goddesses, Tagitsuhime (湍津姫), Ichikishimahime (市杵島姫) and Tagirihime (田心姫), collectively known as the Munakata Three Goddesses (宗像三女神 Munakata Sanjoushin).
In Japanese mythology (per the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki), the 3 sisters were created by Amaterasu from Susanoo's sword, and tasked with protecting the Japanese imperial line. (In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu is the ancestor of the Japanese Imperial family.) The head shrine of the 3 sister goddesses is the Munakata Taisha in Munakata city, Fukuoka Prefecture (which was inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in July this year). Thus, the 3 sister goddesses are known as the Munakata Three Goddesses.
It's quite beyond me how the Enoshima Shrine, originally dedicated to the Munakata Three Goddesses, came to be associated with Benzaiten. But it probably serves to show how a complex fusion (syncretism) of Shinto and Buddhist beliefs was already taking place in Japan in the 6th century. As mentioned above, Benzaiten herself is one of Japan's most complex syncretic deities.
The 1st shrine, Hetsunomiya (辺津宮), was established in 1206 by the 3rd Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Sanetono, and is dedicated to Tagitsuhime (湍津姫) - stated as Tagitsuhime-no-mikoto (田寸津比賣命) on the shrine's webpage. The 1st shrine is best known for the statue of Myoon Benzaiten (妙音弁財天) and Happi Benzaiten (八臂弁財天), housed in the octagonal Hoanden (奉安殿). The Myoon Benzaiten is popularly known as Hadaka Benzaiten (裸弁財天 Naked Bezaiten), and is believed to have been made during the Kamakura period. This Naked Benzaiten statue supposedly symbolises femininity, and is the only statue of a naked Benzaiten among the Three Great Shrines of Benzaiten.
The 2nd second, Nakatsunomiya (中津宮), was founded in 853 by Ennin, a Buddhist monk, and is dedicated to Ichikishimahime (市杵島姫), stated as Ichikishimahime-no-mikoto (市寸島比賣命) on the shrine's webpage. The current shrine was renovated in 1996 and is a replica of its structure in 1689, when it was rebuilt by the 5th Tokugawa shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.
The 3rd shrine, Okutsunomiya (奥津宮), is the oldest of the 3 shrines that make up Enoshima Shrine. It is said that the original shrine established in the southern cliffs was moved and rebuilt in this location. Okutsunomiya enshrines the eldest of the 3 Munakata sister goddesses, Tagirihime (田心姫) - Tagirihime-no-mikoto (多紀理比賣命) on the shrine's webpage.
As said above, the original shrine was established in a cave on the southern coast of Enoshima by Emperor Kinmei in the 6th century after he received an oracle. In subsequent years, many renowned Buddhist monks (such as Ennin and Nichiren) and influential samurai (such as Minamoto no Yorimoto) made pilgrimages to the cave.
The southern coastline, where Iwaya Caves are located, has many jagged, steep cliffs and a rugged coast. As for the Iwaya Caves (there are 2), it's supposed said that during a pilgrimage to the caves by Kobo Daishi (aka Kukai), the founder of Shingon Buddhism, the goddess Benzaiten appeared before him. I highly doubt such an occurrence will happen again (if it happened at all), and to be honest, the caves are actually quite dull and touristy.
The first cave contains information on Enoshima's history and many stone statues relating to Shingon Buddhism. At some point the cave splits into 2 pathways, and the right path leads to the origins of Enoshima Shrine, where the Munakata Three Goddesses were first enshrined (mentioned above). The 2nd cave contains a somewhat kitsch statue of a dragon. It's supposed to be the same dragon that Benzaiten purportedly subdued in the Enoshima creation myth, but this one doesn't have 5 heads....
Anyway, back to the present.... Wherever we walked on Enoshima, the Enoshima Sea Candle (江の島展望灯台) is clearly visible from several points on the island. Apparently, it is one of the largest lighthouses in Japan, and was built for the 100th anniversary celebration of Enoshima Electric Railway.
