It's summer in Japan and when it's summer, what else comes to mind other than the beach?! So here we were on the beach an hour train ride from Tokyo on a Saturday afternoon. Just the perfect day trip from Tokyo!
A month before, we were searching far and wide a summer-y thing to do this August. On our list was going to a river (called kawa asobi in Japanese which literally means play in the river) to have a BBQ and to also dip in the cold waters. Swimming in the sea was also an option but in the end, we decided to just have BBQ by the beach since not many of us plan to swim, even though I told my friends they could bring towels and a change of clothes in case they would get into the water.
My friends were already together on the train to Enoshima so I would meet them in Katase-Enoshima train station on noon time. Unexpectedly when I changed trains at Fujisawa, I was on the same train and same car number with them. I didn't expect to meet them earlier than usual but it's also for the better.
We had lunch at a Hawaiian themed restaurant by the road near the beach named Mahalo. Good thing we reserved beforehand because we're a group of 6 people and the place isn't that big to accommodate big groups at once. It was a Hawaiian restaurant but I ordered gapao rice, I know, it's so unusual. It's one of the affordable menu options. They had mochiko chicken but I couldn't stand eating deep fried food lately so even if it was also affordable, I just couldn't bring myself to order it. It smelled good though.
A friend ordered shirasu salad. Shirasu is like baby sardines but very small in size. It is famous around here in Enoshima and can be eaten raw or boiled.
It's time for the afternoon coffee so we're walking along the river to find coffee. This calm and clean river flows all the way to the sea.
We ended up at a cute coffee shop named Arrows Cafe. The cafe wasn't crowded so it was a perfect spot for us. Plus, they have a wide collection of Chiikawa merch.
While having tea and eating croffle, it was so enjoyable to look at the surroundings. We even played a Spot The Difference game in one of the Chiikawa wallpapers.
After my friends were energized by caffeine, we're now on our way to the beach. We stopped by some shops we found on the way though and I bought friendship anklets for everybody. It was on a whim but I didn't regret giving a small souvenir to everybody.
All were dressed for the beach but surprisingly @revlat35 was wearing shoes. The last time I wore shoes on the beach was when I attended the Atami Sun Beach Fireworks and I kinda regretted that because I needed to remove my shoes and socks to feel the water. This time, I made sure to wear slippers. Now, we're on the beach and the sand was so dark! I'm pretty sure that white shoes won't be as white as it was after being in this beach.
During summer in Japan, the beach is always lively with lots of booths and make shift restaurants. Lifeguards were on duty usually til 5pm and after that, they would announce that the beach is closed or it would be your responsibility from now on if you swim. It's always like a festival of sorts when you come to the beaches of Japan on summertime.
On the black sand of Enoshima, there were many people enjoying the swim on the beach while on the far end some were parasailing. Some were sunbathing. We didn't bring any mat with us nor have any plans to rent one. My friends didn't really expect we'd be staying on the sandy shore so no one brought a mat or anything for us to sit on. We still ended up sitting on the sand and had some chips over talks.
Later another friend came and it was time to go to the water and take a memorabilia of our anklets. We kinda convinced everyone to take off their shoes to take a photo in the sand.
No one dared to swim but it was understandable because it's now time for our BBQ reservation on the other side. We're on the east beach and our BBQ venue was on the west beach. We still had to walk! And we're late! π Good thing, the staff at the restaurant was kind enough to still accommodate us and even adjusted our time so we could make the most of our stay in the restaurant.
The restaurant was called Aoshiro Resort on the west beach of Enoshima, at the back of the aquarium. I think they just made a bunch of these restaurants during summer season to accommodate beach goers. They even offer showers. It's really catered for people who want to play in the beach. We had a reservation but walk ins were also possible.
We availed the VIP room because it was airconditioned but doing BBQ in a closed room was really a bad decision. We thought the BBQ would be at the terrace but we were given a small BBQ grill that we should do inside. Smoke was all over and the exhaust fan just got exhausted from all the smoke. The aircon wasn't able to make the room cold. Most of the time I would be seen on the terrace escaping the BBQ smoke and breathing fresh sea air. It's colder outside than inside, probably because it's past 6pm and there was a typhoon the night before.
It was also nice to stay in the terrace because I got to enjoy people watching. The waves on this side of the beach were stronger so there were many surfers here than on the east side. There were still swimmers though that also enjoyed the currents.
We thought we could see the fireworks from Chigasaki beach but it's a bit far from where we were. The fireworks we've seen were so small, like a big dot on the horizon. π
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Some of my friends drank a lot, so they're a bit tipsy going home. But it was such an enjoyable Saturday on the beach. It was my first time coming to Enoshima on summer. I think if I would crave for more beach this summer, I could easily hop on the train and go here. Even when the sand was a bit dark, I guess it's still okay.
How about you? Have you enjoyed the beach this summer?
Thanks for reading! See you around! γγγγγΎγγοΌ
With love,
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.