Shimoda (Izu)

by Brianin Japan, Shizuokaon Posted on

Since I hadn’t been to an onsen yet, I thought that it would be a great opportunity to treat myself while recovering from the marathon.ย  After quite a bit of research, I found a nice private one in Shimoda, a small port town with a surprising amount of history tied to it, so win-win.ย  It was just a short trip, 3 days 2 nights.ย  Since private onsen is expensive, I only stayed there the second night and opted for a cheaper but still nice hotel the first night.ย  Also, aside from private onsens being expensive, they tend to be difficult to find for single people…. and most ryokan don’t have accommodations for single people either… soooo I got lucky I think.

Maybe this post will make more sense if you first read a brief history of Shimoda (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimoda,_Shizuoka).ย  The part about Commodore Perry and his Black Ships is a big deal here and is actually celebrated with a couple of festivals every year.ย  The first time a Japanese friend asked me about the black ships I was totally clueless about any of it (to their surprise)… I swear we never covered it in history class hehe.

Day 1

For informational purposes. Wasn't the shinkansen, I think just an express train which basically works the same way... just not quite as nice or fast.
One of those squatters... can you imagine trying to use this thing without making a mess as the train rocks back and forth??? Talk about strong legs, good knees, and perfect balance!
Heading south along the coast
Almost there, feels like the country already... excited
Finally made it to the station (Izukyu-Shimoda) but wouldn't be checking in to the hotel until later in the afternoon
From the station I walked over to the harbor area to do this somewhat touristy "black ship" boat cruise... it's a very short ride out on the water, just past the breakwaters but far enough to get a good panoramic view of the harbor.
Onboard, feeding the birds is a thing (they sell food). It costs a little more to go up on the second deck but that's usually where the birds follow the boat.
Like so... they will grab from your hand too but probably not recommended lol
Just far enough
Turning around
The boss bird

The check-in building for the boat ride:
http://izu-kamori.jp/izu-cruise/route/shimoda.html

Next to the cruise boat, there is a small little strip mall area, with a small museum, tourist information, and some restaurants.
HUNGRY
One of the most popular dishes is this red fish, kinmedai, or golden eye sea bream... it's very delicious prepared this way and you'll see I chose to eat it multiple times during this trip. But beware, if you're not fond of fish bones then this fish might not be for you.
Some of the buildings are pretty dated but still unique it their own ways.

Ryosen-ji; information can be found here:
http://www.izu.co.jp/~ryosenji/eigo.html

Still walking, made it to Old Perry Road. I'm not one to retype a bunch of history... so all I have to say is this road is a popular attraction here because its still lined with some of the original building's dating back from the Perry days and it gives you that old kind of feeling as you pass on through.
Not much was open at the time I went
Continued walking my way towards the hotel... quite a steep driveway leading to it... some nice old lady working with the hotel offered me a ride up the later half of it...
View from the hotel. The first night was less expensive, choosing to stay at the Shimoda Tokyo Hotel, one inlet over from Shimoda harbor area.
Spotted this walking path around the coast and since there was still sunlight I took a casual walk around the small peninsula
If you look closely you can see the islands off the coast
At the aquarium... it's not very large but is an attraction here... they were closing as I got there so I just go pictures from the outside.
Continued walking along the water...
I was tempted to go to that island but chose not to in the end...I have a thing about breaking local rules, because quite frankly I get irritated when I see others doing it back home in Hawaii.
Must've been a long day for them
Made it back to the main harbor area just as the sun was setting
They made a memorial for Perry at a small resting area
It all seems a bit controversial... and I'm still a little confused as to why it's such a big celebration when he came with force... but I guess in the end it was all for the better?
Made it back to Old Perry Road... found this guy keeping watch over things on his personal balcony spot... really is the little things, like who would've thought to put an opening there for the dog??? I guess these people!
Can't escape Hawaii, even in a small town like this.
Very cool looking bar... wasn't open while I was there
Grabbed dinner at one of the few restaurants open along the old road... crab pasta, very delicious and satisfying after a fairly long day of much walking.
It gets pretty dark at night, especially walking back to the hotel. Used my cell phone flashlight so I wouldn't get run over hah...