The Enoshima Sea Candle offers a 360-degree panoramic view that includes (on a clear day) views of Mt. Fuji, the Izu Peninsula, mountains at Hakone and Tanzawa, Oshima Island, Miura Peninsula, and Yokohama Landmark Tower.
This trip, we didn't go up the Enoshima Sea Candle, but there was a platform at Kamegaoka Square (亀ヶ岡広場), near the Nakatsunomiya, which offered a great view of Sagami Bay, and part of Enoshima's southern coastline.
While the boys were in the very long queue at Asahi Honten (more on this below), I wandered to the Samuel Cooking Garden (サムエル・コッキング苑), a small botanical garden established by Samuel Cocking (1842-1914), an English merchant who resided in Yokohama.
At the time, after the separation order of Shinto and Buddhism by the Meiji government, the area was made available, and was then purchased by Cocking in 1880 under the name of his Japanese wife, Miyata Riki (宮田リキ).
Around 1882, Cocking built a villa and an extensive botanical garden on the said land. The garden originally had a large greenhouse which Cocking built to house the tropical plants he collected. The current greenhouse is a structure that was restored in 2003. However, the original greenhouse was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. (Like I mentioned elsewhere, this earthquake seems to be a common point for many buildings in Tokyo and Yokohama.) In 1887, he added a power plant.
Yes, so, we queued for quite a bit at the summit branch of the Asahi Honten (あさひ本店 頂上店), just to get the maruyaki tako-senbei (丸焼きたこせんべい).
We went up to the summit branch because the main shop, which was on the main street, simply couldn't accommodate a very long queue due to the Midori no Hi crowd.
The Maruyaki tako-senbei is the must-eat item in Enoshima. It's a paper-thin wafer biscuit made using thin batter and 2-3 whole octopi.
After we placed our order, we watched the staff prepare the senbei from a nearby window. The whole octopi is slapped onto a flat griddle pan, the thin batter is poured over them, and down goes the heavy lid. All we hear is lots of sizzling and shrieking as the staff pressed the heavy lid down onto the mix. And viola! in a few seconds we get piping hot senbei. Each tako-senbei costs ¥350, is crispy and has a mellow seafood aroma.
We also ordered the maruyaki Ise ebi-senbei (丸焼きイセエビせんべい) to try.
The maruyaki Ise ebi-senbei is basically a huge and paper-thin prawn cracker, with a whole, large prawn down the middle, squished flat from the heavy griddle pan lid. DT commented about how it looked like a Chinese ink painting of a large prawn. It was also quite tasty, with a soft prawn flavour.
Moving on, we stopped at Kinokuniya Honten (紀の国屋 本店), where there were large wooden steamers of small brown and white buns at the storefront.
The buns are known as Otome manju (女夫饅頭; おとめまんじゅう), i.e. "Husband and Wife Buns", each ~¥100. DT got a white one, and I got the brown one.
The brown manju (marked as 茶 cha, meaning "tea coloured") has dough that is made using black sugar (黒砂糖), and the filling is tsubuan (粒あん), i.e. a chunky azuki filling whereby the paste is prepared by just cooking the red beans with sugar, and lightly mashed. The white manju (marked 白 shiro, white) has dough that is mixed with sake and, and koshian (こしあん) filling, i.e. a smooth azuki filling whereby the red bean paste is passed through a fine sieve so the skins are removed, and the resulting paste is smooth.
To be honest, we felt that the flavours were good overall, but not something to shout about. Though the dough was soft and supple, the manju as whole felt a little dry and pasty.
I read that the grilled dango were highly recommended, but the long queue on the extremely packed street was a major turn-off. We'd also been walking without rest on the cobblestone streets for most of the day, feeling like sardines in a can. In hindsight, I would've loved to have a stick of mugwort dango.
Further down, we passed Inoue Sohonpo (井上総本舗), located at a corner of the main street. The shop sells wagashi, i.e. Japanese confectionery, and is recommended for ice monaka (アイス最中). So, DT and I both got an ice monaka each. Of the 4 flavours (matcha, vanilla and ogura), we both chose matcha.
