Whilst some people love the variety of a different place and activities for their holiday each year, there are also many others who are more than content to just the do the same every time. I’ve long been of the attitude that change is best. I still am but situation and circumstances change and so that is why the the first few days of this latest trip to our holiday home pretty much mirrored exactly what we had done 12 months earlier.

Not too much of note happened on the first couple of days but the first morning of 2025  began (as it did last year!) with a short bus ride to Lake Ippeki-ko for a four kilometre walk round the tranquil and peaceful waters. As it was quite early on New Years Day we practically had the whole place to ourselves, which the dog absolutely loved as we could let him roam freely.

A couple of days later we took another bus to Mount Omuro ready for opening time but a bit of a queue had already formed. Luckily it only took about 15 minutes waiting time whereas when we later descended the line was about three times longer!

The ropeway ride (1000 yen return – still good value but double what it was a few years ago!) is the only way to access the 580 metre tall mountain and is always great fun although the dog is not too sure about it!

Despite a few visits to Omuro-yama now, we still don’t get tired of the wonderful views looking out to sea, the mountains in the distance and looking down into the crater which is used as an archery field.

I think summer is the best time to see it when it’s a lot greener but all other seasons are still impressive.

As usual we went round the summit path in a clockwise direction and soon noticed that a new torii gate had been added. The huge increase in tourism in the last couple of years in Japan seems to mean that there is something new on this mountain each time we visit, and this wasn’t the only thing.

A new Hollywood-style sign spelling out Omuro had been added since our last trip. I don’t know if it’s all necessary but I guess such photo-spots are a good way of promoting the place. There’ll probably be a load of food and souvenir vendors on the walking circuit one day!

That wasn’t actually the main event of the day as it was basically just a warm up for the place right over the road from there. Our time at Izu Shaboten Zoo turned out to be the highlight of our week in Izu, and that has already had its own post. More details here.

The following afternoon, I ventured out on my own for a bit and decided to explore the area around Ito station a bit as previously I’d only really taken trains from there.

Not the Seven Dwarves but the 7 Gods!

Maybe it’s because it was a holiday but it was pretty quiet in the shopping streets adjacent to the station and so very little was open although I was pleasantly surprised to encounter some Star Wars helmets in one of the stores though I have no idea why they were there!

Orange Beach is just a five minute walk down the road and is a place I’ve known about for a long time but have rarely ever been to.

It was a peaceful stretch of sand fringed by a few palm trees, and is presumably much more appetising when it’s hot and sunny.

Located next to the beach is Nagisa Park which is full of many interesting artistic structures.

Across the road from there is Kawaguchi Park which is a pleasant area full of tile paintings and a couple of interesting monuments as well as a great place to just take a stroll alongside the Ito River.

A local history museum known as Tokaikan was a short distance down the track. This well-preserved building was constructed in the early Showa-era but the trees outside are sadly restricting the view of the wooden mastery.

Minami Ito was my destination as it was the only station on the east coast of the Izu Peninsula that I’d never visited. I didn’t think there would be anything of interest in the vicinity and I was right! A thrift store was the only thing I could find but felt it was fairly disappointing!

In terms of food, there was a fair bit of indulgence on this trip and we did try a restaurant in Komuroyama Park for the first time as it allowed dogs into one section.

Dinosaur Space followed on my instistence as I felt we needed the exercise.

It should be noted that a lot of my time was spent cleaning the house and tending to the garden and I collected over a dozen big bin bags packed full of dirty leaves among other jobs. I add that for anyone thinking such trips sound like they’re all fun and games! Having said that, we are very lucky to have a place to go and stay for free which is possible to access via local train from Tokyo whilst transporting our little chihuahua with relative ease.

Click here to read ‘6 Nights In Izu: A Blackout, Birthday Celebrations, Over-Tourism, Star Wars Day, Walking Adventures, J3 Football & The Birthplace of Long-Distance Calls!’

Click here to read ‘Izu Coastal Adventures: A Uniquely Coloured Torii Gate, Northern Izu’s Finest Beach & The Real Life ‘Shogun’ Setting’

Click here to read ‘Is It Worth Visiting The Japanese Fishing Village Which Was The Setting For The TV Series Shogun?’

Click here to read ‘7 Nights In Izu: Great Lakes, Picturesque Mountains, A New Footbath, Robot Waiters & 4 Candles!’