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Enoshima Iwaya Caves Tickets: ¥500 Entry, 9:00–17:00 Hours, the ¥1,110 Sea Candle Set and the Boat Back (2026)

Updated 2026-10-21

Two sea caves at the far end of Enoshima cost ¥500 to enter from junior high school age and ¥200 for elementary school children. The gate opens at 9:00 and shuts at 17:00, earlier than everything else on the island, and the city closes the caves or cuts the hours when the sea is rough. Inside, Cave 1 runs 152 m into the rock by candlelight and Cave 2 runs 56 m to a dragon. If you are riding the escar up and seeing the lighthouse as well, the Enoshima 1day (¥1,550) covers the caves for ¥250 less than paying at each gate. The operator's figures below were checked 2026-10-21.

Route in walking order across Enoshima: Benten Bridge free; escar 500 yen uphill only or the stairs free, about 20 minutes; Samuel Cocking Garden with the Sea Candle at 800 yen; stairs down the far side to Chigogafuchi; Iwaya Caves 500 yen, child 200 yen, open 9:00 to 17:00. To scale: Cave 1 152 metres deep with candle-lit stone Buddhas, Cave 2 56 metres deep with the dragon. Way back by the Benten-maru boat, about 6 minutes, 500 yen, child 200 yen, cash only, about 10:30 or 11:00 to 14:30, no weekday boats December to February, cancelled in wind, waves or low tide. Checked 2026-10-21.
The caves are the last stop in walking order and the first to close. The boat back is the one short cut on the island, and it does not run on winter weekdays.

Ticket prices

Ticket Adult Child What it covers Where it is sold
Iwaya Caves ¥500 ¥200 both caves the cave entrance
Iwaya + Sea Candle set ¥1,110 ¥500 caves + lighthouse, no escar online (Asoview)
Iwaya + Sea Candle set + Night ¥1,540 ¥710 as above plus the garden after 17:00 on event days online (Asoview)
Enoshima 1day ¥1,550 ¥700 escar + lighthouse + caves first escar, Katase-Enoshima and Fujisawa tourist offices, online
Enoshima 1day + Night ¥1,950 ¥900 the 1day plus the garden after 17:00 on event days first escar, online
Enopass Area Passport ¥3,940 ¥1,810 escar + lighthouse + caves + Enoshima Aquarium online (Asoview, EMot)

For the caves, adult means junior high school age and up and child means elementary school; the city's price list has those two lines and no other. The set tickets use the same split, and the Enopass adds two more steps: high school ¥2,940 and junior high ¥2,640. Set prices have applied since October 2025. Two more rates at the cave gate: groups of 20 or more pay 20% less, and holders of a Japanese disability certificate, a care-level certificate or a Mirairo ID enter free with one companion.

One thing to know before you count on the Iwaya + Sea Candle set: the operator's page lists it for online sale only, while the 1day is also sold at the counters. If you arrive without a ticket and plan to walk up, pay ¥500 at the cave and ¥800 at the lighthouse and accept the ¥190 difference.

Which ticket, by what you see

Ticket table, adult prices. Caves only 500 yen, no set needed. Caves and Sea Candle walking up: one by one 1,300 yen, Iwaya + Sea Candle set 1,110 yen, saves 190 yen, online. Caves, Sea Candle and escar: one by one 1,800 yen, Enoshima 1day 1,550 yen, saves 250 yen, sold at the first escar, the tourist offices and online. All that plus the aquarium at 2,800 yen: one by one 4,600 yen, Enopass 3,940 yen, saves 660 yen, online. Elementary school children: caves 200 yen, set 500 yen, 1day 700 yen, Enopass 1,810 yen. Checked 2026-10-21.
Each row adds one more paid spot. The saving grows with the row, but the 1day is the only set you can buy on the island.
Example Who Cost
Caves only 1 adult ¥500
Caves + lighthouse, stairs 1 adult ¥1,110 (one by one ¥1,300)
Caves + lighthouse + escar 1 adult ¥1,550 (one by one ¥1,800)
Caves only 2 adults + 2 elementary school children ¥1,400
Caves + lighthouse, stairs 2 adults + 2 elementary school children ¥3,220 (2 × ¥1,110 + 2 × ¥500; one by one ¥3,800)
Caves + lighthouse + escar 2 adults + 2 elementary school children ¥4,500 (2 × ¥1,550 + 2 × ¥700; one by one ¥5,300)

The family figures assume the children are of elementary school age. A junior high school student pays the adult price at every gate on the island.