Ice monaka is a Japanese ice cream sandwich. Simply speaking, it's a monaka (最中) with ice cream stuffed in it. Monaka is a traditional Japanese wagashi made with a paste filling (usually azuki) sandwiched between 2 thin wafer biscuits. The wafer biscuit is sometimes shaped to look like sakura, or chrysanthemum blossoms, or a seashell.
The wafers of Inoue Sohonpo's ice monaka are shaped to look like the traditional Japanese chrysanthemum crest (like the Chrysanthemum Seal on the Japanese passport).
After we finished our ice monaka, we popped past Tobiccho (とびっちょ), a shop in Enoshima that specialises in shirasu (しらす, whitebait).
Apparently, shirasu dishes at Tobiccho (see here) are very popular and highly recommended. Apparently, their donburi are generously topped with fresh shirasu (raw), and their fried shirasu wafers (揚げたたみいわし, age-tatami-iwashi) are popular snacks.
We were just up for a quick snack, and so we got 2 recommended snack items at Tobiccho, the shirasu bread (しらすパン, shirasu-pan) and the shirasu black croquette (しらすブラックコロッケ, shirasu kuro korokke, ¥150 each).
The shirasu bread (¥250 for 3) is my favourite snack, by far, on Enoshima. The warm melted cheese mixed with the shirasu, encased in the QQ and fluffy bread dough, is just so addictive and delicious. The shirasu adds just that nice hint of seafood flavour.
I think the little bread snack is a shirasu-charged version of the Brazilian cheese bread Pão de Queijo. The cheese bread, called pondekejo (ポンデケージョ) in Japan, was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese who arrived in Japan in the 16th century as explorers, missionaries, and traders (known in Japan as the Nanban trade).
In fact, Portuguese cuisine had an early and deep influence on Japanese cuisine. Bread was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese. Bread is called pan (パン) in Japanese, and was derived from the Portuguese word pão.
Two other commonly considered Japanese foods, tempura and the castella cake, were also introduced by the Portuguese during the 16th century Naban trade.
Tempura, now seen as a traditional Japanese dish, actually has its origins in Portuguese food. The cooking method was used by the Portuguese in Nagasaki as a way to fulfill the abstinence and fasting requirements for Catholics surrounding the Ember Days, known in Latin as Quatuor Tempora.
And then there's the castella cake, kasutera (カステラ). The much-loved airy Japanese sponge cake was also introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century. A close relative of the Portuguese pão-de-ló, the castella's name derived from the Pão de Castela, i.e. "bread of Castile".
Our other snack from Tobiccho, the shirasu black croquette, was my 2nd favourite snack at Enoshima. Inside the crispy, golden brown croquette batter is a soft and chunky black filling with boiled shirasu. Unlike the shirasu bread, the flavour of whitebait is much stronger in the croquette, and just spreads all over inside my mouth when I chew. By the way, the croquette was introduced to Japan by the French in the 1887.
We finally made it back to the northern part of Enoshima, where a bunch of diners are clustered between the end of Enoshima Bentenbashi and the bronze torii. Before we headed back to the mainland however, we stopped to have some grilled seafood at Kaisaku (貝作).
Kaisaku specialises in grilled, freshly caught local seafood. We queued at the isoyaki corner (磯焼きコーナー), where 2 guys were standing over a grill, deftly grilling and plating up grilled seafood goodies. The aroma of seafood on the grill is just heaven... (*⌒▽⌒*)～♪
We ordered a grilled whole squid (いか丸焼き), grilled scallops (ホタテ), and grilled hamaguri (はまぐり, the common orient clam).
The grilled whole squid tasted as delicious as I remembered. Back then, on the trip with Caramelaw, we found it unforgettable. Possibly, a healthy dose of hunger also gives it added flavour.
The hamaguri are as large as I remember (from our 2013/2014 trip). Large, succulent and juicy, with that smoky aroma from the charcoal grill. Yummy~!
One of Kaisaku's most popular seafood items is the sazae tsubayaki (さざえつぼ焼き), the grilled horned turban shell (turbo cornutus). Sazae is a prized delicacy in Japan, and is one of Enoshima's signature specialty items, as it is caught live (thus fresh!) on the rocks around Enoshima. Hubby still remembers his sazae experience at the diner during our 2013/2014 trip, and didn't quite care to repeat the experience.
