As well as family time, nature is often at the forefront of any trip we take to the Izu Peninsula. On our most recent trip to this part of Shizuoka Prefecture towards the end of November we encountered a sign that said “tap the nature” which is certainly not a phrase I’ve ever heard before. No doubt it’s the result of poor computer translation but we did follow the instruction on the sign and was rewarded for it by a wonderful sight which was new for us.

Hotel Harvest Amagi Kogen is a place we’ve visited before and the reason for going there on the second day of this trip was to see the colourful Autumn leaves although the actual sight of them was mainly on the winding road up the mountain!

You probably can’t see it too well in our family photo below but the majestic and iconic Mount Fuji was fairly visible in the background.

It was only because my father-in-law took a wrong turn that we ended up at the next place but it proved to be a blessing in disguise as we consequently ended up at a beautiful place  that none of us had ever been to.

Lake Matsukawako was formed by the construction of a dam in order to protect the town from floods and to ensure the water source. Many birds, fish and insects inhabit the area, and it is a wonderful, peaceful area to stretch the legs and take a walk.

Dining out is not something we do too often when with my wife’s parents in Ito but this time I was quite surprised when they made a reservation for us at a restaurant called Su Mi which, in spite of its remote location (off of the main Route 135), seems to be a very popular place.

This was a very traditional Japanese restaurant specialising in exquisite fresh sashimi and the main thing we ordered was the assorted sashimi platter.

Doing such new things in Izu was not expected ahead of this mini-break to our holiday home but one of the main reasons for the trip was for the dogs to be able to see each other. Us human adults too but that’s just not mentioned by any one!

The boys are back in town!

With my wife working the day before but joining us later that evening, it was up to me to take the dog to Izu on my own in the daytime. He was a really good boy and made very little noise in his carry-bag the whole journey.

We took a short break en-route at Usami Beach which we went to for the first time back in late June but it was too hot then to really be able to enjoy it with the dog.

We had the whole beach to ourselves and even though we were only there for about 15 minutes it can’t be disregarded how nice it was to be able to feel the sea breeze and see him in different surroundings to what he’s ued to.

The customary trip to Komuroyama Park was done on a very blustery day and was not such fun in the end. Despite the strong winds it was actually a sunny day but we didn’t hang around for so long on this occasion.

A couple of other new places now. First up is a stylish building on top of a hill right outside of Izukogen station that was designed by Kengo Kuma and features his trademark use of wood whilst incorporating the surrounding nature. Mikuni Izukogen is home to a stylish but fairly expensive Mediterranean restaurant which opened in 2019.

The next place is located about 20 minutes on foot from Kawana station and is somewhere I came across by accident when scouring Google Maps a while back. This bright pink building is called Ado Mizumori’s Box Gallery which displays the work of the female artist who became popular during the 1960s with her distinctively feminine art style.

The coastal views on the walk there and back were pretty nice at times and in the distance was Teishi Island which I’ve been aware of since our early days of visiting Izu. Quite a few years have passed since then and we still haven’t been there, and to be honest I’m not sure if we ever will. It would certainly be a new experience though and (from a blogging point of view!) such places probably are needed for future trips to the region!

Click here to read ‘Shizuoka Shenanigans: Spiders, Spicy Sustenance, Sizzling Steaks, Sacred Shrines, Strange Soda, Ships & Soccer’

Click here to read ‘Little-Known Castles & Beaches, Awful Station Puns, Bad English, A Big Wooden Willy & Japan’s Cheapest Breakfast!’

Click here to read ‘A Week of Golden Funtime With The Family In The Izu Sunshine’