Enoshima

I’m a big fan of the Enoshima and Kamakura area - the beachy vibes combined with some good coffee makes for a good escape from Tokyo. And of course being Japan, the modern is mixed in with the traditional, and there are temples and shrines galore to check out in the area.

I’ve been to Enoshima quite a number of times before, so today’s visit was more chill, and I kept my eyes peeled for some birds.

Quite excitingly, this blue rock thrush is a new bird sighting. When this bird started to hop towards us, we were quite surprised to see it approach seemingly without any fear of humans.

But as soon as it snatched up the beetle that was crawling near us, we realised what it was really after!

I had mistakenly assumed it was a brown-eared bulbul, which is a pretty identical-looking bird save the fact that it has this cute little orange cheeks.

The bulbul and thrush have quite different names in English, but in Japanese they are the known as the “hiyodori” and “iso-hiyodori” - quite similar, which makes sense for how similar they look.

Surfing is also super popular here, so there were plenty of people toting their surfboards on their side of their bikes which is quite an amusing sight.

I’ve hit the main tourist spots already in previous visits to Enoshima and Kamakura, so I may have to do a separate post sometime with all the places I’ve visited. But if it’s your first time, I would recommend:

• Getting a train to Kamakura. There’s some good food and coffee options in the area like 27 Coffee Roasters
• Visiting the Daibutsu (a bronze buddha statue). Some might find it underwhelming but it is the most iconic part of Kamakura
• Possibly checking out another temple in the Kamakura like Hasedera, and maybe finding another cafe (there are a lot)
• Getting on the iconic Enoden to Enoshima. This is a really cute green and yellow tram.
• From Enoshima, heading up to the Sea Candle observatory at the top of the island
• Then down to the caves at the base of Enoshima
• Finally enjoy a sunset either at the base of the caves, or from somewhere along the beach like at Cape Inamuragasaki

If you don’t mind a lot of walking, you can do both Enoshima and Kamakura in one day, but if you want to take it more relaxed, I would just pick one or the other.

Also of note is that Kamakura is known for its pink and purple hydrangea or “ajisai” which bloom in mid-June to mid-July each year.