As the squelching mid-summer's heat slowly begins to draw back, I took a trip to Izu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Izu is known for it's hot springs and fresh seafood, and I took advantage of both.
Along the way I stopped for lunch at a soba restaurant noted in my guide book. The soba was delicious and the freshly grated wasabi made it that much better. It also came with anago tempura, which you can see by the picture, was very filling.
After lunch, it was on to Shuzenji. Shuzenji is located in an inland region of Izu peninsula. It is a well kept temple which is surrounded by cleanly shaped trees and a small stone garden.
This is a map of the area. One notable place of interest is Tokko no Yu, which is an ashi-yu (foot onsen).
After soaking my feet I took a path which lead me along the river.
I crossed the bridge to a bamboo forest. The temperature was noticeably cooler under the shade of the trees.
In the middle of the forest I came upon a giant bamboo bed. It was a nice place to relax, but it was a little firm for my tastes.
Within the ryokan that I stayed at, there was a place for tea ceremony as well as koi (carp) swimming beneath my feet.
Dinner consisted of numerous dishes; my favorite being the 'funamori'. On the left-hand side is abalone (あわび) cooking on the grill with a miso flavoring. On the right-hand side there is chawan-mushi with caviar, kamameshi with sakura-ebi, and a steamed dumpling. In the lower portion of the photo there is a picture of ise-ebi. It was my first time and I loved it!
Jyoren Falls 浄蓮の滝
The next day I headed to Jyoren Falls. The water was clean, fresh and cool and provided a refreshing mist which cooled me down. There was a wasabi farm on one side of the river, and people fishing for ayu on the other. Izu is a great place for relaxing and getting away from the busy city life.
Along the way I stopped for lunch at a soba restaurant noted in my guide book. The soba was delicious and the freshly grated wasabi made it that much better. It also came with anago tempura, which you can see by the picture, was very filling.
After lunch, it was on to Shuzenji. Shuzenji is located in an inland region of Izu peninsula. It is a well kept temple which is surrounded by cleanly shaped trees and a small stone garden.
This is a map of the area. One notable place of interest is Tokko no Yu, which is an ashi-yu (foot onsen).
After soaking my feet I took a path which lead me along the river.
I crossed the bridge to a bamboo forest. The temperature was noticeably cooler under the shade of the trees.
In the middle of the forest I came upon a giant bamboo bed. It was a nice place to relax, but it was a little firm for my tastes.
Within the ryokan that I stayed at, there was a place for tea ceremony as well as koi (carp) swimming beneath my feet.
Dinner consisted of numerous dishes; my favorite being the 'funamori'. On the left-hand side is abalone (あわび) cooking on the grill with a miso flavoring. On the right-hand side there is chawan-mushi with caviar, kamameshi with sakura-ebi, and a steamed dumpling. In the lower portion of the photo there is a picture of ise-ebi. It was my first time and I loved it!
Jyoren Falls 浄蓮の滝
The next day I headed to Jyoren Falls. The water was clean, fresh and cool and provided a refreshing mist which cooled me down. There was a wasabi farm on one side of the river, and people fishing for ayu on the other. Izu is a great place for relaxing and getting away from the busy city life.
Happy Birthday Miss Banana!
