Shonan Local Quiz Practice: Questions and Explanations

Correct answerA tombolo (a sand spit)

Enoshima is a tied island connected to Katase Beach by a sandbar (tombolo) built up from deposited sand, letting visitors walk across even at high tide. This kind of landform, where a sandbar links an island to the mainland, appears at several other spots along Japan's coastline as well. Today a vehicle bridge also spans the gap, so cars can reach the island too.

Source:ウィキペディア「江の島」

Correct answerChigasaki City

Kanagawa Prefecture's official page defines the “Shonan region” as five cities — Hiratsuka, Kamakura, Fujisawa, Chigasaki, and Zushi — plus three towns. Of the choices, only Chigasaki is among these five cities; Odawara, Hadano, and Isehara are classified under western or central Kanagawa instead. This administrative line often draws a narrower boundary than the "Shonan" people picture in tourism or pop culture.

Source:Kanagawa Prefecture: Shonan Region

Correct answerTrue

Samukawa sits inland on the left bank of the lower Sagami River and is the only municipality in Kanagawa Prefecture without any coastline. Bordered by Chigasaki, Hiratsuka, and Atsugi, it is known as the town that grew up around Samukawa Shrine, but unlike its Shonan neighbors it has no beach or fishing port of its own.

Source:寒川町「町の概要」

Correct answerRaw whitebait (nama-shirasu) rice bowl

Nama-shirasu-don is prized for its just-caught freshness, and is listed as a Kanagawa local dish in the agriculture ministry's "Our Local Cuisine" collection. Because whitebait spoils quickly, only a handful of regions can serve it raw, and Shonan's proximity to small fishing ports is part of why the dish became a local specialty here.

Source:農林水産省「うちの郷土料理　生しらす丼（神奈川県）」

Correct answerAbout 300

About 300 Tanabata decorations go up in Hiratsuka's central district each year, with nearly 2,000 across the whole city. The bamboo poles carry colorful streamers and paper ornaments, and during the festival in early July the decorations fill the area from the station front through the shopping arcades.

Source:平塚市「湘南ひらつか七夕まつり」

Correct answerKatase-Enoshima Station

Katase-Enoshima Station, the terminus of the Odakyu Enoshima Line, has carried a dragon-palace (Ryugu-jo) styled design since it first opened in 1929. It is a separate station from Enoden's Enoshima Station, run by a different company, and its palace-like look is said to echo Enoshima's Benzaiten worship and dragon-god legends.

Source:ウィキペディア「片瀬江ノ島駅」

Correct answerOpening Asia's first marine biology laboratory on Enoshima

The Morse Monument commemorates zoologist Edward Morse, also known as the discoverer of the Omori Shell Mounds, who opened Asia's first marine biology laboratory on Enoshima in 1877.

Source:藤沢市観光公式ホームページ「モース記念碑」

Correct answerTrue

The back of the stone marker at Shigitatsu-an is inscribed "Chojin Shonan Seizetsu-chi," said to be the origin of the place name "Shonan." The phrase, written in a classical Chinese-poem style evoking a scenic riverside in China, is cited together with the site's older name "Shigitatsuzawa" from a Saigyo poem as the basis for calling Oiso the birthplace of the name "Shonan."

Source:大磯町「鴫立庵」

Correct answerShonan Bellmare

Shonan Bellmare is the J.League club based at Lemon Gas Stadium Hiratsuka, located within Hiratsuka's General Sports Park. Its hometown area reaches well beyond Hiratsuka across a wide stretch of the Shonan region, and as a club named for the region itself it regularly cooperates with events held by the various cities and towns it represents.

Source:平塚市「【総合公園】Jリーグ・湘南ベルマーレ情報」

Correct answerTrue

The Shonan Monorail is a suspended monorail connecting Ofuna Station and Shonan-Enoshima Station, with the full line completed in 1971. Because its cars hang below the rail as they run, the system can handle steep terrain, making it a fast way to cross the hilly stretch between Kamakura and Fujisawa.

Source:ウィキペディア「湘南モノレール」

Correct answerKabuto Gate

The Kabuto Gate was built in 1954 to commemorate the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, and is also called the "Peace Treaty Gate." It stands on the grounds of the former Yoshida Shigeru residence, and because Yoshida oversaw the treaty's signing while serving as prime minister, the gate is treated as one of the estate's most symbolic structures.

Source:大磯町「吉田茂と旧吉田茂邸について」

Correct answerA low terrace

The Samukawa Shrine Ruins sit on a "low terrace" at about 10 meters elevation, at the southwestern edge of the Sagamino Plateau. Excavations nearby have turned up dwelling remains and pottery, suggesting people chose this slightly elevated ground as a place to live since ancient times.

Source:寒川町「寒川神社遺跡」

Correct answerThe Sagami River

The Mekujiri River is a Class-A river in the Sagami River system, rising near Sagamihara's Minami ward and joining the Sagami River within Samukawa Town. Its basin includes scattered springs and rice paddies, and some stretches downstream preserve a notably rich wetland ecosystem.

