It feels like a low helicopter ride over Shonan’s busy and hilly streets – until the monorail enters a tunnel. The elevated Shonan Monorail upside-down train is the closest you can get to a rollercoaster ride on an actual city street.
When you go from Tokyo to Kamakura or Hakone, step off the JR lines in Ofuna and walk around the corner of the station for a unique travel experience. You’ll find one of only a few operational hanging monorails in the world. It is not only the oldest suspended monorail in Japan but also the one with the biggest height differences.
Read on to find out how and where to catch the monorail, how to get tickets, where the best seats are, what you will see on the ride, and where you can find Shonan Monorail-themed souvenirs.
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History of the Shonan Monorail
The Shonan Monorail was inaugurated in 1970 using the French SAFEGE design, an upside-down version of the trains in the Paris Metro. The part that runs through the tunnels (the most exciting part) was inaugurated in 1971, together with the Shonan-Enoshima Station. The other SAFEGE monorail in the Tokyo area, the Chiba Urban Monorail, was only inaugurated in 1988.
Why Ride the Shonan Monorail
Japan has plenty of unique transport options, but the Shonan Monorail is the only one that runs at speeds of up to 75 km per hour and has inclinations steeper than those of the mountain train in Hakone. It is like a theme park ride over the city streets but without sudden bumps and turns, and it is wheelchair (and stroller) accessible.
When you hover a couple of floors over the buildings, you get a completely different view of the city. Shonan is like a typical Tokyo suburb with low buildings, small factories, occasional vegetable fields, and many parks.
You can see it all from the monorail as the people below go about their daily business, oblivious to you soaring above.
Route Overview
The city of Shonan stretches from the main train station of Ofuna to Fujisawa, the next big city. The Shonan Urban Monorail, in turn, bisects the city between the JR lines toward Kamakura and Fujisawa, connecting to the Enoshima Dentetsu (or Enoden) line.
Although it is only 6.6 kilometres long and takes less than 14 minutes to travel, it offers a more varied ride than any other suspended monorail line in the world.
The trains start running at 05:35 in the morning, and the last train is as late as 23:50. There are as many as 8 trains per hour from 07:00 to 22:00.
The Shonan Monorail is unique in another way, too: It is one of the few suspended monorail trains in the world that runs through tunnels. Two tunnels. And it is fast. From the Shonan-Fukusawa to Nishi-Kamakura stations, the train runs through the tunnel at 75 km per hour. It is the closest you will ever come to riding a helicopter through a tunnel.
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Attractions Along the Line
The Shonan Monorail connects modern hubs and historical landmarks, offering access to hiking trails, temples, and scenic views. Here’s what to explore at each station.
Ofuna
Today, this is a modern-day railroad junction. However, the area has landmarks that go back over a thousand years, with religious and military history overlaid on the historic buildings.
You can see the Ofuna Kannon statue from the JR train, a bust of the Japanese goddess of mercy, but other sights will require a walk or bus ride. When you change from the JR trains to the Shonan Monorail, however, you are not likely to see much — you are just walking around the JR station building.
Fujimicho
This station sits atop a busy intersection; otherwise, the neighbourhood is unremarkable.
Shonan-Machiya
While the station is in a residential area, the mountains delimit Shonan from Kamakura, which is a couple of kilometres to the east. The hiking trails are much steeper than expected and offer dramatic mountain scenery.
Shonan-Fukasawa
This is another commuter station in the middle of a residential area.
Nishi-Kamakura
Despite the name, Nishi-Kamakura is quite far from Kamakura itself. But walk a few hundred meters to the east, and you come upon the oldest shrine in Kamakura, Ryoukumyou Shrine, founded in 538 AD. It is also the only shrine in Japan dedicated to the Gozuryu Ohkami, a dragon deity that is connected to the Benten shrine in Enoshima.
Kataseyama
Katatseyama station is a commuter station; there are no sights to speak of around it, only a residential neighbourhood.
Mejiro-Yamashita
If your main reason for taking the elevated monorail in Shonan is to go to Kamakura, you may want to stop here and take a walk through Mejiroyama Park to Ryoko-ji, one of the many temples in Kamakura.
