Journeys through Japan: Enoshima aquarium & island

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman David Owsianka
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs --  For those who enjoy marine life, beaches and history, there is a place located within Fujisawa City, Japan, that is a worthwhile adventure.

Enoshima island and aquarium is a place where people can enjoy a relaxing day seeing a variety of aquatic critters, swim in the waters of the Sagami Bay and view historic landmarks.

The aquarium provides a variety of marine biology to view for those who are aquatic enthusiasts.

A Sagami Bay tank within the aquarium recreates the ecology of the nearby Sagami Bay including a school of more than 8,000 sardines that swim together in a tight, spiraling formation.

Entertainers also join dolphin and sea lions in an acrobatic performance of diving and leaping. As viewers watch the performance, they can see both Enoshima Island and Mt. Fuji in the distance.

Additionally, visitors can catch site of a variety of sting rays, sharks, penguins, jellyfish and other types of marine life in the aquarium.

Just outside of the aquarium, visitors can enjoy amenities of Sagami bay. While there, people can swim or surf in the bay, play games on the sand or fish.

Enoshima Island has pathways that lead to several ancient temples and shrines, botanical gardens, parks, caves and a lighthouse at the top of the island.

One of the temples, the Jakko-san Ryuko-ji temple, is considered the holiest temples in the nichiren sect, and is five-stories tall built in 1910.

Another attraction is the Enoshima lighthouse observational tower, which sits 59.8 meters high, and provides a 360-degree panoramic view of the island.

A visit to Enoshima by car takes approximately one hour and 15 minutes from Yokota Air Base using the Keno Highway. However, a train ride from Fussa Station to Enoshima Station takes approximately one hour and 57 minutes and costs approximately 971 Yen. From Fussa, take the Ome line towards Tachikawa and get off at Tachikawa Station. From there take the Nambu Line towards Kawasaki and stop at the Noborito Station. Then change to the Odakyu Line towards Katase-Enoshima and get off the train at the Katase-Enoshima station. From there you can walk to the aquarium and the island is a short walk from there. You can use an app to navigate your way there.