So our day at Enoshima came to a close around evening time, when the sun was just about to set. We had a pretty good time wandering around, looking at the sights, eating the delicious snacks.
There were other yummy snacks on Enoshima that we missed... Like Imochikan's Ajisai soft (いも吉館「あじさいソフト」), a soft-serve ice cream with matcha and murasaki imo flavours; the Terakoya Honpo kushinure okaki (寺子屋本舗「串ぬれおかき」); and Nakamura-ya Yokan-ten's seaweed yokan (中村屋羊羹店「元祖海苔羊羹の食べ歩きカット」).
Walking along the Enoshima Bentenbashi, back to the mainland, the view of the beach and Sagami Bay at dusk was beautiful. It was a scene that filled me with a peaceful sense of serenity, completely unlike the crazy crowded streets that we faced on Enoshima.
Though it was already dusk, there were still people having some fun on Shonan Beach. That was pretty much the last scene we saw of Enoshima, before we got back to Katase-Enoshima Station, to catch the train back to Tokyo.
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| Cleo outside the Zuishinmon, Enoshima Shrine |
Enoshima (江の島) is a small island in Sagami Bay, in Fujisawa city, Kanagawa Prefecture. It is a popular summer location because of its sandy beaches and close proximity to Tokyo and Yokohama. Enoshima is the center of Shonan, a beach resort area along the Sagami Bay coast.
The last time we visited Enoshima was the 2013/2014 trip with Caramelaw (posted here), and we totally enjoyed the grilled seafood and the aquarium, Enosui. We were totally looking forward to having some fun and food on the island!
The entire island of Enoshima is dedicated to Benzaiten (aka Benten), the goddess of everything that flows - water, music, eloquence, learning. She has also been associated with femininity and love. She is depicted carrying the biwa, a traditional Japanese lute. (Benzaiten is one of Japan's most complex syncretic deities, and has long been conflated/associated with various Hindu, Buddhist, and Japanese deities.)
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| Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture |
It took a little over an hour by train to get to Enoshima from Tokyo. We took the Odakyu line to Fujisawa Station, and transferred to the Odakyu Enoshima line for Katase-Enoshima Station.
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| Katase-Enoshima Station, designed to evoke an image of Ryūgū-jō |
The first thing that stands out is the unique architecture of Katase-Enoshima Station (片瀬江ノ島駅). The station was designed to evoke an image of Ryugu-jo (竜宮城), the underwater palace of Ryujin (龍神), the dragon-god of the sea. Legends have it that the palace is built of either red and white coral, or of solid crystal, and that on each of the 4 sides of the palace was a different season (i.e. spring, summer, autumn, winter). And no, we did not emerge from it to find ourselves in the year 2117. (According to folklore, a day in Ryugu-jo is 100 human years in the outside world.)
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| Enoshima at dusk (took this when we were leaving) |
As mentioned above, Enoshima is dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten (or Benten). According to the island's creation myth, Benzaiten caused the island to rise from the bottom of the sea to serve as her dwelling place.
As the story goes, villagers in the vicinity were plagued for over 1,000 years by a 5-headed dragon called Gozuryu (五頭竜). Aware of the hardship caused to the villagers by this dragon, Benzaiten caused the island of Enoshima to rise from the bottom of the sea, and then descended onto the island. Having fallen in love with her beauty, the dragon reformed his ways and asked Benzaiten to be his consort. In some versions, such as the Enoshima Engi (江嶋縁起), Benzaiten refused his proposal. Ashamed, Gozuryu agreed to stop causing trouble for the villager, faced south (in the direction of Benzaiten's abode) and turned into a hill, today known as the Dragon's Mouth Hill (龍の口山). In other versions, the Benzaiten married the reformed dragon.
On crossing Enoshima Bentenbashi, we stepped foot on the island itself, and the first prominent feature - other than the awesome food stalls - is a large bronze torii at the start of a narrow, stone-paved main street.
It was also super crowded the day we visited because it was a Golden Week public holiday. Midori no Hi to be precise. Not the smartest move, and the main street (called Benzaiten Nakamise-dori) was completely jam-packed with people.
