EN03 ／ ENODEN STORIES
Pour-over coffee, cheese sweets and everyday trains
Pour-over coffee, cheese sweets and everyday trains
Yanagikoji was temporarily discontinued during the war, and a station was re-established there in 1948, together with Yuigahama, restoring the Enoden railway to a fifteen-station layout. Today, Yanagikoji remains a small residential station, with alleyways, cafés, and dessert shops forming a quiet pause along the journey. It's ideal to stroll slowly along public roads and extend further toward Kugenuma, experiencing how this scenic railway is also an integral part of daily life for residents.
This stop, walk like this · Suggested 75–110 minutes
Lotus viewing is chiefly a summer activity. The city's reference flowering season is early July to mid-August, but blooms may arrive earlier or later in a particular year. Outside the flowering season, shorten the pond stop as appropriate. Small shops have closing days, and residential lanes must be left clear for residents to pass.
Walk westward along the residential district to view the pool water and summer lotus flowers.
Both shops are near Yanagikoji. There is no need to lengthen the route just to eat two rounds of sweets; choose either one if you prefer.
THE STORY OF EN03
The highlight of Yanagikoji is its residential streets, not large tourist attractions. After placing an order at cotocoto coffee, the barista grinds and brews the coffee fresh on the spot, with the Enoden railway passing by the window. Sitting down to smell the coffee aroma and watching residents go about their daily lives captures the other side of this railway as a daily living route.
bonbonbons. adds another reason to stop with its cheesecake and cheese-flavored baked treats. Take a sweet away, then walk along public roads toward Kugenuma. Residential lanes are everyday living spaces, so leave room for residents to pass.
WALK A LITTLE FURTHER
Take walks around neighborhoods; residential areas along the route are the daily living spaces for residents, please stay on public roads.
Yanagikoji is an unstaffed station in a residential neighborhood. Its official listing includes an accessible ramp, but no toilets or lockers. Stay on public roads, keep clear of the tracks, and do not wait for trains while standing in a level crossing. If you want a seated break, plan it during a café’s actual opening hours.
You can go down to the next station, Kugenuma, and extend to the Sakai River area; this is a cross-station route, please plan according to your stamina and the map.
Make Kugenuma Station the endpoint of this section first, then decide whether your energy allows a walk to the Sakai River or whether to take the train south. This is easier to navigate than following disconnected lanes beside the railway. Kugenuma Station has toilets and an elevator; Yanagikoji has no toilets. Mark useful facilities on your map as well.
From Yanagikoji, walk westward toward the residential district to Sakurakoji Park's lotus pond. In summer, observe the lotus flowers and the greenery on the water surface, then return to the railway side to have coffee. The city's official flower calendar designates the period from early July to mid-August as the approximate time for lotus blooms; actual flowering times may vary depending on the weather conditions; other months do not feature peak blooms as a selling point.
From the Yanagikoji station, take a 7-minute walk, with no parking available. The blooming period for lotus flowers is generally considered from early July to mid-August, subject to weather conditions; outside this period, the pond and surrounding greenery can be viewed, though flowering is not guaranteed. It is recommended to treat this as a brief stop, avoiding entering the pondside plantings or crossing the fencing.
This station has no toilets. To see the sea, continue by train to Shonan-kaigankoen or Enoshima; there is no need to search for sea views in the residential neighborhood.
MapTASTE THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
A small pour-over coffee shop in Kugenuma Fujigaya. Beans are ground and brewed to order, and you can watch Enoden trains pass as you drink your coffee.
Two official railway sources differ on closing time and whether the café closes on Wednesdays. Its latest Instagram calendar could not be read during this check. The early afternoon from Thursday through Sunday is easier to fit into an itinerary, but confirm that it is open that day. The address is 1-6-20 Kugenuma Fujigaya; an official interview places it about a 2-minute walk from Yanagikoji Station.
At cotocoto coffee, start with the medium-dark and dark-roast blends, then ask about the day’s single-origin beans. An interview with the shop featured beans from roasters in Shonan and Tokyo; the selection changes. The owner, a former librarian, selects books for the shelves and changes their themes from time to time. With only a few seats, this is a place for one or two people to linger over coffee and books. Larger groups should check the available seats before planning a stop.
A small shop specializing in cheese cake and cheese-flavored baked snacks, ideal for taking a treat home.
This stop features daytime takeaway cheese desserts. The shop has also offered Miyako noodles as a standing-only evening service, but those evening hours do not guarantee that desserts are available. Published daytime closing times differ. If coming for a specialty, check the shop’s announcements and plan to buy it in the early afternoon.
The shop admits one party at a time and torches the surface of the cheesecake after you order. If you will be walking along the coast, taking the train or returning to your accommodation, tell the staff when you plan to eat it and ask how to store that day’s product. Do not apply room-temperature resting times from an old article to different items or hot weather.
bonbonbons. is a takeaway shop that serves one party at a time, giving you time to choose a flavor. After you order, the surface of its rectangular cheesecake is torched in front of you to create a crisp caramel layer. Compare flavors such as original, matcha and bitter caramel, subject to availability that day. Whether you plan to eat it as you walk or take it back to your accommodation, tell the staff when you will eat it so they can explain suitable storage and how to bring it to serving temperature.
Next stop, a different sea breeze.
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