Izu Cruise
As I have mentioned in my blog about kayaking, the best way to see Izu’s beautiful and rugged coastline is from the sea. But if you are not feeling so active and don’t want to spend a day paddling then I highly recommend taking a 25 minute boat cruise around Irozaki. Irozaki is the southern […]
Published on: September 5, 2012 - Filed under: Sightseeing
From Nanohana to Himawari.
Back in March this field of himawari (sunflowers) was a field of nanohana (rapeseed flowers). You can find it in Minami Izu, just south of Shimoda and on our recommendation map here. This is what this field looked like in March: Save Save
Published on: August 12, 2011 - Filed under: Sightseeing
Tanada
The Izu Peninsula is covered in mountains and valleys reaching out to the ocean. On some of these steep slopes farmers are still tending their terraced paddies, or tanada in Japanese. Here are some pictures of the beautiful tanada in Matsuzaki, the west coast of Izu. Looking foward to harvest time, when the rice […]
Published on: August 7, 2011 - Filed under: Sightseeing
Loop-da-Loop
Here is a great little video of Kawazu’s 720 degree loop bridge. The video must have been taken during the July long weekend, because I have never seen that much traffic on Kawazu’s Loop Bridge. The loop bridge is about a 40 minute drive from Shimoda and can be seen from Nanadaru Onsen.
Published on: July 27, 2011 - Filed under: Sightseeing
Open Cave
Right next to the Sand Ski Hill, down a steep set of stairs, you will come to another one of Shimoda’s natural wonders. It is a massive cave naturally carved out by blowing wind, sand, and water. It is open on the top and has a passage out to the sea. You can also walk […]
Published on: May 31, 2011 - Filed under: Sightseeing
Sand Ski Hill
Sand Ski Hill is a massive sand dune you can sled down with a toboggan. It takes about 10 minutes to ride a bike from tabi-tabi to Sand Ski Hill. You can swim there as well but the beach is rocky. There is also a massive cave next to the Sand Ski Hill, I will […]
Published on: May 14, 2011 - Filed under: Sightseeing
Monkey Park
Not sure what happens at the Monkey Park when it is open but when it is closed all the monkeys come to gawk at and harass the humans in the parking lot. Open: 8:30 – 16:30 Entry Fee: adults ¥500 / kids ¥250 The Izu Monkey park is on the west coast of the […]
Published on: May 10, 2011 - Filed under: Sightseeing
Perry Road
Most people only know Shimoda for its pristine beaches and emerald green sea, but there is a lot more to Shimoda you should really check out! Perry Road is a tiny street divided by a river with overhanging wheeping willows lit buy old skool gas lamps. You can spend hours at this end of town […]
Published on: May 9, 2011 - Filed under: Sightseeing
Matsuzaki
The Izu Peninsula has so many many interesting places to visit. Today we were on a flower picking mission in Matsuzaki but we have been to Matsuzaki numerous times before. It’s a great town to saunter around in. There are tons of historical building with namako walls, museums, cool kuras, cute cafes, and interesting shrines. […]
Published on: May 6, 2011 - Filed under: Sightseeing
Irozaki
Irozaki is a cape at the very bottom of the Izu Peninsula. There is a lighthouse and a shrine with amazing views of Southern Izu’s rocky coast. You can visit the shrine and buy an “omikuji” (a fortune) if you end up with “kyo” (bad luck), you can tie it to a tree branch and […]
Published on: May 1, 2011 - Filed under: Sightseeing