Jogasaki Coastal Hike
October is by far the best month for exploring and hiking in Japan. Southern Izu is also still warm enough to enjoy the ocean and yet cool enough to appreciate the onsens. On October 27th I started my day with a swim early in the morning then had a quick shower and made my way […]
Kawazu Nanadaru Waterfalls
The Kawazu Nanadaru Waterfalls are seven incredible waterfalls in the mountains of south-eastern Izu. A rainforest café-cum-art gallery and incredible onsen experience make for a great day trip from Retreat Wabi-Sabi. Kawazu Nanadaru Waterfalls Hiking Trails Tucked into the hills above Kawazu Town, the falls range from the towering 30-meter high Odaru Waterfall to the […]
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 […]
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 on the 136 , across from Family Mart. This is what this field looked like in March: Save Save
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]