Enoden Rail Line

During my very first trip to Japan in 2011 I went to Kamakura on a guided tour and remembered riding an old-fashioned train on a line known as Enoden between Kamakura and Hase stations. The train’s cars were really old, maybe from the 1950s or 60s. This year, 8 years after that first trip, I decided to ride the Enoden Line again from Enoshima station to Hase and then back to Fujisawa to my hotel.

Enoshima and Hase station were the same as I remembered them - large wooden awnings with brown wooden benches for passengers waiting to board. The sound of the semaphore rail signal was nostalgic as now it is rarely heard in modern cities. In Japan, though, you still can find such old-fashioned things and I find that exciting!

While the station and signals were the same, the train, alas, was not - it was modern, but fitted out in a in retro style. I was a bit disappointed because the train looked more like a tourist attraction rather than a real old thing. From the train's window I could see the coast and Enoshima floating away into the distance...

When I arrived at Hase its famous sites like Hasedera Temple and Kamakura Daibutsu were already closed. Places usually flooded with tourists were deserted. There were a few shops still open, though, and I bought some anpan bread with green tea flavor and filled with sweet red beans. It was warm and tasty. I enjoyed the walk along the empty streets of Hase, passing by some interesting shop windows, including a photo studio displaying good family portraits, an antiques shop and one more selling all kinds of lamps.

I find quiet strolls like my after hours one in Hase to be pleasurable. On my return to Fujisawa I found nice place for dinner where I had some gyoza and shrimps along with some Asahi beer. It was a lovely way to end my day.