Izu Peninsula

Background

The Izu Peninsula lies in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture and juts into the Pacific, facing Sagami Bay to the east and Suruga Bay to the west. Its sights are spread out: on the east coast are the lava shore of the Jōgasaki Coast with the Kadowaki Suspension Bridge, Mount Ōmuro and Itō Onsen; around Kawazu are the Kawazu cherry trees and the Kawazu Seven Waterfalls; in the centre are Shūzenji Onsen and its bamboo grove path; and at the southern tip is the port of Shimoda. The peninsula was once a group of volcanic islands riding on the Philippine Sea Plate that moved up from the south and collided with Honshu to take its present shape, which is where the Izu Peninsula Geopark's theme, "a gift of volcanoes that came from the south", comes from. On 17 April 2018 UNESCO designated it a Global Geopark, the 9th in Japan. The Amagi Mountains run through the centre of the peninsula; the area has many hot springs and is one of Japan's main wasabi producers. Yasunari Kawabata's novel The Izu Dancer is set in Izu.

Local customs

Walk the Jōgasaki Coast trail to the Kadowaki Suspension Bridge, ride the chairlift up Mount Ōmuro and stroll around its crater, and in early spring view the Kawazu cherry blossoms along the Kawazu River. You can also wander Shūzenji Onsen town and its bamboo grove path, soak in the hot springs of Itō and Shimoda, and taste kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) and wasabi dishes.

Travel tips

• The peninsula is long from north to south with scattered sights: the east coast is linked by the JR Itō Line and the Izu Kyūkō Line, central Izu by the Izuhakone Railway Sunzu Line to Shūzenji, and the west coast has no railway, so you rely on buses
• services are not frequent, so check official and station notices. The peninsula has frequent earthquakes, so pay attention to disaster-prevention information.
• From the Tokyo direction, take the JR Tōkaidō Line or the Shinkansen to Atami and change to the JR Itō Line and Izu Kyūkō Line for Itō and Izukyū-Shimoda
• for Shūzenji and western Izu, change to the Sunzu Line at Mishima and then to a bus. Any season works: Kawazu cherry blossoms open around February to March (check official notices for flowering), summer is the season for sea bathing and escaping the heat in the highlands, and autumn and winter suit hot springs.