Fujisawa is located in central Kanagawa in Japan. With a population of 394990 and an area of 69.51 sq km, the city of Fujisawa faces the Sagami Bay. Located near Tokyo, Fujisawa gained prominence as a residential area after the opening of the Tokaido Railway Line in 1887. Fujisawa Station is an important stop for not just the Tokaido Main Line, but also the Odakyu Enoshima Railways and the Enoshima Electric Railway.
Originally Fujisawa was a temple town, built around the important shrine of the Yugyo-ji temple, established in 1325. It gradually grew to be an important suburb of Tokaido during the Edo period. The towns of Fujisawaosaka and Fujisawaotomi were founded in 1889. Later these towns along with the Enoshima Island, Kugenuma and the Meiji villages, were united to form Fujisawa town. The town was incorporated into Fujisawa city in the 1940s. The villages of Muraoka and Mutsuai; Katase town and some other close lying areas were added to the domain of Fujisawa city to build up a sizable city.
Enoshima Island is located in the Sagami Bay. Located close to Tokyo and Yokohama, Enoshima has a number of Resorts, most notable of which is the Shonan Resort. A British Merchant called Samuel Cocking purchased large areas of the island in the name of his Japanese wife. Cocking built a power plant and a large botanical garden on the island.
The Main Tourist Attractions in Fujisawa are-
- Yugyo-ji Temple
- Enoshima Island
- Botanical Gardens in Enoshima Island
- Shirahata Shrine
- The Shinto Shrine of Shirahata Jinja
- Kugenuma Beach
- The Ruins of the Oba Castle
The city of Fujisawa has several sister cities all over the world-
- Miami Beach in Florida
- Matsumoto in Japan
- Windsor in Canada
- Boryeong City in South Korea
