Slam Dunk is perhaps one of the most seminal anime in history just because of how it influenced so many people to take up basketball. I’ve read that it’s actually one reason why basketball is as popular as it is now in Japan. Ever since I saw the anime’s opening I’ve always wanted to know if the place was somehow based on a real location. Turns out, at least one of the scenes in that opening does have a real life equivalent.
Kamakura Kokomae Station: The Iconic Slam Dunk Spot
I’m talking about Kamakurakokomae Station and it’s actually quite easy to get here. Essentially, you’ll need to get on a JR Yokosuka Line train to Kamakura station (either from Tokyo or Shinagawa Station) then transfer to an Enoshima Electric Railway or Enoden line. One of the stops on this line is the Kamakurakokomae Station and you’ll just need to get off once you’re there. You can pay for your fare for each ride or you can shell out JPY800 for the 1-day pass ticket called Noriorikun for unlimited rides (good for one day only) on the Enoden line.
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This is the entrance and exit to the station. As you can see, it’s rather small but thanks to how popular Slam Dunk was, it’s always busy here. There weren’t any long lines mind you, but you could always see people alighting from the trains and proceeding to loiter around. It wasn’t as crowded though because as those people disembarked, other people who’d already done their pilgrimage would take their place on the train. It’s honestly quite a sight to behold.
I finally left the station and walked a short distance to the railway crossing that was featured in the Slam Dunk opening. If you’re a fan of the anime and saw that scene, I’m going to guarantee you’ll get goosebumps. Yes, the people waiting here kind of makes it a bummer but just a little bit. It’s still nice to see other people who enjoyed Slam Dunk enough that they decided to visit one of the places that its setting was based on.
So you might be wondering, what are all these people here for? Well, we were actually waiting for the iconic train that passes by during the anime’s opening. This was the first train to pass but it unfortunately wasn’t what everyone was waiting for. That said, it still warranted a lot of pictures from the people here for some reason. Maybe, some of them are here to just take pictures of the train? I can’t be entirely sure.
There are typically 4-5 trains that pass by Kamakurakokomae Station in an hour for both the Fujisawa and Kamakura directions. The train people here are waiting for is the green and white one that is going to the Fujisawa direction (right if you’re facing the sea). The train on this pic is unfortunately still not the one the people here in the railway crossing have been waiting for.
Finally! I finally saw the iconic green colored train from Slam Dunk! Or so I thought. Now you might call me crazy but I had this nagging suspicion that this particular train wasn’t really the one from the anime. You see, I looked it up and found that Enoshima Electric Railway has a fleet of 15 Electric Multiple Unit trains consisting of two cars each. This particular train is part of the 500 series which were built in the mid 2000s. As for the train in the Slam Dunk anime opening, it likely is one of the oldest in Enoden’s fleet as part of the 300 series.
This is a sign showing Kamakurakokomae as the 8th station on the Enoden line. Most sources online would typically say that the line starts at Fujisawa but the count actually starts at Kamakura (from here you can also go to Kotoku-in or the Great Buddha of Kamakura, Hokokuji Temple’s Bamboo Forest, and Hase-dera Temple). I’m still honestly not sure how this came to be. Now that I’ve seen the green train, I’m now headed back to my hotel.
After paying for my fare for the ride back to my hotel, I decided to take a picture of the Shonan sea and reflect on my time here in Japan. So far, it’s been an enjoyable stay across multiple prefectures. I’ve had great experiences and some okay ones. There’s a lot to like here and I think the country has been living up to its hype. I’ve been fortunate to experience a culture that’s familiar yet also distant. Hopefully I get to share more of these experiences with other people.
