Enoshima

Whenever I spend time in a place, I think about nearby areas that can be visited in a day. I prefer places accessible by train or bus and which don't require too many transfers. If you're visiting Tokyo, one such day trip in easy striking distance is Enoshima.

It's a popular tourist spot off the southern coast of Japan, and you can get to Enoshima station from Tokyo in less than 2 hours. From the station, it's a 10-15 minute walk through a small town and over a bridge to get to the island.

As you can see, it gets pretty crowded. However, the further you walk in, and the more you explore the higher-up areas and back alleys, the smaller the crowds become.

Enoshima has a lot to do in a day. You can visit shrines and parks, sample food at street stalls, walk along the coast, go to an aquarium (on the mainland, not the island), and look out for the many cats that inhabit the island. It's very hilly, so if you're hankering to get your walk on, this place is for you. If you're not so much into stairs and steep inclines, you can pay for an escalator ride to take you up to the main shrine.

More pics after the jump:

Popular coin tossing spot. I guess coin tossing and pools go hand in hand everywhere!

Most of the cats are friendly.

Some pretty steep stairs.

View of the mainland from the island.

Stairway to nowhere, I bet there's a good story behind it.

I haven't seen too many places in Japan where you can wander so close to the waves.

The helicopter was constantly circling the island. My guess is it's an on call emergency response team.

There are some really old timey restaurants.

And some old timey stores.

Local beer. It was expensive, and I didn't think it was great.

Even some tokusatsu toys.

If you're thinking of planning a trip to Enoshima, this site has good info about transportation and discount passes.