The latest trip to our holiday home in Shizuoka Prefecture was a little different as this time I took our little dog there by myself with my wife joining us later that evening. On an incredibly hot morning it was far from a relaxing journey for me as I needed to continuously fan him to keep him cool and stop his panting.

Still, he was very well behaved (no barking etc) and got a fair amount of attention, particularly on the Kurofune (Black Ship) train down the east coast of the Izu Peninsula. One lady I was chatting to was quite shocked when I gave him a drink from my cola bottle! Little did she realise that it was just water in there!

Maron wasn’t the only animal-of-sorts in the house though as I spotted this guy (below) in true horror film fashion one evening when it appeared in the reflection of the mirror I was looking in at the time!

In terms of food, we went out to eat a few times with the most interesting one perhaps being a chain restaurant specialising in some very spicy ramen dishes.

Usually in Japan I  roll my eyes when I see the word spicy as so often the taste is fairly mild. However, this one actually lived up to its name, and it took me a bit longer than usual to finish off this particular bowl of ramen. Our seating was also quite unique!

There are a few family restaurants in Ito but one that we had never been to was Coco’s so it was time to change that! My order of a hamburg steak foil pack with cheese, maitake mushrooms and demi-glace sauce was quite delicious, and it was also good to have a jacket potato for the first time in a decade or two!

For some reason we always eat out at Sukiya (a cheap and instant beef bowl chain restaurant) when we’re in Ito. Even though we have one close to our apartment in Tokyo we never go there. Going to Sukiya twice two nights in a row was not such a good idea though!

Vending machines are famously everywhere in Japan but this kind of place (below) is the original instant way of purchasing products without having to go to a shop.

It’s not all about dining out though, and indeed we do eat at home a fair bit with my wife developing an interest (she is Japanese so is more of a rice or noodle person than a bread one) for making some calorie-heavy toasted sandwiches with the likes of ham, cheese, cucumbers (sometimes lettuce), eggs and mayonnaise on them.

The dog was of course very envious but at least he could feel more a part of things from his loftier-than-usual vantage point! Of course he was given a few little bits of bread too!

In terms of drinks, I have recently been trying out the various alternative cola. None of them will have Coca Cola or Pepsi quaking in the boots! On a boiling hot morning though this Refresh Cola did live up to its name!

This particular day was the main one on this trip for me as I had a day trip to Shimizu planned. En-route north to Atami I disembarked one stop early to revisit the shrine with a sacred tree that’s over 2000 years old.

It is the largest tree on Japan’s main island and has a circumference of about 24 metres. Please note that the photo below is the second ookusu which is a mere 1300 years old and survived a lightning strike around 300 years ago.

Atami-jo Castle could be seen in the hills as I walked the fairly short distance to Atami station. From a movie point of view, this castle is renowned for appearing in ‘King Kong Vs Godzilla‘ (1962) which was destroyed during the dual between the two monsters.

No sooner had I arrived in Shimizu and I was on a free shuttle bus heading to S-Pulse Dream Plaza; a shopping mall located on the harbour front with a big ferris wheel outside.

The Ramune Museum was my first port of call there. It’s basically a shop (with a few exhibits about its history) selling about 25-30 weird and wonderful flavours of the fizzy drink which is nostalgic for many and still a big part of summer festivals in Japan.

A more conventional museum followed by way of the Verkehr Shimizu Port Terminal Museum which opened in 1991 to promote the culture of the region through its exhibitions.

The main reason for going to Shimizu was for football. I went to see a J2 League game between Shimizu S-Pulse and Renofa Yamaguchi which was won 1-0 by the home side but the score should’ve been higher as both sides squandered a few good opportunities amidst a fantastic atmosphere which was heightened for me by being able to watch with two other guys.

Komuroyama Park is a staple of each and every trip to Ito but in the August heat we had to pick and choose our moments. The first venture was not such a good decision as it was a blistering hot afternoon but he was really pestering us to go out so what can you do!!

We climbed to the top of the 321 metre mountain a few days later and seeing our little chihuahua alongside the enormous dinosaurs near the top is always an interesting and slightly amusing sight for us.

In recent years Misora Cafe has been open on the peak of the mountain and we did take a refreshment break there one morning. For once it wasn’t boiling hot so we could actually enjoy sitting outside amidst the fine views of a region which over the years has become our home away from home.

Click here to read ‘This Museum Is Dedicated To All Kinds Of Weird & Whacky Fizzy Drinks’

Click here to read ‘What Can You Expect To See At Japan’s Sushi Museum?’

Click here to read ‘Sitting Amongst The S-Pulse Faithful In Shimizu But Quietly Supporting The Opposition!’

Click here to read ‘The Great Buddha, Monster Hospital, Quality Dog Time, A Sushi Museum & Live J-League Football!’