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| The vermilion torii of Enoshima Shrine (taken on our 2013/2014 trip) |
At the end of the main street stands a large vermilion torii (朱の鳥居 shu no torii) and just past it is the Zuishinmon (瑞心門) which is also modelled after the mytical underwater palace Ryugu-jo (mentioned above). Zuishinmon is also taken to mean "pure heart", with the intent that the minds/hearts of those who visit will be refreshed.
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| Zuishinmon (taken on our 2013/2014 trip) |
Enoshima Shrine actually comprises of 3 shrines, namely Hetsunomiya (辺津宮), Nakatsunomiya and Okutsunomiya. According to Japanese legend, the origins of the Enoshima Shrine go back to the 6th century when Emperor Kinmei (510-571) founded a small shrine inside a cave in the southern cliffs (more below). This original shrine enshrined the 3 sister goddesses, Tagitsuhime (湍津姫), Ichikishimahime (市杵島姫) and Tagirihime (田心姫), collectively known as the Munakata Three Goddesses (宗像三女神 Munakata Sanjoushin).
In Japanese mythology (per the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki), the 3 sisters were created by Amaterasu from Susanoo's sword, and tasked with protecting the Japanese imperial line. (In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu is the ancestor of the Japanese Imperial family.) The head shrine of the 3 sister goddesses is the Munakata Taisha in Munakata city, Fukuoka Prefecture (which was inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in July this year). Thus, the 3 sister goddesses are known as the Munakata Three Goddesses.
It's quite beyond me how the Enoshima Shrine, originally dedicated to the Munakata Three Goddesses, came to be associated with Benzaiten. But it probably serves to show how a complex fusion (syncretism) of Shinto and Buddhist beliefs was already taking place in Japan in the 6th century. As mentioned above, Benzaiten herself is one of Japan's most complex syncretic deities.
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| Hetsunomiya of Enoshima Shrine (taken on our 2013/2014 trip) |
The 1st shrine, Hetsunomiya (辺津宮), was established in 1206 by the 3rd Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Sanetono, and is dedicated to Tagitsuhime (湍津姫) - stated as Tagitsuhime-no-mikoto (田寸津比賣命) on the shrine's webpage. The 1st shrine is best known for the statue of Myoon Benzaiten (妙音弁財天) and Happi Benzaiten (八臂弁財天), housed in the octagonal Hoanden (奉安殿). The Myoon Benzaiten is popularly known as Hadaka Benzaiten (裸弁財天 Naked Bezaiten), and is believed to have been made during the Kamakura period. This Naked Benzaiten statue supposedly symbolises femininity, and is the only statue of a naked Benzaiten among the Three Great Shrines of Benzaiten.
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| Nakatsunomiya of Enoshima Shrine (taken on our 2013/2014 trip) |
The 2nd second, Nakatsunomiya (中津宮), was founded in 853 by Ennin, a Buddhist monk, and is dedicated to Ichikishimahime (市杵島姫), stated as Ichikishimahime-no-mikoto (市寸島比賣命) on the shrine's webpage. The current shrine was renovated in 1996 and is a replica of its structure in 1689, when it was rebuilt by the 5th Tokugawa shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.
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| Okutsunomiya of Enoshima Shrine (taken on our 2013/2014 trip) |
The 3rd shrine, Okutsunomiya (奥津宮), is the oldest of the 3 shrines that make up Enoshima Shrine. It is said that the original shrine established in the southern cliffs was moved and rebuilt in this location. Okutsunomiya enshrines the eldest of the 3 Munakata sister goddesses, Tagirihime (田心姫) - Tagirihime-no-mikoto (多紀理比賣命) on the shrine's webpage.
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| The rugged southern coastline of Enoshima (taken on our 2013/2014 trip) |
As said above, the original shrine was established in a cave on the southern coast of Enoshima by Emperor Kinmei in the 6th century after he received an oracle. In subsequent years, many renowned Buddhist monks (such as Ennin and Nichiren) and influential samurai (such as Minamoto no Yorimoto) made pilgrimages to the cave.
