The problem with holidays in Japan is that almost everyone (outside of the service industry) takes them at the same time whether it be Golden Week (late April/early May), O-bon (August) or New Year. Places get extremely busy and the prices of accomodation and flights can double or even triple!

Thankfully though we have a holiday home-of-sorts to visit in Shizuoka Prefecture when we want, and so in Golden Week we headed off to Izu for five nights. We actually could have gone for longer but this time decided to be in Tokyo for the two weekends bookending the public holiday.

Konni-chihuahua! He was ready to travel!

I wanted to take our dog to the beach at Nagahama Seaside Park en-route to Ito as I knew we probably wouldn’t have much opportunity to touch sand otherwise. What was a bonus was that my father-in-law drove up to Izu-Taga station to meet us with Cocoa. We could all enjoy a bit of time with the dogs on the beach in the Spring sunshine.

Komuroyama in Ito is always on the agenda every single time we go to Izu, and we went there a couple of times on two glorious days. The Golden Week holiday is peak time at this place with many, many visitors coming to see the Tsutsuji (azalea) Festival although the flowers were long out of bloom this year.

We were in the park long before all the visitors arrived so had it all to ourselves which was very peaceful and relaxing.

Our second visit a couple of days later was with my wife’s nephew and sister-in-law and we climbed to the top again which was the first time for the former. Amidst clear blue skies, Mount Fuji was very visible in the far distance.

Misora cafe on the peak happened to open when we were there so we popped in for some refreshing drinks but not a “desert” as was misspelled on the dessert menu!

It was so hot that we had to keep the dogs cool by placing some ice cubes on their bodies.

After baking in the sun for too long there we descended the mountain (via the cooler woods) a little to go Dinosaur Space which we had to share with many other visitors on this occasion.

Those trips were very much about taking the dogs for a walk, and quality dog time was very much a major part of this trip. Below is a collage of some of my favourite photos of the dogs.

It my wife’s birthday on one of the days we were in Ito so we went out to a proper Italian restaurant which is extremely rare for me as I tend to always be happy with any kind of pasta or pizza. The pasta, in particular, was indeed very nice but I’m still not sure if it justifies the higher price!

Dessert was taken back at home in the form of warabi mochi which was bought at a dessert shop near the Italian restaurant. I can’t say I was a fan!

Lake Ippeki-ko is another fixture of many visits to Ito and a lovely place to walk around in a week where the weather was glorious.

When we are riding in the car Cocoa always loves to lean out the window. I am always a little nervous about this and have his lead gripped tightly in my hands. This was the first time that I realised I could see his face in the driver’s wing mirror, and it really was a sight to behold.

My wife put on a Star Wars t-shirt on May the 4th without even realising it was actually Star Wars Day! Her nephew even had a BB-8 t-shirt on too and the two of us had many a duel with the toy lightsabers and swords in the house.

A couple of afternoons were spent (in part) playing uno as a family which was really nice and good fun. Such family entertainment is probably getting rarer in the digital era so this was a pleasant reminder of a more innocent time.

A family outing to the nearby Golden Arches (it’s actually the closest restaurant to my in-law’s house!) was about the only other trip of note that we made out of the house.

In the middle of our time in Izu I actually backtracked a bit for a day in Kanagawa Prefecture. The first stop was Hayakawa station in Odawara where I paid a brief visit to Tozen-in Gyoran Daikannon, the goddess statue which watches over the coastal area.

After that, I moved a bit further north to Hiratsuka where I walked for about 30 minutes to the vast and spacious park which contains the football stadium within it. It was a beautiful setting on a very sunny day and there was a lot going on with food and drink stalls aplenty and attractions for the many families present. However, there was one part of the entertainment I did not like to see, and I really did feel so sorry for the cow below.

The park was not just a nice place to relax before the match but it also offered a bit of respite from the blazing sunshine.

On the field it was a great afternoon for my Reysol boys as we won away at Bellmare for a second consecutive season. Sadly it was a bit of a one-off as the form before and after this match has been rather poor and it could be a long season of grinding away at the foot of the J1 table.

Football was indeed the reason why I left Izu on the Saturday morning of the final weekend of Golden Week. I had tickets for the Asian Champions League Final in Saitama that evening so needed to be back home in the afternoon. I took the dog with me whilst my wife stayed for one more night. Our time in Izu was the first time we’d been there for over six months but hopefully it won’t be so long before we return again.

Click here to read ‘Cold Lemon Ramen, A Ghibli-Like Temple, Local Green Cola, Video Cassette Tapes, Spicy Chicken McNuggets & An Awe-Inspiring Sea Cave’

Click here to read ‘Izu Coastal Adventures; Mountains, Beaches, Lakes, Parks, Bridges, Temples, Food, Dogs, Football, Abandoned Ruins & Chainsaws!!’

Click here to read ‘Fantastic Mount Fuji Views, Unique Regional Burgers, A Beautiful Watergate And Live J-Football!’

Click here to read ‘Japan’s Cheapest “Beer” Cans, Family Cup Noodle Time, McShakes, Star Wars Day, Dogs & Dinosaurs!