The Enoden
aAndy and I were anxious on the morning of the trip to Kamakra and Enoshima. Sue had been disappointed about yesterday's Hakone trip and Andy and I had organised today all by ourselves, so it would be our fault if it was another disappointment. I tried to tell Andy that the people on the Gn15 list wouldn't have recommended it if it wasn't a fun thing to do, and that we'd done all the preparation as well as we could - even getting lost at Tokyo station whilst finding the train times. He wasn't convinced, though, and even his favourite sausages for breakfast didn't really cheer him up. We headed to Shinagawa station to catch the first train. I knew where I was going and I was really looking forward to it.
We only needed one change of train to get to Kita-Kamakura and the Engaku-ji shrine. I knew all about shrines now, and this is a very big one, worthy of its own page. Sue saw Fuji quite close up, and she was happy even though it was a little obscured by trees. As we set off to Kamakura proper, I noticed that the JR railway line cuts through the lowest part of the shrine's garden. I thought that summed up the trip, shrines and railways. I was very excited as we walked down to the Enoshima Dentetsu (Enoden is the Japanese contraction). We stopped for a snack meal in a little bar on the way, but finally we were where I wanted to be, at Kamakura station on the Enoden. It was everything I'd been led to believe, and more.
Andy has a pair of books he bought back in the seventies, with descriptions of every private railway in Japan. There are lots, and it took a while to find the reference, because it was then known as the Kamakura-Fujisawa Kintetsu; even today the English literature sometimes calls it a railway and sometimes a tram. The Enoden's own English publicity calls it the Enoshima Electric Railway, and I think it behaves like a railway, even if at times the trackwork looks like a tram (as opposed to the Ching Ching train, which looks like a train but behaves like a tram). Andy spotted a little caricature railway set small enough for me and they bought it in case the shop was shut when they got back. Andy walked round for the rest of the day with me, a pink fluffy elephant, in his camera bag, and a carrier bag with a toy train in it. The only funny looks he got were from other western tourists. The Japanese are very polite to elephants.
Nowhere was this more apparent than when we got onto the first train. We headed for the front, just as we'd done on the monorails, and there were two Japanese railway enthusiasts already waiting to photograph the route. They made sure that I could sit just behind the driver's window to see out, and all through the run they alternated with Andy and Sue to make sure that everyone got all the shots they wanted. The Japanese even took my picture: I confess that I was a bit proud. Andy says that all real enthusiasts are like this, but I think Japanese ones are even more polite than the rest. Even the commuters tried to lean out of our way so we could see. The train was packed as it pulled out, running through Kamakura and out towards Hase, but a lot of people got out there to see the Great Buddha, which I hoped we would do on the way back.
The train ran on a single track through narrow gaps between houses, then across roads, with stations every few minutes, where we would pass another train. There were very modern trains, and old trains that had been painted and polished until they shone. People waved as we passed, and car drivers beeped their horns: everyone likes the Enoden trains. Andy took a lot of pictures of the depot, so that he could sketch the track-plan when he got back, but he missed a bridge over a little river in between some houses, so I told him I'd point it out on the way back. Then the train ran along the sea-front next to some flower-beds, and the space was so narrow that the passing loop wasn't at the platform but at the other end of a garden where there was some space. Finally we could see the island, and I knew that our journey was almost over. I stood on the platform and waved as the train carried on: lots of other people were as well.
I'd have liked to ride further but there just wasn't time, so we walked through town towards the bridge that leads to the island.Finally we came out of the town down to the sea-front, and walked to the bridge that goes out to Enoshima island. There we saw a beautiful sight we didn't expect. It was a clear, sunny day and there was Fuji-san across the bay, not as close up as it would have been at the viewing point, but certainly as spectacular as it would have been from the lake. Although Sue had really enjoyed the Enoden trip, she would have thought the journey worthwhile just for this view.
We walked round Enoshima Island, seeing various shrines, and came back. The light had changed and there was an evening view we wouldn't have seen yesterday. The Enoden is a magic train. Sue said they would put the photos on the wall when they got back.
We walked back to the station to catch the train back to Hase. The shrine closes at dusk, and we'd spent ages admiring Fuji, so we had to hurry. The train was emptier this time and Andy was able to get the shots he'd missed on the way out, including the little river I'd seen. We rattled along and it was even more fun this time, knowing what to look out for. We saw one of the vintage trams painted with scroll-work, a bit like one of the trams in my little train-set. We made it to the Great Buddha in time and it was very big indeed, There were lots of people and we had to queue up to get photographs. We'd have used the Enoden to get to Hase anyway, but if it wasn't for Andy's friends on the Gn15 list, Sue would have missed the best ever view of Fuji. We went for a posh meal to celebrate a great day, and toasted the list members with some very fine Sake.