Whilst watching the recent Disney+ TV show ‘Shōgun‘ I was surprised to hear the name of a familiar fishing village mentioned throughout the ten-part series. It is located a short distance north of our holiday home on the east coast of the Izu Peninsula but despite making dozens and dozens of visits to this region of Shizuoka Prefecture over the years we have never done anything more than pass through it without ever even thinking of going there. That changed on our most recent holiday but is it actually worth a visit?

The aforementioned TV series is the critically acclaimed adaptation of James Clavell’s epnoymous 1975 novel which was set in the complex period leading up to the turn of the 17th century. This historical-fiction is told through the perspective of English navigator John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) after he is shipwrecked off the coast of a humble  Japanese fishing village called Ajiro. This made an ideal setting for ‘Shōgun‘ as it was located halfway between Osaka and Edo-Tokyo.

Sadly none of the series was filmed in Ajiro itself as it was shot entirely in Vancouver (Canada) with sets and costumes designed in collaboration with historians and Japanese experts to help make it as historically accurate as possible. The story of ‘Shōgun‘ may be historical fiction but the characters are all based on real figures from a time when Christian missionaries, European explorers and samurai lords were all around which made for an exciting era of political intrigue.

Meanwhile, in the present the mix was maybe not so enthralling as it was just this British guy, a Japanese woman and a Mexican breed of dog! It was a very early start for us all one morning as we took the short journey to Ajiro which is sandwiched between more prominent north-eastern beach areas like Izu-Taga and Usami. It wasn’t even 7:30 am by the time we exited the aethetically-pleasing brown and white facade of Ajiro station and headed north.

The first sight I’d marked down as being perhaps worthy of a look was just ten minutes on foot. Ajiro is nestled in the mountains and dense forests of Izu province, and they could be seen in all their glory as we wandered to our destination passing a few other little things of note.

On a beautiful, sunny morning the blue sea fringed by lush green mountains was quite the view with a clean, wide and spacious tiled promenade for us to walk along with the dog.

Ajiro is part of Atami and the last time I was in this area was back in January when I went to explore the upper village of this peaceful area in the name of finding a couple of sights including one of Japan’s most mysterious and controversial heritage museums. They are both located up in the mountains, and can just about be seen if you zoom in to the pictures below!

Oyama Seaside Park (541-12 Shimotaga, Atami, Shizuoka-ken) was our first port of call and we soon came across what seemed like a rather pointless suspension bridge that just crossed over a couple of small grassy mounds!

Our Chihuahua is usually apprehensive of crossing bridges but not here as he went back and forth on his own numerous times.

The nearby Marine Tower resembled a dalek from the British sci-fi TV series ‘Doctor Who‘ and we climbed up to the observation deck

The huge Minamiatami Marine Hall buiding sadly restricts much of the vision from the top and the shot below was the best I could do!

The top of the tower also connected to a bridge crossing a road and leading to an  observation wood. It was a nice, little walk amidst nature but the views were nothing special.

Ajiro Onsen Beach was next and sounded intriguing. Images of a beautiful sandy bay with warm sea water to go paddling in were sadly not realised and this place was ultimately a disappointing one.

This was actually Japan’s first artificial beach and it is protected by a small breakwater. The water was freezing cold though and in no way tempting to go in!

A short distance further round the coast was Benten Shrine (621-2 Ajiro, Atami, Shizuoka-ken) which I had earmarked just for the picturesque steps ascending to it.

A deserted green mossy lawn in the foreground of a lovely wooden altar was what greeted us at the top. It was probably better than what I imagined, and just about worth taking all those steps for. To be honest, it didn’t really matter what was at the top as this was all about those Rocky-style training steps!

We should really have left it there as we wanted to get back home for breakfast but we were both tempted by the sight of a waterfall I’d come across on Google Maps. That app said it was just a 20 minute walk along Route 135; the main road going down the east coast of Izu Peninsula. What we didn’t know was that we had to walk for 525 metres through Shin Ajiro Tunnel which really was not very nice at all.

There was then another shorter tunnel, and after all that the waterfall could not even be located as it was beneath the main road with no access point for getting down to it. Instead, we decided to check out a little temple over the road located behind an abandoned building.

Ajiro Hase-ji Kannon temple was a vast, open area of natural beauty with bamboo trees apenty.

There were a couple of monuments imcluding one dedicated to a famous Japanese poem, and what was a nice little surprise for me were the 33 kannon statues lined up to the side of the path leading to the temple.

Now I should add that we were in Ajiro very early in the morning so many places weren’t  even open. We left Ajiro just before 10:00 am, and the only shop I noticed was one that  was selling huge octopus rice crackers. Maybe the area comes alive mid-morning!!

Will we ever go back to Ajiro? We won’t be rushing back I guess! Was it a nice, pleasant-enough place to stroll around with our dog? For sure. Would I recommend disembarking at Ajiro en-route to more popular destinations further south? Probably not! Most other stations down the east coast offer more interesting views and sights. However, in the highly unlikely situation that your ship does encounter trouble in the bay nearby then don’t be afraid to come ashore and check out this quiet fishing village.

Click here to read ‘Visiting All Of The Beaches On The North-Eastern Coast Of Izu’

Click here to read ‘The Outdoor Hot Spring Baths In Izu With An Access Point More Like A Bond Villain’s Lair!’

Click here to read ‘The Former Hospital Which Is Shaped Like A Monster’

Click here to read ‘Japan’s Largest Sitting Kannon Statue Has A Great View In The Mountains’