Day 2

Shimoda Tokyu hotel doesn't have private onsens but they do have public ones which they rotate between male/female hours... I actually went to one very early in the morning, right at opening, just after cleaning, and I had it all to myself all the way until the sun rose over the bay... very nice view... then I got out of there as soon as someone else showed up lol... so I guess technically that was my first onsen experience...
Then I just went for a short walk around the hotel grounds... I guess the pool is not maintained during the winter months.
Went with the breakfast buffet at the hotel since there weren't many other options in the area...
Checked out and then caught the hotel shuttle back to the train station where I left my second bag in one of the coin lockers there. Then headed over to the nearby ropeway to get an elevated view of the harbor.
It's like a mini park at the top. Had time until checking in at the second hotel.
Looking up the river
At the top station
Relaxing place
I would consider this more of a walk through the park than an actual hike.. this is the lower trail
Flowers in season
Look at the entire harbor
One of a few viewing spots
You can donate some yen to get throwing stones
The idea is to throw the stones (nagomidama) through the hoops and break them against the rock behind... double points for going through the middle!... I only made it through one side. Going through the ring(s) bring you harmony and peace, hitting the stone brings even more so!
They are soft stones... feels like clay and break pretty easily against rock. ยฅ200 / 4 pieces
More flower gardens
Looking down at Gyokusen-ji... home of the first American consulate in Japan. There are still a few Americans buried there from Perry days.
Nicest view
Looking back at the town
Just for fun... Yokohama has a similar one with ships too
After making my way back down the mountain I still had time so I walked over to the Shimoda Museum... a very small history museum that consists of two buildings... most of the descriptions were in Japanese but some were in English... really just a time killer, not what I would consider a must-do (unless maybe you can read Japanese). The style of wall is historical in itself from the old days too apparently.
The second half of the museum. No pictures allowed inside. Apparently, the founder of Keio University was heavily influenced by this time in history and became well traveled himself, thereby discovering the founding principles that would later form the school.
Time for lunch! Eating fish again hehe, it is good! This is back near Izukyu-Shimoda station . Every time I ate this fish it seemed to taste better.
Something refreshing
The restaurant/gift shop. Everything has a slightly old/dated feel here.
And then the main event! Caught the shuttle from the train station to the hotel. They greet you in the lobby with tea and a snack, then go over the reservation with you. They also ask when you'd like to have your meals so they can have everything ready for you just at the right moment. When you're ready they take you to your room.
Just a few pictures of the room itself... It was much bigger than I was expecting!
Mostly tatami mat
Easy access to outside
Treated this as my shower/drying off room between indoor/outdoor.
That view!
All for me... yaaassss
Just in time to relax a little before dinner
Soo excited at this point...
Yukata for wearing around outside the room
Catching the sunset
Yes, I went outside with it haha... another first.
They also have large public baths on the rooftop that they alternate between male/female each day. There's one in particular that this hotel is known for however no camera allowed obviously lol... besides, I stuck with my own private one hehehe
Dinner! One of the best meals in Japan to date. They let you choose between three options, I went with something different and got the abalone... up until this point I thought this was the main course... turns out it was just the appetizer!
The table was reserved for just me, with a perfect view of the beach... and they kept this table for me throughout my stay.
Full menu... I couldn't read it haha
This nice man was trying to explain the sashimi
More of that Kinmedai, different ways
Sake sampler (Additional $$$)
With butter... super ono!
Kind of a smoked, miso fish... very flavorful
More and more food, keep it coming!....
After all that, this was the main course. More kinmedai, except this one was boneless! Look at that huge beautiful piece of fish! This was by far the best version I tried during the trip...
Then the dessert was self-serve buffet style muahaha
I saw this on the way back to the room! haha the first hot food vending machine... of course I couldn't buy anything after such a delicious meal though. I was so full from dinner... it really was a complete meal.
While I was away at dinner, they set up my room for sleeping. How nice... it was very comfy.
This is what the rest of the night consisted of... that, and a nice bottle of 17 year old Hibiki (that I brought from home)
I don't splurge that often... but this was totally worth it.
Just a little after midnight... the view while soaking in the onsen... So perfect.

Final Day 3

After waking up early and then soaking in the onsen again, I walked down to the beach to get my feet wet.
On one end of the beach they've got this abandoned looking cove area.
That doesn't look safe....
Small cave you can actually launch boats out of
It was pretty cold at the time outside of the water... the ocean was almost too cold lol but had to do it
Early morning surfers... still need wetsuit during later half of March.
Getting the most out of it before breakfast
Breakfast was a little smaller with less service, but that's expected...
Very strong seaweed/miso soup
You could choose which kind of fish you wanted... then grill on your own
Little bit of yogurt to cleanse the palate after all that fish
Watching surfers, enjoying the onsen for as long as I could until check-out...
This is becoming somewhat of a habit.. buying local beers to drink on the train ride home... it was such a good trip...
Heading home... again, such a nice, unexpected weekend where I could both treat myself and experience new things in Japan... it was totally worth it and I definitely wouldn't mind doing it again... I also learned that Izu peninsula as a whole has so many different things to offer in terms of travel... there are some other areas that looked great to explore as well but they'll have to wait for another trip. All for now!
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One Comment

  1. Jong Ja Abe
    October 17, 2019 @ 2:37 pm  ยท  Reply

    What a nice trip!
    Great photos, love the country feel, ono food… must go there!

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