A TRAVEL ESSAY
Kamakura, Kanagawa
Living in Kamakura, Part 2
A hundred-year-old housein the town of the Enoden
An afternoon riding the Enoden to the town's beloved shops.
Read the journey
ABOUT THIS JOURNEY
Part two of living like a local in Kamakura, in a borrowed house a hundred years old. I rode the Enoden to a long-established sweets shop with a real train car parked beside the tracks, took a break at a cafe overlooking the sea, and came home to eat Enoden monaka. Before sunset I laid out a little Kamakura drinking set, and finished the night at the neighborhood Chinese place I had been curious about since morning. A gentle day in the town where the Enoden runs.
A little more about the food and the land01TRAVEL JOURNAL
The town where the Enoden runs
The Enoden is a small local line that runs through Kamakura and the Shonan coast. Its green-and-cream cars rolled along the road in front of Ryukoji, a head temple of the Nichiren school, sharing the street with the cars.
A historic railway that has been loved for over 120 years. Today I wanted to ride this vintage, irresistibly cute little train.
Watch this scene on YouTube0:12
02TRAVEL JOURNAL
A sweets shop by the tracks, with a real train car
Along the tracks I found a Japanese sweets shop with a real Enoden car parked out front. The destination sign on the green-painted car read "Enoden Monaka," and a banner advertised special kashiwa-mochi.
Inside, station signboards and old timetables decorated the walls, and boxes printed with the little train lined the showcase. Under the eaves hung a rusty old crossing signal, with a tiny pinwheel and a carp streamer swaying beside it. The shop staff carefully wrapped each piece.
They sell Japanese sweets with the cute retro train motif, so I bought some to take home. The moment I saw the words "Enoden Monaka" on the sign, today's snack was decided.
Watch this scene on YouTube0:17
03TRAVEL JOURNAL
Boarding the Enoden at a station by the sea
Kamakura-Kokomae Station, where the sea spreads out right in front of the platform. Waves glittered beyond the road as a green car slid in.
The Enoden runs along the coast and between the houses, and it is also an important lifestyle route for the local residents. In front of a greengrocer on the shopping street, people with shopping baskets were picking out vegetables. I felt a little envious of the students who ride the Enoden to Kamakura High School.
I stood behind the driver's cab and looked ahead. Beyond the open window, the blue sea. The view from the train has a movie-like atmosphere.
Watch this scene on YouTube0:43
04TRAVEL JOURNAL
A breather at a cafe on the coast
Along the coastline, there are shops with the atmosphere of the West Coast. This coffee stand, white clapboard with yellow doors, was born on the North Shore of Hawaii.
On the windowsill sat a paper cup with the shop's logo and a little wooden toy bus. In a room overlooking the sea of Kamakura, I relaxed with my favorite bulletproof coffee.
Watch this scene on YouTube1:14
05TRAVEL JOURNAL
Enoden monaka in the hundred-year-old house
Back at the hundred-year-old house, the garden was bright green in the sun. On the table, a cold drink, a clear jelly sweet with a leaf on top, and the Enoden monaka in its irresistible packaging.
I opened the box and unfolded the paper. The shop staff had wrapped each one so carefully. Pressed into the wafer were the hiragana letters for "Enoden"; I felt some kind of local love in those letters.
Breaking one open, I found green tea bean paste the same color as the Enoden's body, with a piece of soft gyuhi inside. Not too sweet: the gentle taste of a sweets shop with 200 years of history. Outside the latticed window, the trees swayed. A special sweet that makes an afternoon in Kamakura even happier.
Watch this scene on YouTube1:30
06TRAVEL JOURNAL
The town and the sea at dusk
As the afternoon light began to slant, an Enoden car passed in front of the crossing. I walked down a lane that led to the sea.
At the shore, Enoshima floated in the evening light, and beyond it the silhouette of Mt. Fuji faded into the haze. The water's edge glowed gold.
Watch this scene on YouTube2:30
07TRAVEL JOURNAL
A little Kamakura drinking set, before the sun goes down
Before the sun goes down, let's start having a drink. While I prepared in the light from the kitchen window, the lamps came on outside along the wooden fence.
On the grill went maruboshi sardines, scallops and fish cake. The sardines were fresh and juicy even though they are dried fish. The shells opened and steam rose.
I opened a can, filled a glass, and the Kamakura izakaya set was ready. Hands together, itadakimasu. Grouper sashimi caught in the nearby sea, a tomato from the Kamakura vegetable stalls, and moist fish cake made by the dried fish shop. At the kitchen counter, I ate slowly.
Watch this scene on YouTube2:49
08TRAVEL JOURNAL
To finish, the neighborhood Chinese place
Then I headed to the ramen shop I had been interested in since this morning. Its red sign had caught my eye when I visited the farmers' market, and here it was on the corner of the food market, with "Ramen" written on the noren.
At the top of the menu on the wall: Taishin ramen. This restaurant has been loved by locals for over 40 years. Act like the locals and enjoy the local cuisine. This is one of the joys of my travels.
What arrived was a soy sauce ramen topped with a thick sauce of minced pork and zha cai, shredded green onion on top, and a plate of crisp-bottomed gyoza. The thick starchy sauce and thin noodles are a perfect match. It was a new kind of ramen, and shockingly good. If I hadn't gone shopping for breakfast that morning, I might never have known this taste.
Watch this scene on YouTube3:51
09TRAVEL JOURNAL
What kind of living comes next
The red sign and the "Ramen" noren glowed in the dark. I left the shop and walked past the shuttered farmers' market.
