Izu

Scarlett, Lisa, and I decided to go on a road trip around the Izu Peninsula to celebrate Scarlett's birthday and visit to Japan. After the Niigata fiasco from last year, seems like we were finally able to travel together for the first time.

We all met up at Odawara where Lisa got us a rental car. Our first stop was the Museum of Art over at Atami.

The place was exquisite, nestled in the bosom of nature, overlooking the bay, and with plenty of sakura blooming around. Most of the artwork centered on ukiyoe and some other craftsmanship. Though I wasn't sure if we should be spending this long of a time around a museum if we had the natural wonders of Izu waiting for us. Still, the place was wonderful. The highlights were the kaleidoscope room, terrace, and the bamboo garden.

Next stop was Atami Castle which Scarlett actually wanted to skip. Big mistake because it was absolutely beautiful, I was able to get a wonderful shot of Atami Castle framed by cherry blossoms. We attended the festival being held here to grab some food. Unfortunately, there was a monkey show being held here. Fortunately, the monkey ended up escaping and jumping over the fence which became the talk of the town! There were statues of Ebisu and Daikokuten by the castle's exterior too.

Finally putting Atami behind us and heading onto Izu, we arrived at Mt. Omuro's base Sakura no Sato where there were plenty of sakura at full bloom. Mt. Omuro was an extinct volcano and walking around its crater was a highlight here. We had to take a chairlift similar to skiing just to go up as climbing it wasn't allowed for environmental reasons. At the top, we circled the crater, seeing some statues of Jizo and Buddha along the way. They also turned the crater into an archery field which was really out of place but unique at the same time.

After Mt. Omuro, we stopped by Jogasaki Cape where we crossed over a suspension bridge and admired at Izu's rugged volcanic seascapes.

Our last stop for the day was Tajima falls, and this one was definitely the highlight for me and Lisa. Tajima falls was unique because it emptied out into the ocean. The air here smelled wonderful as well, very piney which was further amplified by the river, waterfall, and sea. We spent a long time here as the sun sunk beyond the horizon before walking back to a now-dark path.

Our long ride to our ryokan in Shimoda began but not before we stopped by a restaurant to try some fresh seafood. Indeed, it was some of the most fine sashimi I have ever tasted, along with their famous kinmedai fish. I was stuffed and satisfied.

Our ryokan was unique in that the male side was a mixed-bath and there were a lot of women coming over to our side, all naked too which was such an interesting experience. Though to be honest, I had just wanted to relax. Still, that's one for the books.Læs mere