{"id":58713,"date":"2020-02-15T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-15T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=58713"},"modified":"2024-04-11T13:53:35","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T04:53:35","slug":"jewel-of-shonan-enoshima-illumination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/jewel-of-shonan-enoshima-illumination\/","title":{"rendered":"The Jewel of Shonan: Winter Illumination Paradise of Enoshima"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a whole day walking around Enoshima<\/a>,<\/strong> I was exhausted. The sun was setting and the chill was rising, but I was still waiting for the main attraction of the day, The Jewel Of Shonan, the famous illumination of Enoshima<\/strong>. Many of my friends visited it before and they recommended it to me, but I had never had the chance. Also, it is close to Tokyo, just an hour away<\/strong>! After seeing the pretty illuminations of Tokyo<\/strong>, could I be impressed by another illumination?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lighting Up Enoshima’s Samuel Cocking Garden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The illuminations are located inside the Samuel Cocking Garden<\/strong>, at the very center of the island. I decided to go during the twilight, to be able to see the garden in different lighting. You can get the tickets <\/strong>at the very same entrance or at the entrance of the shrine area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just inside the entrance, I was amazed by the tulips garden<\/strong>, full of tulips of all different colors! As I walked around there, although it was winter, it had a special charm. I can’t imagine how it would be during spring or summer<\/strong>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this garden, you can find many different events depending on the season, like the Enoshima Flower Festa<\/strong> from mid-April to early June, Enoshima Lantern Festival <\/strong>in August or the festival I was about to see, The Jewel of Shonan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Inside the facility there are two coffee shops<\/strong>, in case you need to take a rest. I warmed myself up for a while in one of them to recover my strength. Remember that the entrance of the garden is from 9:00am to 8:00pm, and the last admission is at 7:30pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Enoshima Sea Candle \u2013 The Enoshima<\/strong> Observatory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just before the sunset, I went up to the top of the observatory.<\/strong> From there, I could see a 360\u00ba view of that breathtaking area<\/strong>: the ocean, the island, and the surrounding cities. On a good day, you can also see Mount Fuji and the Oyama and Tanzawa<\/strong> mountains.<\/strong> The observatory has the same operating hours as the garden, from 9:00am to 8:00pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Jewel of Shonan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At 5:25pm, the famed illumination<\/strong> would be starting in just 5 minutes. Announcements over the loudspeakers were repeating every five minutes that the moment was coming, and I couldn’t be more excited! The Jewel of Shonan is celebrated every night from the end of December until mid-February. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went out of the coffee shop and I waited in front of the Sea Candle<\/strong>. There I counted down the final 10 seconds with the other visitors. At 5:30pm exactly, all the lights were switched on and I couldn’t believe my eyes, one of the most beautiful illuminations that I have ever seen in my life. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first place I went to was the illuminated tunnel<\/strong>. It was decorated with purple LED lights<\/strong> with bright objects hanging from the ceiling, which created a very intense feeling. This tunnel had different side exits and through them you could visit the other spaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On one of the sides there was a completely illuminated garden<\/strong>, from trees to grass. There were some hanging lamps with more lights, and you could see the illuminated observatory from various places in the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I went to the observatory terrace <\/strong>to take some pictures from high above and appreciate a general panorama from that point of view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The tulip area was also full of lights and I found yet another flower area that was perfectly located to take pictures of the flowers, the observatory, and the lights<\/strong>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There were more illuminated parts, such as the right section of the garden with another tunnel. I spent more than an hour <\/strong>taking pictures in awe of the beauty in front of me. Ah! All the scenery was accompanied by music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Still More Illumination Outside<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I finished looking around and taking umpteen pictures, it was time to go. It was difficult for me to leave all that beauty, but once I got outside… surprise! There were more lights!! <\/strong>The ones in the garden were more spectacular, of course, but you can view the ones outside without paying and they were also very beautiful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So I went down from the island by the stairs, observing the other illumination. I couldn’t stop smiling from my entire experience that day, from my day tour in Enoshima to the wonderful illuminations of the evening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to Get to The Jewel of Shonan – Enoshima<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In this previous article we explained the different trains that you can take to get to Enoshima.<\/a> Nevertheless, the easiest option from Tokyo is to take the Odakyu Line<\/strong> from Shinjuku Station<\/strong>, or the Tokaido Line<\/strong> from Tokyo Station<\/strong> and change trains at Fujisawa Station<\/strong> to the Odakyu Line.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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