Inside the caves

The Iwaya are sea caves cut by the waves over a long time, and Fujisawa City, which runs them, describes them as the birthplace of the Enoshima faith: the monks Kukai and Nichiren are said to have trained here, and Minamoto no Yoritomo is said to have prayed here in 1182 before his campaign in the north. The city's own description of the two caves:

The part I find most telling is the gap in the record: the caves were shut in March 1971 and stayed shut for 22 years until the city rebuilt the walkways and reopened them on 18 April 1993. On 23 October 2025 the city counted its 9 millionth visitor since then, and marked it with the first-ever night tour, two December evenings with ten groups a night chosen by lottery. Nothing is announced for 2026, so plan on a daytime visit.

Hours, and when the sea closes them

Getting there, and the boat back

Everything on the island starts at Enoshima Benten Bridge. From there it is 20 minutes to the Samuel Cocking Garden entrance from Katase-Enoshima (Odakyu), 25 from Enoshima (Enoden) and 26 from Shonan-Enoshima (Shonan Monorail), with the escar doing the climb; the caves are beyond the garden, down the stairs on the far side of the island to Chigogafuchi, so allow more. Fares from Tokyo and the best ticket for the day are in Enoshima day trip from Tokyo, and the Enoden hop from Kamakura is in Kamakura to Enoshima.

The way back has a short cut: the Benten-maru, a small boat between the Chigogafuchi landing below the caves and Benten Bridge, about 6 minutes on the water with Enoshima on one side and, on a clear day, Fuji on the other.

Benten-maru
Fare ¥500 from junior high school age, ¥200 from age 6, free at 5 and under; cash only
Weekdays about 11:00–14:30
Weekends and holidays about 10:30–14:30
Winter no weekday boats in December, January and February
Cancelled strong wind, high waves or low tide; the day's decision is made around 10:30
Ticket sales end 15 minutes before the last boat

Two things follow from that table. The boat stops running in the middle of the afternoon, long before the caves close, so a late visit means walking back over the top. And on a winter weekday there is no boat at all. The island calculator adds the boat to your island total if you tick it: Enoshima island tickets calculator.

Enoshima tickets and tours

PR Affiliate links (disclosure): booking through them supports this site at no extra cost. Prices on partner sites may differ. The 1day is sold at the first escar and the two tourist offices; the other sets are in the operator's online shops (Asoview and EMot).

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book the Enoshima Iwaya Caves in advance?

No. There is no advance ticket for the caves on their own; you pay ¥500 (elementary school children ¥200) at the entrance. The set tickets that include the caves are the ones sold ahead, online or at the first escar.

Are the Iwaya Caves open in winter?

Yes, with hours that change by season, and the city closes them when the sea is rough. The Benten-maru boat has no weekday service in December, January and February, so a winter weekday visit means walking back up the stairs.

Can I take the boat to the caves instead of walking?

The Benten-maru links Benten Bridge and the Chigogafuchi landing below the caves, about 6 minutes each way for ¥500, cash only. It runs only from about 10:30 or 11:00 to 14:30 and is cancelled in wind, waves or at low tide, so plan to walk at least one way.

Is there a night tour of the caves?

The city held its first one on 20 and 21 December 2025, after the caves passed 9 million visitors: about 20 minutes in the dark after closing, ten groups of up to five per night, chosen by lottery. No dates are posted for 2026.

Official sources (checked 2026-10-21)

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