Not very reassuring
Today I went hiking with one of my language exchange friends that I met shortly after I moved to Japan. Let’s call her Aki. We had met up a few times in the past, but hadn’t seen each other recently.
Aki is a big fan of hiking. I am not a big fan, but I do like a nice long walk at times. Despite my lack of regular exercise, my unhealthy eating habits, and my larger than sensible beer consumption, I do have an amazing ability to walk long distances.
We met near Enoshima, a small island near Kamakura. The island has a great mix of beach, rocks, hills, trees and great views of the ocean and the mainland. There is also a large shrine. Unfortunately due to the recent typhoon, there was a lot of damage to the trees. Workers were cleaning up branches and fallen trees all over the island.
From Enoshima, we walked to Kamakura. The other times I have been to Kamakura, I mainly went to the popular tourist places. Our walk took us through the city itself. We saw a rare Catholic church, and a traditional Japanese wedding in a shrine.
Aki and I hadn’t kept in touch lately, so she seemed a bit surprised at my news that I had a girlfriend and that I was moving to Shizuoka.
In total we walked for about 5 hours, stopping only to stuff ourselves at a soba restaurant. If you are near Tokyo and like hiking, Enoshima is definitely worth the trip. As with any outing in Japan, you will walk a lot more than you expect, so wear comfortable shoes.
Drinking in Japan 