I’ve always wanted to visit Enoshima, but I don’t like the crowds and the summer heat, so I decided to go early in the morning.
Early morning parking situation
Although there is a road for automobiles that connects to the interior of Enoshima, it is closed until 5 a.m.
You will be able to park after 5 a.m., and you will be able to park at a coin parking lot within Enoshima.
If you have a few hundred yen for parking, you should have no problem.
Stroll around the island
If you look back after crossing Enoshima Benten Bridge, you will see a beautiful cityscape.
Something like a tourist map.
There is also a map of the restrooms. The land looks more like a surviving cliff than a mountain, but surprisingly, water and sewage systems are running properly.
Benzaiten Nakamise Street
This main street is apparently called Benzaiten Nakamise Dori.
Considering that it is one of the major tourist destinations in the Kanto region, which is crowded with people, the road width is unbelievably narrow.
Alphard is also at a level that you can pass if you try hard, but the path is clearly not wide enough for the image.
Also, the slope is too steep. This is a characteristic that can be said about Enoshima as a whole.
A vending machine with a large amount of plain water. A style that provides free water at a reasonable price of 120 yen. In Enoshima, where you can enjoy stylish smoothies at cafes by the sea, it’s a blessing to be able to easily buy Hiehie water at a reasonable price.
Facilities are packed together on a small plot of land, and there are buildings that seem to have a lot of history here and there, so I never get tired of looking at them.
Eshima Shrine
Just as I was beginning to wonder if this slope would continue forever, I was greeted by even steeper stairs and a luxurious building.
This is Eshima Shrine.
Paid escalator called “Esca”
I was curious because there was a facility on the left that looked like a ghost house, but it seemed to be a paid escalator.
Take a shortcut from troublesome stairs at an affordable price of around 200 yen.
The style of collecting coins on a simple escalator is something I’ve seen in developing countries.
There are many people, many have high average annual incomes, and many are not physically fit. As I walk up the mountain, I think that this is the kind of business that can only thrive in such a location.
When I looked it up on Google Maps, it appears that the inside has been decorated, making it part of a tourist attraction. I take advantage of the fact that purse strings tend to loosen when traveling.
If the price is 200 yen per person, if 1000 people come through, the sales will be 200,000 yen.
If you open for 10 hours from 9:00 to 19:00, there will be 100 people per hour. 10 people in 6 minutes. It would be good if even one person came every 100 seconds. There’s plenty of room.
Considering that 300,000 yen a day is equivalent to 100 million yen in annual sales, 500 million yen in annual sales . it wouldn’t be surprising if this escalator alone generated
Even if the construction cost is tens of millions of yen, it looks like it will be easily recovered.
I didn’t expect to come to Enoshima and calculate the profits of escalators, but I often enjoy tourist destinations as “business.”
Well, the stairs are a pain…
A simple visit.
There is a clear price list on the wall of the Esker. I don’t like small change, so 200 yen would be fine.
I wonder if it also supports cashless payments to some extent.
You’ll get some nice views if you put in the effort, but coming in the middle of the day in the middle of summer would be hell.
When you look at the Esker from the outside, it looks like it’s made of concrete with moss growing on it.
I thought there were some really beautiful houses along the coast, but it turns out both of them were actually cafes.
How did they get construction materials into a place like this?
Around Enoshima Sea Candle
The distinctive tower is apparently called Enoshima Sea Candle.
Enoshima Oiwaya road
After a little further, you will come to a narrow cobblestone road again.
The stairs are so wide that even a light truck cannot pass through them.
Lots of restaurants.
There was a vacant piece of land, but how would you build a building on such a place?
I’m sure it will continue to attract a certain number of tourists as a tourist destination, but the lack of ocean views will be a pain.
On the way home
If you go down this narrow road called “lower road →” which doesn’t seem to lead anywhere, you will find your way home.
A light truck that appeared to be a businessman was coming up this road, and there was also a bicycle parking lot for nearby residents.
The handkerchief on the ground looks like Enoshima and it’s grass.
Moss and ivy cling to the rocks of the cliff, and trees are forcibly pushing their roots through them.
This is a section where you can clearly see how rugged Enoshima is.
About public safety
Immediately after I arrived at Enoshima and got out of the parking lot, a group of loud motorcycles that looked like motorcycle gangs came in.
No, it didn’t have any decorations that made it look like a biker gang, but it was a Harley-style American.
It’s only 5 o’clock in the morning, isn’t it? It’s too much of a nuisance.
The nighttime lockdown is expected to extend from 10pm to 5pm, from 8pm to 7pm.
It seems to be difficult for people who come to work from within the island.
I did my best not to get into trouble by irritating him, but for some reason he kept staring at me and it chilled me to the core.
I guess I just happened to be unlucky as it was in a crowded area.
Enoshima is open to cars from 5 a.m., and pedestrian bridges are probably open late at night, but there are still ordinary people living there. There are also guesthouses.
Needless to say, please be quiet and have good manners.