Source:ウィキペディア「目久尻川」

Correct answerThe Odawara Hojo clan

According to the course guide's highlights section, Enoshima's Benzaiten drew worship as a god of war from Kamakura shogunate shoguns as well as warriors from families such as the Koga Kubo Ashikaga and the Odawara Hojo. Prayed to for safe sea travel and victory in battle, the deity attracted devotion from samurai households across several different eras.

Source:Fujisawa City: Enoshima Iwaya Course

Correct answer鵠沼

Fujisawa City lists Enoshima, the Shonan coast, Kugenuma, Katase-yama, and Tsujido Taiheidai as scenic districts. In these areas, regulations limit the height and form of new buildings, part of an urban planning effort aimed at preserving the pine groves and coastal scenery that define the neighborhoods.

Source:Fujisawa City “Scenic District Regulations”

Correct answerChigasaki Seaside Morning Market

The Chigasaki Seaside Morning Market is a well-known local morning market listed on Chigasaki City's annual event calendar. Local fishermen and farmers sometimes sell directly at their own stalls, and shoppers arrive from early morning looking for fish caught and vegetables picked that same day.

Source:Chigasaki City “Annual Event Calendar”

Correct answerThe Sakai River

The Sagamino Plateau is bounded by the Sagami River and the Sakai River, and several archaeological sites, including the Samukawa Shrine Ruins, sit along its edge. Because this raised ground stood above the flood-prone lowlands nearby, people are thought to have chosen its rim as a place to settle since ancient times.

Source:ウィキペディア「相模野台地」

Correct answer平塚station北口

Hiratsuka City names the north exit of Hiratsuka Station in the festival access information. During the festival, traffic restrictions are put in place from the station front through the venue area, and visitors are encouraged to arrive by train to avoid congestion on nearby roads and in parking lots.

Source:Hiratsuka City “Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival”

Correct answerA Thousand-Armed Kannon statue

Legend holds that a fisherman named Takonojo in Oiso caught a glowing octopus that transformed into a Thousand-Armed Kannon statue, which was then donated to Koraiji temple. In tribute to this story, the festival features boat-shaped decorations and motifs tied to fishing, keeping Oiso's history as a fishing town alive in local memory.

Source:大磯町「御船祭」

Correct answerTakaku Shrine

Oiso's Ofuna-matsuri is hosted by Takaku Shrine and has a history spanning more than 700 years. Enoshima Shrine, Samukawa Shrine, and Hachiman Shrine are all unrelated to Oiso's festival; Takaku Shrine, standing at the foot of Mount Koma, has long served as the center of local worship in the area.

Source:高来神社「7月　夏季例大祭（御船祭）」

Correct answerOiso Town

Shigitatsu-an is a haikai hall in Oiso, ranked alongside two other notable halls as one of Japan's three great haikai halls. It stands on the site called "Shigitatsuzawa," named in a poem by the monk-poet Saigyo, and has drawn poets to hold gatherings there since the Edo period.

Source:大磯町「鴫立庵」

Correct answerHakone Ekiden

According to Chigasaki City's annual event calendar, the Hakone Ekiden relay race, held every January 2nd and 3rd, runs along a course that includes National Route 134 through the Shonan coast. Broadcast live every New Year, it has become a seasonal tradition, with crowds gathering along the roadside to cheer the runners on.

Source:Chigasaki City: Annual Event Calendar

Correct answerStrawberry picking

According to Chigasaki City's annual event calendar, tourist farms in the city offer strawberry picking from mid-January to mid-May. Greenhouse cultivation allows the harvest to continue over a long stretch, and the activity has become a popular hands-on outing for families through the winter and into spring.

Source:Chigasaki City: Annual Event Calendar

Correct answer3 shrines

Enoshima Shrine consists of three main shrines, each enshrining one of the Munakata goddesses. Visitors typically pay respects to them in sequence, moving from the island's entrance toward the interior, making this the standard pilgrimage route for anyone visiting Enoshima.

Source:Enoshima Shrine: Grounds Guide

Correct answer5 districts

Fujisawa City designates five districts — Enoshima, the Shonan coast, Kugenuma, Katase-yama, and Tsujido Taiheidai — as scenic districts. Within these districts, rules protect green space and restrict construction, functioning as a safeguard for the coastal scenery even as housing development continues elsewhere in the city.

Source:Fujisawa City: Scenic District Regulations

Correct answerTagitsu-hime-no-mikoto

Hetsu-no-miya enshrines Tagitsu-hime-no-mikoto, one of the three Munakata goddesses. The other two sub-shrines each enshrine a different goddess among the three, and because Hetsu-no-miya sits closest to Enoshima's entrance, it is typically the first of the three that visitors reach.

Source:江島神社公式「ご由緒」

Correct answerRakushisha

Shigitatsu-an is ranked alongside Kyoto's Rakushisha and another notable hermitage as one of Japan's "three great haikai halls." Rakushisha is known as the retreat of Mukai Kyorai, a disciple of the poet Matsuo Basho, and all of these sites are regarded as significant landmarks in the history of haikai poetry.

