Travel Log: Japan Trip Day 5

This blog is continued from Japan Day 4.

After eating breakfast provided by the Ryokan (traditional inn) at Izu Prefecture, I went into the onsen hotsprings once again. It relaxes your muscles and the water makes your skin smooth. After saying our grateful thank you’s to the staff at the Ryokan, we began our driving tour around Toi. First we made a stop at Koibito Misaki Cape (also known as Two Lover’s Point) in Toi. There are statues here, as well as a gold bell. It is believed that if you ring the gold bell three times, you will succeed in love.

Next we drove to the national monument called Dogashima. Here we rode a 20 minute sightseeing cruise boat to see stone formations and cliffs. We also entered one of the caves. Due to the rain, the water was rough. To prevent sea sickness, the best way is to concentrate on areas that are not moving such as the rock formations.

We continued to drive along the coast and then headed towards a curvy two lane road through the mountainous terrain. During the majority of the drive, I was unfortunately struck with car sickness, so I missed most of the beautiful views. However, I was amazed to see the Kouyou (when shades turn to yellow, orange and reds), while we were going through the Amagi Mountain. This Amagi Pass has been written about in a novel and there has even been a movie made as well.

We also visited the largest waterfall in Mount Amagi called the Jyoren no taki. This was the main setting for the novel Izu no Odoriko (A dancer in Izu) The Dancing Girl of Izu and Other Storieswritten by Nobel Prize winning author Kawabata Yasunari.

In the picture below, I am standing by the waterfall and also next to a plaque with the lyrics to a song based on this area.

This famous Japanese classical song (enka) called Amagi Goe was sung by professional singer Ishikawa Sayuri.

By the waterfall, there were little shops where I bought souvenirs to bring home. The climate of this place makes it ideal to grow wasabi (Japanese horseradish), so many of the stores carried items with wasabi. In particular Shizuoka is known for its wasabizuke (sake white lees)

Our last stop was Mishima Station where we boarded the shinkansen (bullet train) back to Shinagawa Station. Once again we checked into Shinagawa Prince Hotel. My first trip to Izu Prefecture was a memorable one.

Please stay tuned for Day 6.