The New Year was just around the corner by the time we finally went to Izu for our winter holiday. That was due to having a number of guests in Tokyo over the Christmas holiday as well as work, sickness and the need for some rest on my wife’s part. The trip didn’t get off to the best start though as when we arrived the electric wasn’t working at all. Luckily, a few calls later and the use of some candles helped us through those first few hours. In this day and age of modern technology everywhere it was a gentle reminder of more simple times, especially in light of what happened in the Noto Peninsula a couple of days later on January 1st when a big earthquake hit the region leaving many without the comforts they’re used to.

Mount Fuji views are par for the course when in Izu but they are often obstructed by overhead wires so it was a pleasant surprise when we caught these views (below) of the majestic and iconic mountain from the Southern Cross Resort next to Komuroyama Park.

As for Mount Komuro itself, this trip was a rare time when we didn’t actually go all the way to the top. The awesome Dinosaur Space area is very close to the peak though so it’s not as if we didn’t climb any of it!

The wonderfully-shaped Mount Omuro was visible in all its glory from the top and seeing it did make us think about revisiting it as it seemed a while since we last went there.

We did visit Mount Omuro towards the end of our trip for the first time in the Winter season which explains why it’s a brown colour rather than the more visibly attractive green of the Summer. Nevertheless it was still an absolutely beautiful sight and Mount Fuji could also be seen in the distance.

Lake Ippeki-ko is on the way back home from Omuro-yama so we did stop off there for another walk just a couple of days after our first visit there on this trip.

This lovely area has seen the introduction of some cafes and restaurants in recent years, and there was another one that had opened since our last visit. It also had a free foot bath outside available to anyone wanting to use it so we took advantage of that on both visits to revitalise our worn-out feet which was really nice. We did have to use the dog’s towel though to dry our feet!!

The dog got his own “bath” in the kitchen sink when back home. He really is not a fan of being washed but has got more used to it as the years have rolled by.

Our holiday home can be quite cold at times but he knows what he has to do to be warmer and that usually involves burying himself in among the blankets. We just need to be careful to actually see him when we go to sit down on the sofa!

A lot of our time is spent with him but we do leave him on his own sometimes. He always looks a bit sad though when we do go out for an hour or two by ourselves, particularly in the name of food.

Dining out options are fairly limited near our house in Ito but still not that bad given that it is the countryside! Gusto family restaurant is always a favourite place to go as it’s quiet and quite spacious with the added benefit of having robot waiters serving the majority of the meals to the diners.

A trip to beef-bowl chain isn’t usually worthy of note (although it has featured in Izu posts from recent times!) but when eating lunch there one day we did note that the English menu uses the British flag instead of the more commonly-used American one.

On one day I did go out by myself to the Atami area for a long afternoon of walking some steep hills. The main reason was to act on e-mail a reader of this site had sent me regarding a controversial Heritage Museum sitting atop a steep hill. The reason for the controversy is the content being exhibited inside. More details here.

The hunt for that museum was always likely to yield very little so I thought I needed to see a couple of other things on the same trip. The first of those places was a pagoda I’d noticed in the mountains a few times on the train ride from Tokyo to Izu. More details here.

I was curious to see what that was and whilst searching for that online I also came across a nearby Kannon statue. More details here.

I really was expecting our trip to Izu, particularly at this time of the year, to mostly be spent in and around the house but we actually ended up being quite active this time and revisited a few old favourites whilst still managing to get some new experiences out of it. That won’t last forever though and I’m sure there will be a time when a trip to Izu yields nothing in the way of blog material!

Click here to read ‘The Search For One Of Japan’s Most Mysterious & Controversial Heritage Museums’

Click here to read ‘What The Cinder Cone Mount Omuro Looks Like In Winter + 2 Trips To Ippeki Lake’

Click here to read ‘Tap The Nature! A Hidden Lake, Fine Dining & Unique Buildings In Izu’

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