The southern coastline, where Iwaya Caves are located, has many jagged, steep cliffs and a rugged coast. As for the Iwaya Caves (there are 2), it's supposed said that during a pilgrimage to the caves by Kobo Daishi (aka Kukai), the founder of Shingon Buddhism, the goddess Benzaiten appeared before him. I highly doubt such an occurrence will happen again (if it happened at all), and to be honest, the caves are actually quite dull and touristy.
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| Iwaya Caves, Enoshima (taken on our 2013/2014 trip) |
The first cave contains information on Enoshima's history and many stone statues relating to Shingon Buddhism. At some point the cave splits into 2 pathways, and the right path leads to the origins of Enoshima Shrine, where the Munakata Three Goddesses were first enshrined (mentioned above). The 2nd cave contains a somewhat kitsch statue of a dragon. It's supposed to be the same dragon that Benzaiten purportedly subdued in the Enoshima creation myth, but this one doesn't have 5 heads....
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| Enoshima Sea Candle |
Anyway, back to the present.... Wherever we walked on Enoshima, the Enoshima Sea Candle (江の島展望灯台) is clearly visible from several points on the island. Apparently, it is one of the largest lighthouses in Japan, and was built for the 100th anniversary celebration of Enoshima Electric Railway.
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| View of the mainland from Enoshima Sea Candle (taken on our 2013/2014 trip) |
The Enoshima Sea Candle offers a 360-degree panoramic view that includes (on a clear day) views of Mt. Fuji, the Izu Peninsula, mountains at Hakone and Tanzawa, Oshima Island, Miura Peninsula, and Yokohama Landmark Tower.
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| View of Sagami Bay from Kamegaoka Square, Enoshima |
This trip, we didn't go up the Enoshima Sea Candle, but there was a platform at Kamegaoka Square (亀ヶ岡広場), near the Nakatsunomiya, which offered a great view of Sagami Bay, and part of Enoshima's southern coastline.
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| Poppies at the Samuel Cocking Garden, Enoshima |
At the time, after the separation order of Shinto and Buddhism by the Meiji government, the area was made available, and was then purchased by Cocking in 1880 under the name of his Japanese wife, Miyata Riki (宮田リキ).
Around 1882, Cocking built a villa and an extensive botanical garden on the said land. The garden originally had a large greenhouse which Cocking built to house the tropical plants he collected. The current greenhouse is a structure that was restored in 2003. However, the original greenhouse was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. (Like I mentioned elsewhere, this earthquake seems to be a common point for many buildings in Tokyo and Yokohama.) In 1887, he added a power plant.
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| Maruyaki tako-senbei at Asahi Honten, Enoshima |
We went up to the summit branch because the main shop, which was on the main street, simply couldn't accommodate a very long queue due to the Midori no Hi crowd.
The Maruyaki tako-senbei is the must-eat item in Enoshima. It's a paper-thin wafer biscuit made using thin batter and 2-3 whole octopi.
After we placed our order, we watched the staff prepare the senbei from a nearby window. The whole octopi is slapped onto a flat griddle pan, the thin batter is poured over them, and down goes the heavy lid. All we hear is lots of sizzling and shrieking as the staff pressed the heavy lid down onto the mix. And viola! in a few seconds we get piping hot senbei. Each tako-senbei costs ¥350, is crispy and has a mellow seafood aroma.
We also ordered the maruyaki Ise ebi-senbei (丸焼きイセエビせんべい) to try.
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| The maruyaki Ise ebi-senbei, Asahi Honten, Enoshima |
The maruyaki Ise ebi-senbei is basically a huge and paper-thin prawn cracker, with a whole, large prawn down the middle, squished flat from the heavy griddle pan lid. DT commented about how it looked like a Chinese ink painting of a large prawn. It was also quite tasty, with a soft prawn flavour.
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| Otome manju at Kinokuniya honten, Enoshima |
Moving on, we stopped at Kinokuniya Honten (紀の国屋 本店), where there were large wooden steamers of small brown and white buns at the storefront.
