Izu Peninsula Road Trip

So finally, our long-awaited leave - we were off for two full days. We decided to take the opportunity to rent a car and head off to explore the Izu Peninsula.

The plan was to make our way down South to Shimoda, one of the more interesting and historic towns on the Izu Peninsula. On the way, we stopped at a small fisherman village, which we spent a bit of time exploring. A bit to my surprise, the place actually felt like a proper fishing village - seems like the fishing industry is indeed alive and well in Japan.

We then arrived in Shimoda, and tried to located Shimoda park, where we planned to start our exploration. We eventually found it, and made our way up to the top of the little hill (which was hard work, given the hot and humid weather) that Shimoda Park dominates. The park itself wasn't particularly spectacular (at least this time of the year, probably a different story when the flowers are in full bloom), but the views from up there over Shimoda and the stunning bay the town occupies are pretty spectacular.

Shimoda Park done, we made our way down to what is possibly the main tourist attraction of Shimoda, Perry Road. Shimoda occupies an important role in Japanese history, as it was (together with Hakodate in Hokkaido) the first town in Japan to be opened up to foreigners after Japan's long isolation (this happened in 1854). Perry Road got its name from Matthew Perry, the American navy commander who negotiated "the opening up of Japan" on the behalf of the Americans. Perry Road follows the route he took from his ship to the Ryosen-Ji temple, where the treaty was signed.

Much of Shimoda features your typical Japanese small town unremarkable architecture, but Perry Road is an exception to this. It's a very picturesque spot, the road following a nice little canal, lined up with historical buildings. We quickly checked out the famous Ryosen-Ji temple (the one were the famous treaty was signed), and then made our way to the Museum of Back Ships - a very interesting museum dedicated to the arrival of the Americans. The place gives what seems to be a quite balanced view of the events leading up to the opening up of Japan to foreigners.

After a delicious Tonkatsu lunch, we headed off to check out the other must-see sight in Shimoda - Mount Nesugata. This being Japan, there was no need to hike up to the top of the hill, there was naturally a rope-way that takes tourists up to the top. The views from up there are, in a word, spectacular. The sun came out too, which shows the gorgeous setting of Shimoda fully to its advantage. There's a nice temple there to check out too...

The must-see touristy bits done, we made our way to check into our Ryokan. Based on a recommendation from Captain, we'd booked a historical Ryokan called Kanaya. After doing the checkin, we decided we had time to head to the beach for a swim, before dinner. We found the perfect little sandy beach not far from Shimoda town center (which as an added bonus was not very crowded at all), where we had a very nice swim indeed.

Expectations for dinner were very high, given that we were after all dining at a Ryokan (classy Ryokans like this tend to serve Kaiseki cuisine - Japanese haut cuisine, which means it's about as sophisticated as food gets). The food was great, as expected, but maybe not quite up there with the best meals we've had at Ryokans before. Still, we were more than happy with our meal!

Anyway, the reason one comes to this particular Ryokan, I believe, is their splendid Onsen (hot spring). The men's bath at this place are the largest ones made out of wood in Japan, apparently. THe place is supposed to be able to welcome 1000 persons - I do believe the place would get very crowded indeed with that many people crammed in there. Well, there were only about 10 of us there, which was perfect. The onsen was indeed possible the nicest one I've done so far. Another particularity of this onsen is that women are allowed on the men's side - interesting as it's mandatory to bath naked at Onsen. We also sampled the Ryokans private baths.

After a tasty breakfast the next morning, it was time to leave our historical lodgings and carry on exploring the Izu Peninsula. The next stop was Irozaki, basically the Southermost tip of the Izu Peninsula. A short 20 minute walk took us from the parking lot to the tip of the peninsula, from where we were greeted with what can only be described as a gorgeous view of the savage Izu coastline. Honestly, the scenery here can hold up to anything Brittany, the Southern coast of England or California can offer...

The heat was on, as they say, so we decided it was time for a swim again. After consulting the internet, we decided to head to Hirizo beach, which had glowing reviews on the internet. Unfortunately, it seems like we weren't the only one who had that idea - we had to wait for nearly an hour to get into the car park. Also, the beach is not really a beach for sunbathing, it turns out, rather it's a snorkeling spot. Well, no matter, we were there to swim, and a stunning spot for a swim this place is, indeed.

After a brief stop at Matsuzaki (which was a bit disappointing), we made our way to Dogashima, a place famous for its dramatic coastline with its impressive rock formations. We took the semi-mandatory boat tour to check it all out. And the coastline was rather stunning indeed. The highlight of the tour took us into one of the larger caves, where a hole in the ceiling produced a rather interesting blue effect in the cave. The sky was a bit overcast - I suppose direct sunshine would produce an even more dramatic effect.

And then, unfortunately, it was time to head back towards Izu Kogen, as we didn't want to get back too late. We stopped by for a nice dinner (a tempura set meal for Mathilde and Soba noodles for me), and did check out a pretty gorgeous sunset above the coastline before getting back to the hotel.

In case you had any doubt about my opinion about Izu Peninsula, here it is: it is a beautiful place!