My Slam Dunk-Inspired Trip to Kanagawa
A visit to the sites featured in the popular anime
When my sister suggested we visit Japan this month, I immediately said yes. A trip to Japan had long been on my to-do list.
As fans of the 1990s hit manga/anime Slam Dunk, one of the places we had to include in our itinerary was Kanagawa prefecture. In this anime, set in Kanagawa, the main character joins his high school’s basketball team. Many of the prefecture’s coastal sites and the iconic Enoshima Denki (Enoden) train appear in the anime.
Slam Dunk has seen a recent resurgence in popularity thanks to Netflix adding it to its streaming catalogue, and the release of the new movie titled The First Slam Dunk in December 2022. The manga author himself, Inoue Takehiko, wrote and directed the animated movie that has earned ¥13.8 billion (US$93 million) at the Japan box office and seen by 10 million viewers in China.
Growing up in Malaysia, my sister and I were introduced to Slam Dunk in the late 1990s/early 2000s. We watched the anime on local cable and bought the translated manga from our neighbourhood magazine shop. Similar to how basketball is not very popular in Japan, it is not popular in Malaysia either, particularly among girls. But that didn’t stop us from playing.
So including Kanagawa in our trip to Japan was a no-brainer.
Akatsuki Japan
On the morning before we took the train to Kanagawa from Nagano prefecture, we were watching TV in the hotel. It was Monday, 4 September and most of the channels were talking about the national basketball team, Akatsuki Japan, which had advanced to the 2024 Olympics by winning its final match against Cape Verde (80–71) at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Okinawa despsite the absence of of the team’s best player, Rui Hachimura.
One of the local TV channels even showed clips of the match accompanied by the WANDS song, Sekai ga Owaru made wa, from the Slam Dunk anime. Basketball fever was at its peak in Japan and we couldn’t have chosen a better time to visit Kanagawa.
Enoden Railway Crossing
Despite the possibility of a typhoon making landfall later that week. that day the sky was clear and blue. We took the train from Kamakura to Ofuna, and from there boarded the Shonan Monorail and transferred to the Enoden line at Enoshima.
We noticed some tourists and guessed that they were heading to the same station — Kamakura Kokomae. I’m not sure if they saw the news about Akatsuki Japan but there was a sense of excitement in the air.
As we sat on the train admiring the sky, the landscape soon shifted to the seaside and many of us gasped at the beautiful scenery. The shimmering waters and the blue sky created an unforgettable view. A few seconds later the train stopped and we got off. After taking a few shots of the Enoden train, we left the station and walked towards the railway crossing featured prominently in the opening song of Slam Dunk.
The road leading uphill and the houses on the sides of the road were strikingly similar to the anime. We arrived close to 11 am and there was already a crowd of fans. The traffic conductor had his hand full to keep people away from the railway crossing and stop people from taking photos standing the middle of the road.
My sister’s Tokyoite friend mentioned the popularity of Slam Dunk was starting to cause discomfort to local residents living near the famed crossing, so we made sure to follow the traffic rules and not inconvenience others getting photos. We didn’t need the perfect shot; we were just happy to be there. We did, however, manage to get a few shots of a passing Enoden train with, of course, many tourists aboard.
Summer seaside view is best
We crossed the main road to go to the sea. I had not been to any sea in ages and was instantly uplifted seeing the sparkling waters, bright sun and clear sky.
This was not the height of summer but it felt very much like it. The waves gently rolling across the beach was soothing. We walked along the beach for a while soaking the atmosphere. I wanted to stay longer but it was getting hot; it would be mid-day soon.
Ever a fan of blue skies and fluffy white clouds, I just could not stop admiring the sky and the sea.
They say you should not meet your heroes because they may not meet your expectations. I had similar trepidation coming to the location featured in my favourite anime. Seeing the place in 2D could not be the same in real life but somehow, it was exactly as I had expected.
A future as bright as the sky
We reluctantly left from Kamakura Kokomae Station and headed back to Kamakura. Inoue-san included many scenes from this part of Kanagawa in his manga. Even though it is a fictionalised account of a group of high school basketball students, their determination, self-doubt, frustration, camaraderie, and joy are real emotions that we all empathize with and can learn from.
All these emotions were visible during Akatsuki Japan’s match with Cape Verde. The Japan national basketball team has a bright future ahead of them, and my sister and I will be cheering them on at the Olympics.