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| Otome manju at Kinokuniya Honten, Enoshima |
The brown manju (marked as 茶 cha, meaning "tea coloured") has dough that is made using black sugar (黒砂糖), and the filling is tsubuan (粒あん), i.e. a chunky azuki filling whereby the paste is prepared by just cooking the red beans with sugar, and lightly mashed. The white manju (marked 白 shiro, white) has dough that is mixed with sake and, and koshian (こしあん) filling, i.e. a smooth azuki filling whereby the red bean paste is passed through a fine sieve so the skins are removed, and the resulting paste is smooth.
To be honest, we felt that the flavours were good overall, but not something to shout about. Though the dough was soft and supple, the manju as whole felt a little dry and pasty.
I read that the grilled dango were highly recommended, but the long queue on the extremely packed street was a major turn-off. We'd also been walking without rest on the cobblestone streets for most of the day, feeling like sardines in a can. In hindsight, I would've loved to have a stick of mugwort dango.
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| Matcha ice monaka at Inoue Sohonpo, Enoshima |
Ice monaka is a Japanese ice cream sandwich. Simply speaking, it's a monaka (最中) with ice cream stuffed in it. Monaka is a traditional Japanese wagashi made with a paste filling (usually azuki) sandwiched between 2 thin wafer biscuits. The wafer biscuit is sometimes shaped to look like sakura, or chrysanthemum blossoms, or a seashell.
The wafers of Inoue Sohonpo's ice monaka are shaped to look like the traditional Japanese chrysanthemum crest (like the Chrysanthemum Seal on the Japanese passport).
After we finished our ice monaka, we popped past Tobiccho (とびっちょ), a shop in Enoshima that specialises in shirasu (しらす, whitebait).
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| Shirasu bread at Tobiccho, Enoshima |
We were just up for a quick snack, and so we got 2 recommended snack items at Tobiccho, the shirasu bread (しらすパン, shirasu-pan) and the shirasu black croquette (しらすブラックコロッケ, shirasu kuro korokke, ¥150 each).
The shirasu bread (¥250 for 3) is my favourite snack, by far, on Enoshima. The warm melted cheese mixed with the shirasu, encased in the QQ and fluffy bread dough, is just so addictive and delicious. The shirasu adds just that nice hint of seafood flavour.
I think the little bread snack is a shirasu-charged version of the Brazilian cheese bread Pão de Queijo. The cheese bread, called pondekejo (ポンデケージョ) in Japan, was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese who arrived in Japan in the 16th century as explorers, missionaries, and traders (known in Japan as the Nanban trade).
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| Shirasu black croquette at Tobiccho, Enoshima |
Two other commonly considered Japanese foods, tempura and the castella cake, were also introduced by the Portuguese during the 16th century Naban trade.
Tempura, now seen as a traditional Japanese dish, actually has its origins in Portuguese food. The cooking method was used by the Portuguese in Nagasaki as a way to fulfill the abstinence and fasting requirements for Catholics surrounding the Ember Days, known in Latin as Quatuor Tempora.
And then there's the castella cake, kasutera (カステラ). The much-loved airy Japanese sponge cake was also introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century. A close relative of the Portuguese pão-de-ló, the castella's name derived from the Pão de Castela, i.e. "bread of Castile".
Our other snack from Tobiccho, the shirasu black croquette, was my 2nd favourite snack at Enoshima. Inside the crispy, golden brown croquette batter is a soft and chunky black filling with boiled shirasu. Unlike the shirasu bread, the flavour of whitebait is much stronger in the croquette, and just spreads all over inside my mouth when I chew. By the way, the croquette was introduced to Japan by the French in the 1887.
We finally made it back to the northern part of Enoshima, where a bunch of diners are clustered between the end of Enoshima Bentenbashi and the bronze torii. Before we headed back to the mainland however, we stopped to have some grilled seafood at Kaisaku (貝作).
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| Kaisaku isoyaki corner (taken on our 2013/2014 trip) |
Kaisaku specialises in grilled, freshly caught local seafood. We queued at the isoyaki corner (磯焼きコーナー), where 2 guys were standing over a grill, deftly grilling and plating up grilled seafood goodies. The aroma of seafood on the grill is just heaven... (*⌒▽⌒*)～♪
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| Grilled seafood at Kaisaku, Enoshima |
We ordered a grilled whole squid (いか丸焼き), grilled scallops (ホタテ), and grilled hamaguri (はまぐり, the common orient clam).
