The small island of Enoshima 江ノ島 is one of the sight-seeing spots I'd really like to recommend for a day trip from Tokyo. Its reachable from Shinjuku 新宿 in about an hour and a half and let you leave the fast-paced city behind for some time.
The island's name derives from the parts "e" which is written with the same character as the "e" in Edo 江戸, the former name of Japans present-day capital Tokyo. The second part "shima" means island. I asked a local for why it is called the "island of e" and she had a really interesting answer. The e 江 in Enoshima 江ノ島 seems to be another style of writing the word for "picture" in Japanese language with the same pronounciation e 絵. So basically the name Enoshima 江ノ島 means "picturous island" (for the locals) which definitely is true by looking at the pictures below.
For all who can read Japanese language, this pdf-file about Enoshima could be interesting.
Besides the temple with the same name, the island offers picturous settings for snapshots, straying cats, elevators for the handicapped (or just for the lazy people, but watch out, they charge you for about 100yen for waht you could have easily "climbed" in less than a minute -_-), a triforce-like symbol you can find every-where, dark caves, and well, things you thought were a relic from thousand of years ago ;).
There even is an Enoshima beer (which actually is brewed in Kamakura and has starting to sell only 10 years ago, so not really traditional).
However, the real deal is to go to Enoshima, when they light up the whole path on the island and the famous buildings like the Lighthouse in the middle or the famous Cocking Garden.
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The island's name derives from the parts "e" which is written with the same character as the "e" in Edo 江戸, the former name of Japans present-day capital Tokyo. The second part "shima" means island. I asked a local for why it is called the "island of e" and she had a really interesting answer. The e 江 in Enoshima 江ノ島 seems to be another style of writing the word for "picture" in Japanese language with the same pronounciation e 絵. So basically the name Enoshima 江ノ島 means "picturous island" (for the locals) which definitely is true by looking at the pictures below.
For all who can read Japanese language, this pdf-file about Enoshima could be interesting.
『江の島の表記は「絵の島、柄の島、荏の島、繪の島、榎の島、画の島」といくつもある。』
Besides the temple with the same name, the island offers picturous settings for snapshots, straying cats, elevators for the handicapped (or just for the lazy people, but watch out, they charge you for about 100yen for waht you could have easily "climbed" in less than a minute -_-), a triforce-like symbol you can find every-where, dark caves, and well, things you thought were a relic from thousand of years ago ;).
There even is an Enoshima beer (which actually is brewed in Kamakura and has starting to sell only 10 years ago, so not really traditional).
However, the real deal is to go to Enoshima, when they light up the whole path on the island and the famous buildings like the Lighthouse in the middle or the famous Cocking Garden.
[gallery]
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