This site uses affiliate links (PR). Details

Enoshima Shrine: Entrance Fee, Hours, the Three Shrines in Order, and Escalator vs Stairs (2026)

Updated 2026-11-07

Enoshima Shrine is three shrines on one hill, and walking between them costs nothing: there is no gate and no entrance ticket. The one thing you pay for inside is the Hoanden, ¥200 for adults (junior and senior high ¥100, elementary ¥50, under school age free), the octagonal hall at the first shrine where the two Benzaiten statues are kept. It is open 8:30–16:30, half an hour less than the shrine office next to it. The other cost is optional: the Enoshima Escar, three outdoor escalators that replace the stairs for ¥500 (child ¥250), or ¥260 for the first section alone. Walking minutes below are the shrine's own, and the fees are from the shrine's and the escar operator's pages, checked 2026-11-07.

Side profile of the climb through Enoshima Shrine. Red torii to Hetsunomiya in 3 to 5 minutes by stairs or by escar section 1 for 260 yen; Hetsunomiya, which has the Hoanden at 200 yen and the shrine office, to Nakatsumiya in 5 minutes or by escar section 2; Nakatsumiya to the summit by escar section 3 or stairs. All three escar sections cost 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children, climb 46 metres in about 4 minutes, run uphill only from 8:50 to 19:05. Okutsumiya is 10 minutes on foot from Nakatsumiya past Yamafutatsu, with no escar, and the Iwaya Caves are 10 minutes further down. Station to shrine 15 to 23 minutes on foot. Checked 2026-11-07.
The escar helps only as far as the summit. The third shrine, Okutsumiya, is a ten-minute walk from the second whether you rode up or not.

The three shrines, in the order you reach them

The shrine's grounds guide numbers twenty stops from the bridge to the caves. These are the ones that matter, with the shrine's own walking times between them.

Stop What it is From the previous stop
Bronze torii the island gate, first cast in 1747 15–20 min from Katase-Enoshima Station, across the 389 m Benten Bridge
Red torii and Zuishinmon gate a tower gate built to look like the Dragon Palace of the folk tale 2–3 min up the shopping street
Hetsunomiya the lowest shrine, deity Tagitsuhime; prayers are held here; the shrine office is on its right 3–5 min by stairs, or escar section 1
Hoanden eight-sided hall in the Hetsunomiya grounds; ¥200, 8:30–16:30 a few steps
Nakatsumiya deity Ichikishimahime; the hall was restored to the vermilion of its 1689 rebuilding about 5 min, or escar section 2
Summit Samuel Cocking Garden and the Sea Candle lighthouse escar section 3 or stairs
Yamafutatsu a collapsed sea cave that splits the island in two 7–8 min from Nakatsumiya
Okutsumiya deity Tagirihime, the eldest of the three sisters; turtle painting on the ceiling about 10 min from Nakatsumiya, on foot only
Ryugu (Wadatsumi-no-miya) dragon-god shrine built in 1993 directly above the main cave next to Okutsumiya
Iwaya Caves where the Benzaiten faith on the island began; run by the city, ¥500 about 10 min down

The three deities are sisters, born when Amaterasu and Susanoo exchanged vows. The shrine calls Hetsunomiya "Shimo-no-miya", the lower shrine, because it sits lowest on the hill, and that is where weddings, blessings and car purifications take place. Two details to look for: the offering box in front of Hetsunomiya is carved in the shape of a drawstring purse, a gift from local shops, and the pair of stone lanterns on the approach to Nakatsumiya were donated by the Ichimura-za and Nakamura-za, two Edo kabuki theatres. At Okutsumiya, look up: the ceiling carries "Happo-nirami no kame", the turtle that seems to stare at you from every angle, and the lantern on the right is carved with the princess of the Dragon Palace, the one on the left with Urashima Taro on his turtle.