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| Grilled whole squid at Kaisaku, Enoshima |
The grilled whole squid tasted as delicious as I remembered. Back then, on the trip with Caramelaw, we found it unforgettable. Possibly, a healthy dose of hunger also gives it added flavour.
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| The hamaguri are fairly large. Enoshima. |
The hamaguri are as large as I remember (from our 2013/2014 trip). Large, succulent and juicy, with that smoky aroma from the charcoal grill. Yummy~!
One of Kaisaku's most popular seafood items is the sazae tsubayaki (さざえつぼ焼き), the grilled horned turban shell (turbo cornutus). Sazae is a prized delicacy in Japan, and is one of Enoshima's signature specialty items, as it is caught live (thus fresh!) on the rocks around Enoshima. Hubby still remembers his sazae experience at the diner during our 2013/2014 trip, and didn't quite care to repeat the experience.
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| Enoshima |
So our day at Enoshima came to a close around evening time, when the sun was just about to set. We had a pretty good time wandering around, looking at the sights, eating the delicious snacks.
There were other yummy snacks on Enoshima that we missed... Like Imochikan's Ajisai soft (いも吉館「あじさいソフト」), a soft-serve ice cream with matcha and murasaki imo flavours; the Terakoya Honpo kushinure okaki (寺子屋本舗「串ぬれおかき」); and Nakamura-ya Yokan-ten's seaweed yokan (中村屋羊羹店「元祖海苔羊羹の食べ歩きカット」).
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| Sagami Bay at dusk, view from Enoshima Bentenbashi |
Walking along the Enoshima Bentenbashi, back to the mainland, the view of the beach and Sagami Bay at dusk was beautiful. It was a scene that filled me with a peaceful sense of serenity, completely unlike the crazy crowded streets that we faced on Enoshima.
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| Sagami Bay at dusk, view from Enoshima Bentenbashi |
Though it was already dusk, there were still people having some fun on Shonan Beach. That was pretty much the last scene we saw of Enoshima, before we got back to Katase-Enoshima Station, to catch the train back to Tokyo.
*******
Japan with Cleo (28 April - 14 May 2017)
- I. Tokyo - Asakusa • Seiko Museum • Ginza • Akihabara & Nakano • Tsukiji Market • Enoshima • Shinkawa, Tsukuda & Tsukishima • Sushi Nakamura • La Paix • Nishiazabu Taku • Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu • 3-gatsu no Lion
- II. Aomori & Hirosaki - Auga Market • Aomori Gyosai Centre • Hirosaki Castle Park • Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri 2017 • Flying Witch
- III. Hakodate - Hakodate Asaichi • Goryokaku Park
- IV. Fuji Five Lakes - Lake Motosu • Subaru 5th Station & Shibazakura • Chureito & Kawaguchiko
- V. Osaka - Kuromon Market • Dotonbori • Harukas 300 • Food Basement Galore!
- VI. Kobe - nackymade • Steak Land Kobe
*******
Japan with Cleo (28 April - 14 May 2017)
- I. Tokyo - Asakusa • Seiko Museum • Ginza • Akihabara & Nakano • Tsukiji Market • Enoshima • Shinkawa, Tsukuda & Tsukishima • Sushi Nakamura • La Paix • Nishiazabu Taku • Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu • 3-gatsu no Lion
- II. Aomori & Hirosaki - Auga Market • Aomori Gyosai Centre • Hirosaki Castle Park • Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri 2017 • Flying Witch
- III. Hakodate - Hakodate Asaichi • Goryokaku Park
- IV. Fuji Five Lakes - Lake Motosu • Subaru 5th Station & Shibazakura • Chureito & Kawaguchiko
- V. Osaka - Kuromon Market • Dotonbori • Harukas 300 • Food Basement Galore!
- VI. Kobe - nackymade • Steak Land Kobe
*******
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