Once again, I was able to borrow a wonderful way of living. What kind of living will I encounter on my next trip?
Watch this scene on YouTube4:21
THE JOURNEY IN FILM
The wind. The sounds of a kitchen.
Spend a little more time inside the journey, on film.
Watch the video5 minTHE BORROWER’S NOTES
The Borrower's Notes: Kamakura, Kanagawa
Places we stopped, dishes we made, and stories of the land. A few things to keep from the journey.
01Where I ate and shopped
Ougiya
1-6-7 Katase-kaigan, Fujisawa, Kanagawa
A sweets shop dating back to the Edo period, a short walk along the tracks from Enoshima Station, in front of Ryukoji temple. A retired Enoden car sits out front, and station signboards and timetables decorate the interior. Its signature Enoden monaka comes in a box printed with the train, with "Enoden" stamped on the wafer in hiragana. There are several fillings; this time it was green tea bean paste with gyuhi inside. A banner also advertised kashiwa-mochi.
Sources: mapple.net hamoni.jp
The Sunrise Shack, Inamuragasaki
1-15-9 Inamuragasaki, Kamakura, Kanagawa
The Japanese flagship of a coffee stand that began in a handmade shack on the North Shore of Hawaii. Its signature is bulletproof coffee made with MCT oil and grass-fed butter, enjoyed at window seats overlooking the sea. The shop announced it was closing from March 2025 for a full renovation of the aging building; check whether it has reopened before you go.
Sources: hamoni.jp makuake.com
Chuka Taishin, Kamakura
1-13-10 Komachi, Kamakura, Kanagawa
A neighborhood Chinese restaurant about three minutes' walk from Kamakura Station, on the corner of the Kamakura Central Food Market, the same building as the farmers' market. Look for the red awning and the "Ramen" noren. The signature Taishin ramen is a soy sauce ramen topped with a thick sauce of minced pork and zha cai that clings to the thin noodles. I had gyoza on the side. I was told the shop has been loved by locals for more than 40 years.
02What I cooked
A little Kamakura drinking set
At the farmers' market near Kamakura Station, growers from around Kamakura sell "Kamakura vegetables," many varieties in small quantities, grown with as little chemical fertilizer and pesticide as possible, with plenty of Western varieties. Tonight's table was a tomato from those stalls, sashimi of locally caught grouper, dried sardines, scallops and fish cake from the dried fish shop, grilled in the old house's kitchen. Less a recipe than an evening of tasting the place as it is.
IngredientsDried whole sardines (maruboshi), Scallops in the shell, Fish cake (satsuma-age) made by the dried fish shop, Sashimi of grouper caught in the nearby sea, A tomato from the Kamakura vegetable stalls, Shiso leaves and shredded daikon
- Grill the dried sardines, scallops and fish cake on a wire rack
- When the shells open, plate everything, and serve the sashimi with daikon and shiso
- Put the tomato in a small bowl, pour a drink, and set the table
Sources: mapple.net
03About the area
Enoshima Electric Railway (Enoden)
Japan's sixth electric railway, which began service on September 1, 1902 between Fujisawa and Katase (now Enoshima). The full line to Kamakura opened on November 4, 1910. The company was renamed several times before becoming Enoshima Electric Railway in 1981. East of Enoshima Station, from the Ryukoji-mae intersection to Kodo Bridge, the trains share the street with road traffic, and the curve in front of Ryukoji, with a radius of 28 meters, is said to be the sharpest on any ordinary railway in Japan.
Sources: enoden.co.jp toyokeizai.net tabi-mag.jp
Ryukoji Temple
3-13-37 Katase, Fujisawa, Kanagawa
A Nichiren-school temple two minutes' walk from Enoshima Station, at the start of the stretch where the Enoden runs along the road. It was founded in 1337 by Nippo, a disciple of Nichiren, on the site of the Tatsunokuchi execution ground where Nichiren is said to have escaped execution in 1271. Behind the main hall stands Kanagawa's only wooden five-storied pagoda.
Sources: rurubu.jp
Kamakura-Kokomae Station
1-1-25 Koshigoe, Kamakura, Kanagawa
An Enoden station with the Shonan sea spreading out right in front of the platform. It opened on June 20, 1903 as Nissaka Station and was renamed Kamakura-Kokomae in 1953. In 1997 it was chosen as one of the 100 Best Stations of the Kanto Region. The crossing just east of the station is famous for appearing in the opening scene of an anime.
Sources: tabi-mag.jp
Kamakura Farmers' Market and Kamakura Central Food Market
1-13-10 Komachi, Kamakura, Kanagawa
A few minutes' walk from the east exit of Kamakura Station, this farmers' market has been running since 1928 and is affectionately known as Renbai. Growers from Kamakura and nearby take turns in groups to sell seasonal Kamakura vegetables. The seaward half of the same single-story building is the Kamakura Central Food Market, home to about ten shops, including dried goods and seafood. From the morning shopping to the walk home at night, this day revolved around this building.
Sources: mapple.net 4travel.jp
Enoden Monaka
Ougiya's specialty. Monaka wafers packed in a box shaped like the Enoden, each stamped with "Enoden" in hiragana. There are several fillings; one listing names five, including sesame, plum, yuzu, and smooth and chunky bean paste with gyuhi. The one I ate had green tea bean paste the color of the train, with chewy gyuhi inside. Not too sweet. The price tag called it a designated confection of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Sources: mapple.net
A hundred-year-old house
This time I borrowed a house about a hundred years old, with a tatami room whose latticed windows look onto the garden, a kitchen lit by its windows, and a garden with a parasol and a table. Dinner was at the kitchen counter.
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