Entrance fee: the grounds are free, the Hoanden is ¥200

Hours board and tickets for Enoshima Shrine. The three shrines have no gate and no fee. Hoanden opens 8:30 and closes 16:30, adult 200 yen, child 50 yen. Shrine office for goshuin and prayers 8:30 to 17:00, closed over New Year. Escar 8:50 to 19:05, 500 yen adult, 250 yen child. Iwaya Caves 9:00 to 17:00, 500 yen. Hoanden tickets: adult 200 yen, junior and senior high 100 yen, elementary 50 yen, under school age free; group rate from 25 people; prayers from 5,000 yen. Checked 2026-11-07.
Only the Hoanden sells a ticket. It shuts at 16:30, half an hour before the office, and nearly three hours before the escar stops.
Who Hoanden
Adult ¥200
Junior and senior high school ¥100
Elementary school ¥50
Under school age free
Groups of 25 or more group rate, ask at the hall

Inside are the two statues the shrine is known for: the eight-armed Benzaiten (Happi Benzaiten), a national Important Cultural Property, and the Myoon Benzaiten, the seated nude figure holding a lute that made Enoshima one of the "three great Benzaiten" of Japan with Miyajima and Chikubushima. The shrine also lists fifteen attendant statues, a plaque written by Emperor Go-Uda and a Benzaiten image bearing a handprint attributed to Kobo Daishi. ¥200 for the hall is less than any single ride or deck on the island, so the only reason to skip it is the clock.

Two prices for a visit, worked from the figures above:

Visit One adult 2 adults + 2 elementary school children
Stairs all the way, Hoanden ¥200 ¥500
Escar to the top, Hoanden ¥700 ¥2,000 (escar ¥1,500 + Hoanden ¥500)

Neither the Odakyu Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass page nor the shrine's site names a pass discount at the shrine, so the table assumes none.

Hours

The practical reading: a sunset visit still gets you the three shrines and the lighthouse, but not Benzaiten. Arrive by 15:30 if the statues are the point, because the Hoanden sits at the first shrine and it is a 20-minute walk from the station before any climbing.

Escalator or stairs

The Enoshima Escar is run by the Enoden group, not the shrine, and its three sections line up with the three stages of the climb. The shrine's grounds page spells out the match: section 1 from the red torii to Hetsunomiya, section 2 from Hetsunomiya to Nakatsumiya, section 3 from Nakatsumiya to the top of the island, which is the entrance to Samuel Cocking Garden.

Adult means junior high school age and up on both tickets; child means elementary school. If the lighthouse or the caves are also on the list, the set tickets in Enoshima Sea Candle tickets and Enoshima Iwaya Caves tickets fold the escar in for less, and the Enoshima island tickets calculator adds up any combination for your group.

Goshuin, amulets and prayers

Getting there from Tokyo

All three Enoshima stations are 15–23 minutes on foot from the shrine by its own access page: Katase-Enoshima (Odakyu), Enoshima (Enoden) and Shonan-Enoshima (Shonan Monorail). From Katase-Enoshima it is 15–20 minutes to the far end of Benten Bridge, then 2–3 minutes up the shopping street to the red torii, then the climb.

From Shinjuku the Odakyu line to Katase-Enoshima is the direct way, with or without the Romancecar; fares, times and whether the Freepass pays are in Tokyo to Enoshima by train and the Enoshima day trip from Tokyo. Coming from Kamakura, the Enoden drops you at Enoshima Station: see Kamakura to Enoshima. The shrine asks drivers to use the island car parks and to phone ahead for car blessings.

What else the grounds guide points out

Enoshima tickets and tours

PR Affiliate links (disclosure): booking through them supports this site at no extra cost. The shrine sells nothing online; the Hoanden ticket and the escar are bought on the spot.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an entrance fee for Enoshima Shrine?

No. The three shrines and the paths between them are free. The Hoanden, the hall with the Benzaiten statues at the first shrine, costs ¥200 for adults, ¥100 for junior and senior high school students and ¥50 for elementary school children (shrine's figures, checked 2026-11-07).

What are Enoshima Shrine's opening hours?

The Hoanden is open 8:30–16:30 and the shrine office, for goshuin and prayers, 8:30–17:00. The shrines themselves have no gate. The escar runs 8:50–19:05.

Can I take the escalator to all three shrines?

To the first two. Section 1 ends at Hetsunomiya and section 2 at Nakatsumiya; section 3 goes on to the garden at the summit. Okutsumiya is about ten minutes on foot from Nakatsumiya and has no escar. All sections run uphill only.

Which shrine should I see if I only have half an hour?

Hetsunomiya, because it is 3–5 minutes from the red torii and the Hoanden, the shrine office and the goshuin window are all there. Nakatsumiya is five more minutes; Okutsumiya and the caves need another hour with the walk back.

Official sources (checked 2026-11-07)

More for your trip