Do not miss the burial caves and the sea view from the top. The temple area can take up to half a day to explore, so stroll down to Enoshima Station and continue exploring on the Enoden Line.
Shonan-Enoshima
At the end station of Shonan-Enoshima, the suspended train runs into a specially constructed terminal building. There are some shops selling monorail-themed souvenirs and a couple of restaurants.
The best thing about the Shonan-Enoshima station of the elevated monorail is the viewing platform on top, which offers great views of Mt Fuji in a photo-friendly format.
At this station, you can change to the Enoden tram or walk the causeway to the Enoshima leisure island, which is a day trip destination in itself.
What Riding the Shonan Monorail is Like
Riding the elevated Shonan monorail is as smooth as riding the subway despite the train hanging several floors up in the air.
But the steep inclinations of the track as it passes the hills and valleys of Shonan make the ride a little bumpier. It is more like riding a helicopter than a rollercoaster. And the elevated station platforms are likely to make you want to hold your children extra hard.
Even in high tourist season, the Shonan Monorail is less crowded than the more touristy Enoden tram. About 60% of locals use the train, with tourists making up the rest.
Photo Opportunities on the Shonan Monorail
You are unlikely to have ridden a suspended monorail train before, so taking videos and photos will be cool to show your family or post on your Instagram or YouTube account.
The best views from inside the train are directly behind the driver, but try not to take photos through the front window only, as the driver’s head is likely to obscure the picture.
To take pictures or videos of the monorail itself, you need to get to a point where you can see the train from a distance. There are several good viewing spots between Ofuna and Fujimicho. Since the trains are so frequent, you may consider getting on in Fujimicho.
Tips for Riding the Shonan Monorail
The Shonan Monorail is a commuter railway not intended for tourists with big luggage. Leave it in your hotel or store it in the Ofuna station, where you can pick it up on your way back from Kamakura.
In Ofuna, the JR Yokosuka line continues to Zushi south of Kamakura and to Tokyo Station. The JR Tokaido line continues north to Yokohama and Ueno. The JR Keihin-Tohoku line has its terminus here – the other is in Omiya is Saitama. The JR Shonan-Shinjuku line passes through on the way north.
Ofuna is also a stop for the JR Narita Express trains. You get on the southbound trains in Shinjuku or Tokyo Station, and they will pass through Ofuna. The trip from Tokyo takes 44 minutes and costs 824 yen.
Souvenirs
If you are looking to buy themed souvenirs, the Shonan-Enoshima station has a small souvenir goods store.
Accessibility
Since the Shonan Monorail was relatively recently constructed, stations are accessible for those in wheelchairs. It may be problematic at the Shonan-Enoshima station, which opens on a narrow and often congested street.
Train Frequency
Luckily, with the high frequency of the trains, they are rarely crowded to the bursting point like regular trains. That said, the morning rush hour between 7 AM and 10 AM can still be uncomfortably crowded.
If you only have a day in Kamakura, start even earlier (like 08:00). Since you are going in the opposite direction from most commuters, the JR trains are not likely to be crowded.
Shonan Monorail Tickets
Before boarding the train, you need to get a ticket – unless you have a Suica or Pasmo card, which you can use to pass through the gates just like at any station.
You buy the tickets in the vending machines just outside the station by selecting the appropriate number and price of tickets and putting money in the machine (it does not accept credit cards).
A small caution is that the machines are not calibrated for the new (two-toned) 500 yen coins. A full-price ticket is 320 yen, 160 yen for kids under 12, and JR passes can not be used.
If you plan to ride more than once, it pays to get a one-day free ticket, which is 610 yen for adults. Select” one-day free ticket” on the screen. This ticket will likely pay for itself as you also get discounts on several Enoshima attractions.
Final Thoughts
If you want to add a different experience to your Kamakura visit, get off the train in Ofuna and take the Shonan Monorail. It is cheap, fast, and unique in the world.
If you have even the slightest interest in Japanese train technology, you have to include it in your trip.
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Wisterian Watertree has lived in Japan for more than 15 years, and traveled the country from the southern tip of Okinawa to the northern edge of Hokkaido with his three children. Enjoying every minute of it, even the tantrums and hours spent looking for lost mittens in the snow.
Now he writes books dedicated to help others get the best out of Japan.