It's been a while since I last visited the Izu Peninsula. That time, our trip was mostly limited to staying at a ryokan on the east coast. It was a great stay but we only experienced the coastal views from the train window.
This time, we were looking for a quiet break from the busy Japanese cities, and wanted to see more of the peninsula. A few days there confirmed it was a good choice. We picked up the rental car in Mishima and headed south. The road down into the peninsula was still quite rural, giving interesting contrast to Mount Fuji in the background.
We pulled over briefly on the north shore for a look at Fuji-san across the bay. I had seen this mountain from various sides (many times from the Shinkansen), but seeing it across the bay was a great new perspective.
From there the road wound inland to Shuzenji, a small hot-spring town in a bamboo-shaded valley, where we stopped for a walk along the river, dipping our feet in the public onsen basins and eating some Japanese sweets.
By late afternoon we had reached our Airbnb in Izu-Kogen, a small place high enough up that the Pacific filled the entire living-room window. We opened a bottle of wine and watched the light fade over the sea.
The next morning we drove inland again, this time to the wasabi fields at Ikadaba. The Izu mountains are dense and green, with cold streams running through the valleys, and that running water is exactly what wasabi needs to grow. The plants sit in shallow terraces fed by springs that stay cold year-round. Fresh wasabi, grated on a sharkskin board just before serving, tastes nothing like the paste most people know. It is brighter, slightly sweet, and the heat fades quickly.
From Ikadaba we continued our exploration in the forests, where we a series of small waterfalls and clear pools.
In the afternoon we drove back to the coast, down to the southern tip of the peninsula, to enjoy the last rays of sun for the day.
We finished the day in Izu-Atagawa, at a small izakaya on a side street, with grilled fish and cold beer. Two days in, and Izu had already done what we came for. Izu is one of those places. I will be back.