Source:大磯町「鴫立庵」

Correct answer1664

Shigitatsu-an was founded in 1664 (the fourth year of Kanbun), when Sogetsu of Odawara erected a stone marker at a scenic spot tied to a Saigyo poem and built a hermitage there. The hall has kept its name from the Edo period to today, and it now stands as one of Oiso's tourist landmarks tied to haikai history.

Source:大磯町「鴫立庵」

Correct answerA public naming contest in 2010

The nickname "Enoshima Sea Candle" was chosen through a public naming contest in October 2010; its formal designation is simply "observation lighthouse." Many entries were submitted for the contest, and the name eventually selected has since become the tower's widely recognized nickname.

Source:江の島シーキャンドル・江の島サムエル・コッキング苑「江の島シーキャンドルとは」

Correct answerSmokeless gunpowder

The building was constructed around 1912 by "Nippon Kayaku Seizo," a maker of smokeless gunpowder, and later passed through the Japanese Navy, the US military, and Yokohama Rubber before being relocated to its current site in Hachimanyama Park. It is unusual for a building with such an industrial past to now be cherished as a park's Western-style house.

Source:平塚市「旧横浜ゴム平塚製造所記念館（八幡山の洋館）」

Correct answer1912

Oka Tadasuke was granted the junior fourth rank in 1911, and the first grant-of-rank ceremony at his grave in Jokenji temple the following year, 1912, marked the start of this festival. After a wartime hiatus, it was relaunched under a new name in 1956, and the city still holds it every April.

Source:茅ヶ崎市「4大まつりのご紹介」

Correct answerA boat-shaped float

Takaku Shrine's Ofuna-matsuri has over 700 years of history; 13 mikoshi parade through town, and a boat-shaped float appears only every other year. The boat float is said to represent the memory of a town that once lived by the sea, and the festival's highlights differ depending on whether it falls in a float year or not.

Source:高来神社「7月　夏季例大祭（御船祭）」

Correct answer9 cities, 11 towns

Shonan Bellmare's official hometown spans nine cities and eleven towns across the Shonan area, including Hiratsuka, Kamakura, Fujisawa, and Chigasaki. This hometown arrangement, not tied to a single city, is often cited as a fitting trait for a club named after the wider region rather than one municipality.

Source:湘南ベルマーレ公式サイト「ホームタウン」

Correct answerKatase Fishing Port

Nama-shirasu-don is typically made with whitebait landed at Katase Fishing Port near Enoshima, prized for its just-caught freshness. Because whitebait quickly becomes unsuitable for raw eating, the short distance between the port and the restaurants serving it is part of what makes the dish work.

Source:農林水産省「うちの郷土料理　生しらす丼（神奈川県）」

Correct answerAbout 170,000 sq m

Terrace Mall Shonan's total floor area is about 170,000 square meters. The figure of about 63,000 square meters refers to the store area alone, a different measurement easy to confuse with the total, which also includes common areas and parking within the building's overall footprint.

Source:住商アーバン開発「テラスモール湘南」

Correct answer55

Although the series is named for the 53 post towns, adding the starting print (Nihonbashi) and the ending print (Kyoto) brings the total to 55 prints. Its Hiratsuka print depicts a pine-lined path with Mt. Koma and Mt. Fuji in the background, a composition often noted for reflecting the actual scenery of the area.

Source:ウィキペディア「東海道五十三次 (浮世絵)」

Correct answerKitahachi

"Tokaido-chu Hizakurige" follows Yajirobei and Kitahachi on a comic journey along the Tokaido from Edo, passing through Shonan post towns like Fujisawa, Hiratsuka, and Oiso. Its comic portrayal of ordinary travelers is often read as a reflection of the travel boom among common people in the late Edo period.

Source:ウィキペディア「東海道中膝栗毛」

Correct answerKugenuma Beach

After the war, US military personnel began visiting Kugenuma Beach for barbecues and surfing, and Fujisawa City once promoted the beach as the "Miami of the Orient." This period of contact is also considered one of the roots of surfing culture taking hold in Japan.

Source:ウィキペディア「片瀬西浜・鵠沼海水浴場」

Correct answerSamukawa / Oiso / Ninomiya

The three towns in Kanagawa's officially designated "Shonan region" are Samukawa, Oiso, and Ninomiya. Hayama belongs to Miura District and is not part of this eight-municipality definition; as an administrative category, "Shonan" is drawn more narrowly than the area commonly pictured in everyday usage.

Source:神奈川県「湘南地域」

Correct answerFujisawa-juku → Hiratsuka-juku → Oiso-juku

Along the Tokaido's fifty-three stations, counting from Edo, Fujisawa-juku is the sixth, Hiratsuka-juku the seventh, and Oiso-juku the eighth station, in that order heading toward Kyoto. All three towns lie within today's Shonan area, and the route Edo-era travelers once followed still lives on in these place names.

Source:ウィキペディア「東海道五十三次 (浮世絵)」