It feels like it’s been such a long time since I’ve posted here. To be honest I’ve tried a few times in the past to put my thoughts into writing, but nothing felt right. It just felt empty. My creativity seemed to leave me, and the words wouldn’t manifest themselves onto the screen.

To update those who are unaware, I am currently back in Japan, at least for another month and a half. During that time, I have been adjusting to my surroundings again, making new friends, and of course, working. Though all of these things have been enjoyable to me, I hadn’t really had the chance to explore around me, to go on an adventure. I feel if I take too much time between my outings, I begin to get too uncomfortable, longing for something to refresh and recharge my soul. Luckily, some friends of mine invited me this past weekend to go to Enoshima, a small island south of Kanagawa in Japan. It seemed like a perfect solution to my problem.

Disembarking the train and walking out of the station, I turned back to admire the ancient aesthetics of the entrance. Though not all stations in Japan choose to stray from the basic station structure, it is much appreciated when they do, at least for me. Continuing past the square, we could see the island in the distance, with the bridge leading to it not far from our location. Onward we pressed, following the groups of people heading in the same direction, passing the fisherman on the docks below.

It was a cloudy day when we arrived, but as we began to cross the bridge, we could see the sun peering through from behind, as if to welcome us to our destination. Looking to our left and right, we could see long stretches of water, sprinkled with man made things such as docks and boats. Approaching the island, we saw various shops bustling with people, as well as a red archway in the distance, signaling the entrance to a shrine.

Finally reaching the end of the bridge, walking past the stores and vendors on either side, we could begin to view a bit of the charm of the little island. Though it was a bit crowded, there was still much to be enjoyed. Window shopping is often enjoyable to me, and there was no shortage of interesting merchandise and eateries, from personalized chopsticks, to a Hello Kitty café.

Making our way through the narrow streets towards the red gate, we walked up the steps towards the shrine. Though this was not my first shine visit, I still appreciated its offerings. Of course, there was the main area with the bell to ring, bad fortunes tied to the fence in order to negate the bad luck, and of course the souvenir shops selling charms for any and every possibility.

We marched onward, mounting steps, climbing higher up the island. As we walked, we could admire more of the nature offered on the island, especially the different trees. Most notably, there were quite a large amount of palm trees, reminding me very much of my hometown of Los Angeles. Reaching the top of our climb, we were just in time to see the sunset. I cannot begin to explain how little justice the pictures do, but with the atmosphere being as it was, looking past the greens gently dancing in the wind, out towards the clouds given a variety of highlights by the sun peering through, all reflected by the shimmering waves that flowed from outwards towards the shore down below our view. To be honest, I can’t remember how long we stayed at that spot, but it was for a good amount of time, and none of us minded. Hardly a word was spoken, just the shared appreciation of the picturesque view before us.

On our walk back, we noticed a large bird of prey fly over our heads and perch in a nearby tree. He stayed for quite a while, and we wondered what his motivation was. Under the tree, a family sat and rested from their climb up. Perhaps the bird was waiting for the parents to turn their backs, giving him an opportunity to take one of the little ones.

Continuing our journey back down, there was no shortage of beautiful nature to be seen. Often we would stop to look out at the ocean (or see a giant spider and feel just a bit ill at ease).

One of use wanted to get some ice cream, so we decided to stop at one of the many shops. There was quite a variety to choose from, from classic chocolate to the questionable wasabi flavor. My initial chose was a mix of green tea and vanilla, but it was sadly sold out (must have been popular). Therefore, I decided upon the interesting looking ‘Black Vanilla’. The appearance itself looked unappealing, almost like charcoal, as a friend pointed out to me. The flavor, however, was nothing more than a simple, pleasant vanilla, and that was just fine by me.

Passing through the shrine once again, we made our final steps down the island and towards the mainland. The sun had completed it’s descent and the night was now upon us. A different type of beauty captured the horizon now, as the illumination of the city lights, as well as those of the shipyard created a memorable scene as our trip began to wind down.

Finally arriving at the train station, we realized just how exhausted we were. It was an eventful trip, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about how nice it would be to get back home and rest. My soul recharged, I knew I would sleep peacefully that night.