Enoshima

Today was beach-cleaning day!

Ever since my trip to that unpronounceable village in Chiba, I havewanted to participate in a clean-up operation; and drool at the picture of the beach-cleaners on the JAMSTEC bulletin board every day. So it was a great surprise when I peaked at the bulletin board, and the photo had gone! And in its place was a list of dates!

In exchange for some good ctenophore video footage, I got on of the girls at work to translate the thing for me, and settled for Enoshima as it was the easiest to get to.

After a few doutbs earlier this week when the typhoon came through, the "biichi-kliin" day finally dawned, hot and sunny. I had to leave a bit before 8 o'clock, went through Zushi (and noted I will have to go back and investigate those turtles in the strem!), and on to Kamakura.

The end of the Enoden line.

Now the most usual route to Enoshima is, as the bird flies, a detour. So I decided to stop at Kamakura, and jump on the Enoshima Electric Railway, or Enoden. There is a single track most of the way, with a few stations that allow for 2 trains, and a small passing zone at one point. Well, this can happen on any small line. For some obscure reason, however, the Enoden cars look like 1940s trolley cars. It is a bit frightening as the real train looks like someone decided to make a life-sized model of the miniatures they sell at the stations.

The day would have been a success just for that train ride. The picturesque cars and odd bumping screaching breaks, the small gauge winding its way narrowly through the towns, and then out into the open, just a road's width from the sea, with the sound of the waves coming in through the open windows.

I had thought of 2 possible stations for getting off at. The train decided for me, as only one car fits at the first station, and I was in the other car, and did not realize we were at the station, untill we stoped at the same place (me still in the wrong car), on the way back. Give me credit though: from where I was sitting, I was looking straight down on the folks waiting at the level crossing, so did not naturally think that the other end of the train had the doors open and was at quay.

Enoshima island, with an early-bird beach-cleaner.

Getting off at the second station, it was an easy walk to Enoshima aquarium. The stand was easy to find, with it's flag and boxes fo gloves and bags and stuff. It was just past 9, but several people just wandered up, took a bag and pincers and wandered down to the beach. So I did likewise, and set off to find me some trash!

It's amazing how an apparently clean beach can yield so much trash, and how the 30-odd people collecting it all could find something to collect. But as you went along there were always small scraps of plastic, or styrofoam bits.

My bag at around 10am.

I collected mostly small stuff, so my bag wasn't full, but stopped at 11 as I didn't want to burn to a crisp that early in the day. I will be feeling it in my muscles as it is, without being sunburnt to boot.

I had lunch on the rocks at one end of the beach, watching all the folks having fun at the beach.

Then I wandered along to Enoshima island. This is a real island, connected to the mainland at low tide, by a small strip of sand, over which they built a bridge. The island is cut into 3 main parts. The part facing the mainland is all touristic, with a couple big spa hotels and a marina, and loads of shops.

Then you climb up some stairs, and get to a big temple complex, with several temples up and down various staircases.

Enoshima is big on the dragon theme, as, in the mythology, the island appeared out of the sea after several days of earthquakes, and on it was a beautiful maiden. Now there was a dragon just over the next hills who lived in a lake and folks had to sacrifice children to it. He saw the maiden and wanted to marry her, but she refused because he was too evil. So he stopped his wrong-doing, and the peaceful dragon is now a hill.

The faucet in the bathroom...

The third part of the island is very much wild still, with only a few paths through it, and lush vegetation. The part furthest South is nearly separate from the rest of the island, after the ancient collapse of a sea-level cave. There are still 2 large sea-level caves, in which are many small shrines to various gods, and the tomb of the goddess.

The southern shore of the island is composed of many flat tidal pools, connected almost directly to the sheer cliffs of the island, on whish the kites nest. These birds are a danger to outdoor picknicking, but are absolutely amazing to look at.

To finish off my day, I bought myself one octopus, one jellyfish senbei. Senbei are snacks. I am not sure I could qualify them on anything else. They are made by having a very bif waffle iron, but without the waffle pattern. Just 2 big, heated, flat metal plates. Then you take dead octopussies, plunk them in batter, plop them down on the bottom plate, close the top lid and screw shut with all your strength, then wait till cooked. Shat you get is a very flat, hard and crunchy, octopus-flavoured.... snack. Same for jellyfish, although the taste may be more that of the batter than of the jellyfish.

And so with a last breath of cutitudes, headed back to my doll-house train, and home again to collapse into bed. Too much sun and wind just takes it out of one. And my, will I be sore tomorrow!