Fujisawa, Japan, Week 1

Those of you in the loop will know that in the last week I embarked on a 'grand tour' that may last more than a couple of weeks. My first stop is the Takakura prefecture, Japan. I'll be staying here for three months as I complete an internship in industrial design for a little known global corporation. I won't be boring you with the details of the internship, mainly as i'm not sure what i'm meant to be sharing, but you can expect updates on my various other expeditions over these months.

Weekend one - Enoshima and the surroundings

I am staying in student dormitories in a suburb called Chogo, which like all places round here seems centred around a local commuter train station. It straddles the cities of Yokohama and Fujisawa, and is about 50km from the centre of Tokyo. The morning trains are exceptionally crammed with commuters (although i've heard Tokyo is worse) but it is something I have very quickly got used to. Outside of work, there's nothing really to write home about during the weekdays, i'm eating cafeteria food at both work and home, but it is all 100% Japanese - rice, fish, veg ect - I haven't dived into McDonalds for a comforting Big Mac yet. I'll fast forward to my first weekend which is just about to finish.

Fujusawa - Ramen

I went with a few friends to what i'm told was a place with a  reputation for serving some of the best ramen noodles in the area. The set up was interesting to a foreigner, you pay at a vending machine at the entrance, collect a token, and then line up against a wall behind a row of sets. The atmosphere is quite intense - a lot of slurping and sweating - and when it comes your turn you take a seat, reply "hai" to the question the Japanese chef asks you, and are given a bowl of the restaunts speciality ramen noodles.

There is only one item on the menu, a bowl of thick noodles in a bowl, served with pork, veg, and a generous serving of Garlic. The food was great, the pork was lovely and tender, but what was more interesting was the intense environment. There was a pressure to gorge down the noodles as quickly as possible from both the waiting queue behind and the rate at which the others behind were consuming. I came out a very satisfied, very full individual.

Enoshima Island

As far as I can tell, Enoshima Island is the localities landmark tourist trap; an island linked by a long low bridge to the fancy beach on the coast of Fujisawa, It is home to Shinto Shrines, traditional buildings, a garden full of cats, a viewing tower and numerous stalls, cafes and eateries. At the outermost tip of the island the sea laps against low, flat pools and jagged cliffs;

Concrete paths allow entrance to the caves, the 'birthplace of Enoshima shrine, where you get the opportunity to clap and bow in front of a dragon that may or may not grant your wishes, depnding on his response (no photos of this, understandably the cave was too dark). A climb up to the pinnacle of the island gives paid access to the Enoshima SeaCandle, a brazenly constructed observation tower.

The SeaCandle offered fantastic views over Sagami Bay. 

From here,  I could just about make out Mt. Fuji through the afternoon haze, although not up to photographic resolution, it's faint silhouette made me realise what a significant feature it was, it was clearly tens of Kilometres away, but it was visible above the cloud lines. A stroll down the hill from the top  saw me pass by the famous Shinto shrine, where the initiated waited patiently to pay their respects to the resident kami.

As I returned to the base of the island, the sun had begun to lower over the bay, which made the imposing figure of Mt Fuji all the more clear, and ended the day with a fantastic sunset.

Shichirigahama - bills

The next day, I went to a coastal town slightly further east, Shichirigahama, to visit another apparently highly regarded eatery. 'bills' was a world away from yesterday's ramen-stop however, and it perfectly matched the blend of hipster, surfer dude, and beverly hills which the entire area radiated.

'bills' offered impressive views over the waves, a denim-clad team of waiting staff and was kitted out - from the Alvaar Aalto light fittings to the Robert Welch cutlery - to the highest standards of internationally regarded design. The quality of the food was to match, and i'm not sure if 2000 yen is a good price to pay for a burger, but it looked high-class, and tasted like it.

We then took in the end of the day with a paddle in the pacific, and yet another stunning sunset, this time looking over Enoshima island.

I'll probably be back with more updates and fun stuff next week. See you then!