Native name: 江の島 | |
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 A 1988 aerial image of Enoshima | |
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| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 35°17′59″N139°28′49″E / 35.29972°N 139.48028°E /35.29972; 139.48028 |
| Archipelago | Japanese archipelago |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Ethnic groups | Japanese |
| Additional information | |
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Enoshima, Island of E (江の島) is a small offshore island, about 4 km (2.5 mi) in circumference, at the mouth of theKatase River which flows into theSagami Bay ofKanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Administratively, Enoshima is part of the mainland city ofFujisawa, and is linked to the Katase section of that city by a 389-metre-long (1,276 ft) bridge. Home to some of the closest sandy beaches toTokyo andYokohama, the island andadjacent coastline are the hub of a local resort area.
Benzaiten, the goddess of music and entertainment, is enshrined on the island. The island in its entirety is dedicated to the goddess, who is said to have caused it to rise from the bottom of the sea in the sixth century.[1] The island is the scene of theEnoshima Engi, a history of shrines on Enoshima written by theJapanese BuddhistmonkKōkei in 1047 AD.
In 1880, after theShinto and Buddhism separation order of the newMeiji government had made the land available, much of the uplands was purchased bySamuel Cocking, a British merchant, in his Japanese wife's name. He developed a power plant and extensive botanical gardens including a very large greenhouse. Although the original greenhouse was destroyed in the1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the botanical garden (now theSamuel Cocking Garden) remains an attraction with over half a million visitors a year.
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Enoshima is now the center ofShōnan, a resort area along the coast of Sagami Bay.
Enoshima is served by three nearby railway stations:Katase-Enoshima Terminus on theOdakyū Enoshima Line,Enoshima Station on theEnoshima Electric Railway ("Enoden"), andShōnan-Enoshima Station on theShonan Monorail.
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Enoshima was theOlympic harbor for the 1964 Summer Olympics.[6] Enoshima was also used as the sailing venue for the2020 Summer Olympics.[7]
While the bridge and town area of Enoshima are wheelchair accessible, anything past the main gate of the shrine (including the observation tower, caves, etc.) is inaccessible to those with mobility difficulties.[8]
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