At the end of June my wife and I went to our family holiday home in Izu (Shizuoka Prefecture) for the first time in six months. Not surprisingly the garden in particular was a bit of a mess but we worked hard cleaning it all up, and the reward (other than satisfaction!) was that when we recently returned there five weeks on there was far less housework to do meaning that we could relax a bit more. Of course our time at the house wasn’t without some problems though!

Our little chihuahua doesn’t seem to travel well with both of us so my wife often sits a little away from the dog and I. Lucky for her I guess as she was free whilst I had to look after him, constantly making sure he was cool and well-refreshed. He had a new backpack this time which was good for the longer journey getting to from Tokyo to Izu. However, it was a bit too big for the local daily trips.

This time we had company for some of the trip as my brother-in-law’s family arrived on day two to spend a few nights with us which was nice, especially at mealtimes. We went out to a couple of nearby restaurants (Gusto and Cocos) on two of the nights.

It was good to hang out with my wife’s nephew for the first time in 12 months with one of the highlights always being a game of “hide and seek” although the dog often gives it away (not that it’s difficult to find him!) as he follows him each time!

We planned to go to Mount Omuro one day but when the bus arrived it was just too full for us to get on. This is the downside of the recent tourism boom in Japan and so we ended up going to Komuroyama Park instead which is an easier option anyway. The cafe at the top has become something of a regular stop for us in recent years. It’s a popular place with its modern wooden design and outdoor observation deck offering some lovely ocean views amidst lush greenery.

With temperatures in the mid 30s our dog wore a wet jacket for pretty much the first time to keep his body cool. Previous attempts to dress him in such attire have always failed but this time it worked. Naturally, the Japanglish on it made no sense!

The chairlift up and down the mountain is not something we take so often but this time was the right moment to use it.

Back at the house there was some work to do by way of climbing to the very top of the ladder in order to clean out the the gutter above the front door which was clogged up with dirt. This was a really mucky  job and makes me even more appreciative that I work in air-conditioned classrooms!

After that I was ready to chill out for a bit but my nephew wanted to try his hand at tennis. Time for me to become a coach and teach him about grip, swing and action. Given it was his first time ever to hold a racquet he was pretty good at hitting the ball but only when I returned it to his forehand!

On the morning they departed, we took the first bus of the day to Ippeki-ko lake for the first time since early January.

With a couple of short stops along the way, it takes about an hour to do a lap of the lake and never fails to deliver good feelings.

Having completed the circuit of the lake I had a footbath (cold water) which was so refreshing after the hike.

The footbath (free to all) is part of a cafe upstairs which we went to for the first time as the summer heat takes its toll on you so we needed some air-con relaxtion time with a drink and snack.

There’s an old, abandoned vending machine nearby which offers a glimpse into the past.

We’d end up later seeing the original-style vending machine of sorts where an honesty box is used to deposit the correct money (just 100 yen per item) in return for some very reasonably priced vegetables.

The toilet problems mentioned in the title of this post refers to the two lavatories in our house not flushing properly meaning that we couldn’t really use them. Instead, we had to step out and go to a nearby public toilet each time for the last couple of days of the trip. A workman came to look at the sewage system one day and told us that it all needed replacing. Not so surprising really as it is 30-40 years old but the price for fixing it was absolutely astronomical, and really is a huge downside of owning an old, crumbling  house in the Japanese countryside!

On a family outing to a nearby public toilet!!

We returned to Komuroyama Park on our final full day (plenty of public toilets there!) and even explored some areas we’d never been to on our countless previous trips.

A few days prior to our trip the weather forecast did not look good with rain predicted for every day. Luckily, the reality was far different and the only sign of precipitation was the moment we set foot into the Jurassic era! It was actually quite refreshing though.

Having my brother-in-law’s family with us for most of this trip was really great and our dog certainly enjoyed being around more people than usual. Healthwise though it wasn’t such a good trip for me as I had some breathing difficulties (due to my asthma) which meant quite a few sleepless nights (in part) and I had to sit up a lot to control it better. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced such problems when staying in the holiday home but it has been quite a few years since the last time. Hopefully, that’s my suffering out of the way for a while now. I’ll find out later this year I guess when we next return.

Click here to read ‘Cold Showers, Dodgy Electricity & An Overgrown Garden: The Ups & Downs of Having A Holiday Home’

Click here to read ‘7 Nights In Izu: Is The Picture Postcard Cinder-Cone Mountain Becoming Too Touristy? Plus Japan’s Best Zoo & Over-Eating!’

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’