Izu II

The next morning, I went ahead for another round at the onsen. Luckily, there weren't any women this time so I was able to have a regular bath.

We first went out to grab some coffee down at Shimoda. I got some chai, some of the best I've had to be honest. Making a brief stop by the Lawson right beside to grab some breakfast, our walk towards our car was one filled with plenty of sakura all around.

We were off to Kawazu Seven Falls which was about a half an hour ride away. Scarlett and I ended up having an argument here which was so crazy, she later apologized at the end of the day blaming her period and tiredness, but still never thought it would happen that way. Anyways, as the same suggests, Kawazu Seven Falls had seven distinct falls of varying sizes scattered around and we had to hike to get them. Accompanying the theme of seven, were the Seven Lucky Gods who were also scattered around the area. It was fun to hunt them down though we only saw 4 out of 7.

Our next stop brought us to Ryugu Sea Caves, where, as the name suggests, a cave was formed right in front of the beach. We hiked around it to see it from above where the two beaches formed a heart-shape. There was also sand-skiing in this area and we spent a while watching families slide down in glee.

We then went to Cape Irozaki where we got to see some of Izu's rugged coastlines. There were windmills perched atop the mountains in the distance. There was also a lighthouse here but the Shinto Sea Shrine overlooking the sea was the main highlight. The surrounding sides had amazing seascapes and it made me feel such a very melancholic emotion. There was some sort of artist here as well, they were signing and singing but we paid it no mind. I got some pizza here for lunch before we continued on to Dogashima.

It was closing at 4:00 PM but we were quite lucky because we arrived just in time for the last boat. Lisa and Scarlett went to get some food while I got us our tickets. We set off almost immediately after that. The boat tour took us to the open seas, we got to see the various islands and geological wonders of Izu. The climax was when we entered a cave to view a hole that formed above, similar to the cenotes in Mexico.

Scarlett was feeling tired and wanted to go home already, but Lisa and I wanted to do a trail around the area. Scarlett chose to rest while we went around a short trail, seeing the same cenote-like cave from above this time.

Reuniting back with Scarlett, it seemed like she wanted to go to a nearby beach instead of sunset, but I told her there was on more stop: Koganezaki Cape. She wanted to skip it but Lisa and I were able to convince her to go see.

Scarlett definitely ate her words because the place was absolutely magnificent. Cherry blossoms stood on both sides of the streets, providing ample framing opportunities for the next-door islands and cliffs. At the end was an amazing view of a horse-shaped rock and just a small hike away was one of the best views of the Izu so far. Mt. Fuji was visible from afar and the vast open seas was now transforming into different hues as the sun set.

We stayed here watching the sun go down completely, the sky turning dark, before we decided that it was time to head back to Odawara. It was a long trip but the music was good and it was great fun. We ate dinner at a family restaurant before I had to do the journey back to my place, arriving already past midnight.Læs mere