Enoshima (7)

Place your camera on the stand, take your girlfriend by the hand and ring the bell together as one in front of the wall of...

... padlocks. Millions of them. And double the amount of names written. Sealed love, some new, some rusty but it looks like no padlock has ever been removed from those fences.

This improvised (yet very impressive!) shrine was hidden from the mainstream paths of Enoshima and I was almost NOT going to step on the somewhat muddy and narrow track leading to it. Luckily I did!

Enoshima (6)

I have posted the pink Ema (wooden plaques on which worshippers write their wishes) of the Enoshima shrine on a different blog several years ago, but who doesn't like to bathe in a sea of pink every once in a while? Enjoy!

Enoshima (5)

Climbing up and down all those stairs in Enoshima does get you ravenous, I'm telling you. But since there is food absolutely everywhere this is never a major problem in Japan, they know how to take care of hungry tourists. 

I was almost going for that teriyaki octopus, but naaah...

Instead I opted for the first place that wasn't crowded. No wonder, I hear you say. Well, this is just the average level of mess in an average Japanese house. The fact that they serve food inside their house doesn't change anything. And it felt cosy, in a strange comforting way. All those...things.

Lunch was alright. Rice bowl with raw tuna and looooaaads of seaweed. And the usual additional unidentified side dishes :-))
The view on the bay was great too. Totally worth the stairs!

Enoshima (4)

Have you ever had your feet nibbled on by a doctor fish? :-o I'm too ticklish for that, I didn't dare trying the 5 minute bath but this is what it looked like inside the shop. It seemed to me like a very Japanese thing to do, but I was wrong on that one.

Enoshima (3)

Exchange coupon for tako sembe cracker

Queuing for food, national pastime. Standing in front of a popular restaurant for one hour wouldn't scare away anyone here. In Enoshima giant octopus crackers are all the rage and a reason for bulging queues clogging the narrow streets. That's most of the charm about it, I guess.

Enoshima (2)

Seriously, what's with all the shells in Enoshima?

Enoshima (1)

I have been to the island of Enoshima a few years ago and have very fond memories of the place, so I decided it was time to see it again, this time with my 85mm prime lens, as it has been lying there under a layer of dust for way too long.

Enoshima is close enough to Tokyo to make it a day trip, and small enough to explore on foot. Perfect.

A few warnings though:

Tsunamis and hawks then. And crunk, apparently. That's alright, I'll take the risk.

Another map of the neighbourhood. Ahaa, now at least it's clear!

Enoshima is definitely a resort area. And since this is Japan it needs its shrine(s), which makes it even more attractive for tourists. We are well into october but I almost fell for the cheap flip-flops. A whopping twenty-eight degrees!

Oh dear, what's that? Dried fish with sunglasses? Is this a scarecrow for crows or a scarecrow for the potential customers of that restaurant? Creepy.

More to come about Enoshima...

Comic Strip

Speech Bubble

Thought Scroll

Scream Bubble

Dialogue Balloon

Scream Bubble

Unusual Fonts for Emphasis

Trash Sunday (5)