Fujisawa
藤沢市
Things to Do in and Around Fujisawa
Fujisawa is where Tokyo goes to the beach. An hour southwest of the capital, this city on Sagami Bay anchors the Shonan coast, Japan's best-known stretch of surf culture. Its star attraction is Enoshima, a small island linked to the mainland by a 600-meter bridge, packed with shrines, sea caves, and observation decks that frame Mt. Fuji across the water. Add the rattling Enoden railway toward Kamakura, and you have one of the easiest day trips out of Tokyo.
Where is Fujisawa?
Fujisawa is a city in central Kanagawa Prefecture, facing Sagami Bay about 50 km southwest of Tokyo. Kamakura, the medieval samurai capital, lies directly to the east, and Yokohama is about 20 minutes away by train. The city stretches from an inland commercial center around Fujisawa Station down to the Katase and Kugenuma beachfronts, with Enoshima Island just offshore.
Getting Around
From Tokyo Station, the JR Tokaido Line reaches Fujisawa Station in about 50 minutes. From Shinjuku, the Odakyu Enoshima Line runs direct, with the comfortable Romancecar limited express taking just over an hour to Katase-Enoshima Station, a palace-styled building right by the beach. For Enoshima itself, Katase-Enoshima is the closest stop; the Enoden line from Fujisawa Station and the Shonan Monorail from Ofuna also serve the island area. Summer weekends bring heavy crowds, so an early start pays off.
Loading map...
About Fujisawa
Most visitors come to Fujisawa for the sea, and for the island that rises out of it.
Enoshima Island
Cross the 600-meter bridge from Katase Beach and the island climbs steeply through a torii gate into a hillside of shrine buildings. Enoshima Shrine, dedicated to Benzaiten, the goddess of music and fortune, spreads across three sanctuaries linked by stair-step lanes of shops grilling turban shells and octopus crackers.
At the summit, the Sea Candle lighthouse rises from a botanical garden; on clear winter days, Mt. Fuji floats above the water to the west. Down the far side, the Iwaya Caves, carved by waves and explored by candle-lantern, mark where the island's worship began more than a thousand years ago. The island also hosted the sailing events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The Shonan Beaches
Katase and Kugenuma beaches stretch east and west from the Enoshima bridge, and together they form one of the birthplaces of Japanese surf culture. Wetsuited surfers bob beyond the break year-round; in July and August the sand fills with beach huts, and the area becomes one of the busiest swimming beaches near Tokyo. Even outside summer, the beachfront promenade makes a good walk, with Enoshima on one side and, on lucky days, Mt. Fuji on the other.
The Enoden Railway
From Fujisawa Station, the Enoshima Electric Railway, known as the Enoden, sets off on a 10-kilometer crawl to Kamakura, squeezing between houses, running down the middle of streets, and bursting out along the coastline. The little green-and-cream trains have been running since 1902 and are an attraction in themselves. Anime fans ride it for another reason: the seaside railroad crossing by Kamakurakokomae Station, one stop beyond the Fujisawa city line, appears in the opening of the basketball classic Slam Dunk, and fans from across Asia line up there to photograph the trains passing against the sea.
