The Izu peninsula offers a range of outdoor experiences like sandy beaches, snorkling, cherry blossom spots and so much more. During my recent trip to Izu we drove through the whole east side of the peninsula, and on our way we stopped by Mt. Omuro (大室山, Ōmuroyama), an inactive volcano known for its magnificent view of the Izu Peninsula, including the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Fuji.

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below
-Anette

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Bora-Naya restaurant with the original fisherman's hut in the right corner

The entrance to Bora-Naya

Here is some local tourist information about the restaurant:

Bora-Naya was constructed by the Kii family (near the present-day Wakayama) in 1627. Later, several extensions and structural alterations were carried out on the building. The bora (striped mullet) fishing industry operated under the protection of the Tokugawa Shogunate. During the seasonal migration of the bora, the villagers would live here and while repairing their boats and nets, went out fishing with the signal of a trumpet shell or flag.

It has been said that bora caught here were sometimes taken to distant Edo to enliven the dining table of Tokugawa Iemitsu, who was the third generation Tokugawa Shogun.

From Bora-Naya's homepage

Related blogposts

• All blogposts from Shizuoka Prefecture
• All blogposts from Izu:
• Sightseing in Izu: The Ryugu Sea Cave (竜宮窟)
• Sightseeing in Izu: Mount Omuro (大室山)
• Sightseeing in Izu: The 400-year old Bora-Naya Restaurant (ぼら納屋) 
• Sightseeing in Izu: Kanto's best snorkeling spot Hirizo Beach
• Sightseeing in Izu: Sakura Viewing at the Kawazu Sakura Festival (伊豆河津桜まつり)

ABBA Resorts Zagyosoh

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Hotel Izukyu

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below
Anette

Entrance to Ryugu Sea Cave by the roadside

In the southern part of Japan's Izu peninsula you can find white beaches and great places for water activities such as snorkeling and surfing. But there are also interesting areas to visit if you prefer activities where you can keep out of the water, such hiking or cave exploring. On my reason trip to Izu we stopped by some beautiful caves, and among them was the Ryugu Sea Cave. Here is some tourist information about the sea caves in the area provided by Shizuoka Prefecture's Shimoda city.

"Submarine volcanic landforms became uplifted in the process of the collision between the Izu block and Honshu across several million years. The landforms exposed due to upliftment then underwent erosion by wave action, and the weaker sections were washed away quickly. This process created sea caves. Subsequently, as the erosion expanded and the cave grew bigger, the roof partially fell off, creating this large open topped cave. From the watch point above the Ryugu Sea Cave, it can clearly be seen how erosion proceeded in two directions. This appears like the shape of a heart, and you can probably imagine how this sea cave looked like in ancient times before erosion brought it to its current shape. You can also enjoy different appearances of the cave depending on the direction of the sunlight or high and low tides."

On the way into the cave

Here is more information, also taken from Shimoda city's tourist information:

The structures of Ryugu Sea Cave can be observed through a gaping hole, which is about 40 meters in diameter. At the cliff, the strata of subaqueous fallout ash and volcaniclastic flow are observed.

The waves eroded the weak parts of the strata, and formed the cave that divided into two directions. Eventually the cave ceiling became unstable, and collapsed and this skylight was formed."

From inside the cave it is hard to notice anything special about the formation of the cave, but if you take a walk around the outside of the cave you can find a small path that takes you around to the top of the cave. Perhaps you can see a familiar shape in the picture below? The Ryugu Sea Cave is actually famous for its "heart" shape, and is especially popular among couples.

Ryugu Sea Cave is shaped like a heart if you look at it from above

"Sandback for skiing: A steep (about 30 degree) sandbank with a width of 100 meters, formed and maintained by upward migration of sand particles because of strong winds. You can enjoy skiing on its slope and may be charmed by the beautiful structures of submarine volcanoes around here.

There is a habitat of crinum lilies along the trail to the sandbank. The plants are designated as a natural monument of Shizuoka Prefecture and you can find their blooms during summer to autumn every year."

Slope for sand skiing

Related blogposts

• All blogposts from Shizuoka Prefecture
• All blogposts from Izu:
• Sightseing in Izu: The Ryugu Sea Cave (竜宮窟)
• Sightseeing in Izu: Mount Omuro (大室山)
• Sightseeing in Izu: The 400-year old Bora-Naya Restaurant (ぼら納屋) 
• Sightseeing in Izu: Kanto's best snorkeling spot Hirizo Beach
• Sightseeing in Izu: Sakura Viewing at the Kawazu Sakura Festival (伊豆河津桜まつり)

ABBA Resorts Zagyosoh

Nishiizu Koyoi Onsen

Arcana Izu

Hotel Izukyu

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below
Anette

With its 6,852 islands Japan sure has enough islands to choose from for those who like to explore the wild nature on the outskirts of Japan's bustling cities. Just a couple of hours south of Tokyo and the Izu Peninsula you can find the Izu Islands, a group of volcanic islands that administratively are a part of Tokyo. These islands are relatively easy to get to, as you can reach some of the islands by plane in about an hour or so from Haneda airport. If you're on a budget it is also possible to take a night ferry from Tokyo's Hamamatsu-cho getting you to some of the islands in as little as 6 1/2 hours.

Departing from Tokyo by ferry

I visited the volcanic island Miyakejima (三宅島) by ferry with Yuma for three days as a part of our summer vacation. The price of the ferry depends on the class you travel on, and in our case we had chosen one of the cheaper options where you sleep on the floor (you can check the prices here but it's all in Japanese).

Our "bed" for the night

I didn't sleep that well to be honest, there had been a typhoon sweeping by the day before and the sea was anything but calm. Despite the rather turbulent sea on the way there we arrived safely at Miyakejima's harbor at 5 am in the morning where we were picked up by the owner of the guest house we were staying at.

On a side note, the ferry of Tokai Kisen's logo looks suspiciously similar to the Norwegian flag..

The main activities you can do as a tourist at Miyake Island are diving, snorkeling, swimming with dolphins and bird watching. If you're interested in volcanos you might be particularly interested in learning more about the island and its history, as its volcano remains active to date.

The Shiitori Shrine getting covered in mudflow

The main volcano on the island, Mount Oyama, has an eruption every 20 year or so. The most recent one in 2000 resulted in the whole population of Miyake Island having to evacuate the island, and the residents were only able to settle down on the island again four years later. There are still a number of buildings on the island that were destroyed by the eruption and remain in the same state until today which you can pay a visit. One example can be seen in the pictures below where the eruption in 2000 led to the torii of the Shiitori Shrineto to be covered in volcanic mudflows.

The torii of the Shiitori Shrine

The rebuilt Shiitori Shrine

The Shiitori Shrine can be reached on foot as the island is not that big, but you can also get there by taking a bus to the Shiitori Jinja Mae bus stop.

Diving
For those who like to take a closer look at the life underneath the ocean there are loads of opportunities for both snorkeling and diving. In our case the guesthouse we stayed at also offered diving tours at a cheap price, and we ended up taking a couple of dives of Miyake Island's coast. The water was very clear, and there were many types of fishes to be seen as well. I have included some of the pictures Yuma took during our dives: