"If you are ever coming to Tokyo try to squeeze in a day at Enoshima."
Continuing where we left off, after entering the Samuel Cocking Gardens we proceeded straight to the Sea Candle Tower. At 59.8 meters it provides amazing views of the surround coast & sea. It was completed in 2003 and serves as both an observation tower and lighthouse.
Up here on top of the island it was a bit windy, but when we headed up to the observation deck we quickly found out it was quite a bit windier 60 meters up. You could feel the tower sway as the gusts blasted past it. It was quite nerve racking, but the views kept us occupied.
This is a 360 degree view from the observation deck.
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There is a second viewing area above the main observation deck, but it's outdoors and due to the weather was closed when we were there. On a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji.
If you just want to visit the Sea Candle it costs between $5 - $8 depending on when you go.
After a few minutes taking in the views we decided to head down to the cafe at the base of the tower for a bite to eat. The cafe is called Todai Kitchen. It's a full service cafe meaning you can get a full meal, alcohol as well as coffee & deserts. Since Tokyo was in a State of Emergency most restaurants stopped selling alcohol so we had to settle for coffee.
I ordered the maple & walnut cheesecake while my wife ordered the blueberry cheesecake. This came as a set, 2 slices of cheesecake and a coffee for $10.
As you can see from their presentation, they were delicious. Only semi-sweet, not like American cheesecake.
The coffee was delicious too. Its a special kind of coffee that uses the whipped cream as both the cream and the sweetener. I think it is called a "Winner Coffee". I'll have to ask my wife what it means, but it tasted like a winner so that's the translation I'm going with for now. I really want to come back to this cafe on a nice, sunny fall day when the temperature is right.
Having out carb & caffeine fix we began to head towards the Iwaya caves.
Just past these stairs there is an old, abandoned hotel that I like to look at. It sits on the dividing line of the two islands. I forgot to mention that Enoshima is actually two islands that came together over time.
I'm fascinated by these abandoned buildings around Japan. Just like the mines and ghost towns in the US, I like to imagine what it must have been like when these abandoned places were bustling with people. What stories do they hold as they slowly disintegrate?
Not only that, but I find they make great subjects for photography.
Just beyond the abandoned hotel is the second island. It's pretty cool to see how the wind barrels through here and has shaped the trees.
It's interesting to note that a concave wall was built behind one of the buildings, presumably so the wind and sea water would go up and over the homes and businesses there.
At the bottom of the stairs we encountered an interesting vending machine. Several cans were labeled "What will come out? It's fun".
Unfortunately they were sold out so I couldn't find out what might come out. Pretty good marketing gimmick.
After walking for a few more minutes we entered a shrine area composed of several interesting shrines.
The first was a turtle shrine that a cat seemed to call home.
After that was the main shrine in the complex.
I forgot which god resides there.
Side view.
My wife suddenly got excited because she saw the dragon shrine. Apparently it was supposed to be good luck for businesses.
Just past the dragon shrine a woman was selling bottles of Enoshima citrus flavored chu-hi, an alcoholic beverage similar to a wine cooler. We decided to try it and it was quite tasty.
I offered some to the dragon, but he had no response.
Taking that as a sign we moved on.
Finally we had reached the end of the island and the last flights of stairs. The businesses on the left are restaurants. They sit perched atop a cliff with great views of the ocean. This is another place I want to visit when I come back, hopefully this fall.
Stairs.
More stairs....
Even more stairs!!
And finally this is the backside of the island.
When the weather is nice you can go down to where the waves are breaking over the rock. The waves won't come up that high and you can rest your feet in the tide pools after all the walking.
This is the bridge that leads to the caves. When I was here two years ago there were parts of the this bridge that were destroyed. It was partially wiped out by a typhoon 10 years ago. What was crazy is the bridge is steel and concrete. It's hard to imagine water tearing apart a steel and concrete bridge, but it did. Here are the pictures from 2 years ago.
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And then we reach the entrance to the caves.
I'm going to stop here though because there is still a lot of the island to share, the caves, another cafe with a view and dinner. I'll conclude the series in part 4.
Here is a link to the Sea Candle website if you are interested: https://enoshima-seacandle.com
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