Enoshima Island has much to offer, from the different shops lined up and down the streets leading to the many temples and shrines on the island itself. There’s no lack of beautiful sights and things to do, so from an outside perspective, Enoshima may seem packed and full of people.
For many, if not most, of the areas on Enoshima, this is true. There was, in fact, a mass amount of people hurriedly stepping through the streets, seeing the stores and torii gates. However, this wasn’t the case for every single nook and cranny on the island.
I found that many people, whether local or tourist, often did not explore through the temples all the way through. It makes sense, as these shrines are littered with dozens of stairways, and to get to the top you would have to climb all of them. Either that or pay a fee to take escalators to the top, which didn’t seem worth it to the people visiting.
As I had a lot of time to myself, I split off alone and decided to explore all of Enoshima Shrine, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. The start of the shrine has large torii gates that you go through, and just above those are small religious buildings you can pray at. Go even higher than that and you get gorgeous views of the entire island while the ambiance slowly gets quiet.
The further you go, the less people you see and the quieter it gets. Eventually, at the top, I made it to a small garden with a single chair in the middle facing the ocean view, as the top of Enoshima Shrine was on a cliffside. As I sat in the chair, it seemed as if I was the only human being on earth. All I could see was the green grass, and all I could hear were the waves crashing against the rocks. I could’ve sat there all day. it was a feeling I had yet to experience before, but alas, I decided to continue on.
Since I had made it to the top, the only new direction to go was down the opposite way from the way I came, so I pressed on with curiosity. Walking along the new path, I pass through a calm section of buildings with nearly no one around. Then once walking out of this area, I was immediately met with even more beautiful views of the cliff-side ocean view, somehow even better this time.
Looking out and listening to the natural noises emptied my head of all thoughts, I only existed in that very moment. If it wasn’t for a looming time limit of having to leave, I would’ve been content with standing in that single place for hours, just existing.
There are many reasons to visit Enoshima Island, such as the storefronts and the beach activities, but I urge you not to forget the shrines. Upon first glance, it’ll seem unappealing by how many people are around, but once you carve out your own path and explore, a new world will open around you.
