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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Enoshima
江ノ島
Go as a day trip from Tokyo or Yokohama, not as a base: island, shrine and caves in 4–6 h on foot; sleep here only for beach or surf.
Enoshima is a small island joined to the Fujisawa coast by a causeway, about an hour from Shinjuku on the Odakyu line. The island is a walk-up: shrine, garden, lighthouse, then caves at the back. Most travellers see it in one day, usually paired with Kamakura on the same Enoden tram line.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 江ノ島
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov; winter for clear Mt. Fuji views
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, heat, littered beach), typhoon season Sep
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥5,000–9,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥9,000–16,000 excl. bed · High ¥16,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥400–700 |
| Shirasu-don (whitebait rice bowl) | ¥1,200–2,500 |
| Soft-serve ice cream (purple sweet potato or sakura) | ¥400–600 |
| Beer: draught / can at a konbini | ¥500–750 / ¥250–350 |
| Enoden tram ride | ¥160–320 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥2,000–4,000 |
| Iwaya Caves entry | Adults ¥500, children ¥200 |
| Enoshima Sea Candle entry | Adults ¥500, children ¥250 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HND · Haneda
- Limousine bus to Ofuna or Fujisawa, 60–90 min; or Keikyu + JR via Yokohama, about 1 h
- NRT · Narita
- Narita Express to Ofuna, then Shonan Monorail, about 2 h
Typical fares
- Odakyu Shinjuku → Katase-Enoshima, regular
- about ¥630, 70 min
- Odakyu Shinjuku → Katase-Enoshima, Romance Car
- about ¥1,250, all reserved
- Enoden Enoshima → Kamakura
- about ¥260, 25 min
- Shonan Monorail Ofuna → Enoshima
- about ¥350, 20 min
Get around
Walk. The island is foot traffic only, with steep paths and many stairs; the Enoshima Escar escalator (¥300 up, 9:00–17:00) skips the lower climb. A small ferry links the causeway to the back of the island near the caves, about 5 min and about ¥400, saving roughly 45 min of walking. Buses and taxis cross the causeway but stall in summer and weekend traffic.Walk. The island is foot traffic only, with steep paths and many stairs; the Enoshima Escar escalator (¥300 up, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM) skips the lower climb. A small ferry links the causeway to the back of the island near the caves, about 5 min and about ¥400, saving roughly 45 min of walking. Buses and taxis cross the causeway but stall in summer and weekend traffic.
See and do
Known for
- Enoshima Shrine and Benzaiten
- Enoshima Sea Candle and Samuel Cocking Garden
- Iwaya sea caves
- Shirasu-don (whitebait rice bowl)
- Enoden tram to Kamakura
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kamakura | Enoden tram from Enoshima station, about 25 min | About 40 min |
| Yokohama | JR Tokaido line via Ofuna, or Odakyu to Yokohama | About 1 h |
| Hakone | Odakyu to Odawara, then the Hakone lines | 1.5–2 h |
| Odawara | JR Tokaido line from Fujisawa, about 20 min | About 45 min |
| Yokosuka | JR Yokosuka line via Kamakura, about 40 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Katase-Enoshima (mainland)
- Closest to the causeway and beach; Odakyu, Enoden and monorail stations within a few blocks.
- Fujisawa
- Bigger station with more trains and cheaper rooms; 7 min to Katase-Enoshima on the Odakyu.
- Kamakura
- Temple town at the other end of the Enoden; good if you want both in one trip.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- The island is stairs and slopes; the shrine and caves are not wheelchair accessible.
- Do not swim off the island rocks: surf and cliffs.
- Black kites (tombi) dive for food — don't eat in the open on the island.
- Summer beach huts are packed and the sand gets littered; they are gone by early September.
- The back-of-island ferry runs irregularly or not at all in low season or bad weather.
Very safe. The real risks are the stairs and slopes in summer heat, the kite hawks grabbing food, and the rocks and surf at the back of the island: don't swim there.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Enoshima yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Enoshima Shrine and Benzaiten
- Enoshima Sea Candle and Samuel Cocking Garden
- Iwaya sea caves
- Shirasu-don (whitebait rice bowl)
- Enoden tram to Kamakura
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Enoshima official travel guide: www.fujisawa-kanko.jp/en/
- Enoshima Sea Candle: en.enoshima-seacandle.com/
- Odakyu Enoshima–Kamakura Free Pass: www.odakyu.jp/english/passes/enoshima_kamakura/
- Wikivoyage: Enoshima, revision 5277606 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5277606
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/enoshima). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.