A Weekend Trip to Izu Peninsula

Only a 1.5-hour drive away from Tokyo you can find a whole different world on the Izu Peninsula. Covered with emerald green forests and blessed with an azure blue ocean, a weekend trip to Izu Peninsula is a great alternative if you want to feel like you’re in Okinawa but want to skip the plane ride. Whether you live in Japan and want to do a short getaway or are coming here for a vacation, if you like the outdoors you should add Izu to your itinerary. We took a short trip to Izu last weekend, and this is what we did there!

Weekend trip to Izu Peninsula itinerary

This wasn’t our first time in Izu, so we felt confident and planned our trip using Google Maps as we went. It worked out well and we had a great time! Here is an overview of our destinations in Izu:

*iZoo in Kawazu (rainy day): this reptile-focused zoo was fun and interactive. There are not only many snakes, lizards, turtles, amphibians, and some birds that you can simply observe, but you can also touch some of them. Large and small tortoises walk around the floor freely and you can hold cute lizards, a snake, and even a baby crocodile. iZoo also participates in several breeding programs to protect rare species from going extinct.

*Diving in Ito: we booked a two dive experience with a diving company, and in spite of the sea condition not being perfect with a strong current and slightly limited visibility because of the strong wind, it was great fun to see the underwater world of Ito. We did an easy beach entry because we came with our 10-year old and we went to a depth of 6-12 meters. Many of the fish are similar to what you see in Okinawa, there were some corals, and we saw many large rocks that were teeming with life. If you do a boat entry, you can see squid in this area around this time of the year.

*Sightseeing on Mount Omuro: its conical shape and grassy hills stand out in the environment, and Mount Omuro is a popular sightseeing destination in Izu. You can go up by cable car and walk around the summit rim where you have a wonderful view of the beautiful environment of Ito and a few of the Izu Islands in the ocean. People over 140 cm and at least of junior high school age can try their hands on archery in the crater area.

*Walking on the Jogasaki coast: hikers of all fitness levels love a walk on the impressive Jogasaki coast. Izu’s volcanic past shows very clearly on this green, rugged coastline with black stones, steep cliffs, and a deep blue ocean. There are several points of interest such as a suspension bridge and a lighthouse, and there is also a museum with a beautiful flower garden near the parking lot.

*Forest Adventure in Hakone: we actually wanted to go paragliding which can be done beautifully in the hilly area, but unfortunately the wind was too strong so we had to find an alternative. Forest Adventure has parks around the world, and the one in Hakone offers an easier canopy course for younger kids and a more challenging zipline course for people over 140 cm tall. We took the zipline course full of climbing and flying and had a very fun 1.5 hours among the trees.

*Owakudani in Hakone: meaning ‘Hell’s Valley’, you will know what this name comes from when you get to the steaming volcanic area of Owakudani. When you drive up there you will already see steam rising from the ground here and there, and in the valley you will clearly smell the sulfur. The most famous edible souvenir from this famous tourist spot is the black egg that’s cooked in hot spring water, which is said to give you 7 extra years of life for its healthy nutrition.

*Odawara Castle: the last destination before we headed home was Odawara Castle, which is Odawara’s most famous landmark. We arrived after closing time, but the castle park is open 24 hours and the castle was lit up nicely after dark. The backdrop of the castle is gorgeous with a nice view of Mt. Fuji if it is not too cloudy.

We stayed in Izumi-no-mori, a comfortable 3-star hot spring hotel in the middle of the forest with comfortable western-style beds in a Japanese-style room and an amazing Japanese breakfast.

Best time for a weekend trip to Izu Peninsula

This trip was done in the latter half of May and we had 1 rainy day and 2 sunny days. We left early in the morning on Saturday and came back on Monday evening. The temperature was around 22 degrees Celsius, which was comfortable. Izu is at its most beautiful between mid April and mid November, so it is especially recommended to travel during this time. If you travel to Izu in the winter, the environment isn’t as green and many places are closed for the off-season so the vibe is very quiet. The high season runs between mid June and late September, and if you want to swim in the ocean without a wet suit this would be the best time to travel.

Furthermore, it is strongly recommended to travel to Izu on weekdays outside of national holidays if you want the best experience in terms of crowding. During peak times, the roads can get congested and it can be crowded on the beach.

How to get to Izu

For the itinerary above, it would be practical to rent a car. International tourists can drive in Japan if they bring an international driver’s licence. For a mid-range car, you should budget around 7000-10.000 JPY/day. This includes insurance, and excludes gasoline and toll fees which you can look up on this website.

You can also opt to first take the train to Atami or Ito, and rent a car locally. The advantage would be that you would avoid traffic on the Tomei expressway which can get heavy especially around weekends and national holidays.

If you go to Izu by train, it is a good idea to choose a hotel that is located near a station or that has good shuttle bus service, because local public transportation tends to be limited. You can use Google Maps to plan out your route by public transportation.

Fun day tours in Japan

If you are coming to Japan, you may be wondering where to start when you are planning your trip. There is so much to see, do, and experience that it may not be easy to make a choice between all the fun and interesting places to go! When you travel independently, you may also not travel in the most efficient way. Sometimes it is great fun getting ‘lost’ in an unfamiliar place, but sometimes it also feels great to simply be whisked off to all the best sights that a city has to offer, the typical famous must-see spots but also the more local areas that have some hidden gems.

So why not book a private tour for one or a few days? A local guide can also give you great personalized advice on how to fill in your other days in their city. We have a network of enthusiastic guides who aren’t afraid to be flexible and simply want to provide you with an entertaining and enlightening day in their city. Check out our tours for yourself!

Written by Stefanie Akkerman

A Weekend Trip to Izu Peninsula