Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [153]
Isoka-tei (23-1200; meals ¥1155-2100; 11.30am-3pm & 5.30-9pm) This friendly spot serves hearty seafood sets like torotoro donburi (tuna belly on rice, ¥1890). From the Tourist Association, head three blocks down My My-dōri, take a left and it’ll be on the next corner, with a fish and crab drawing in the overhead sign. There’s a picture menu.
Hiranoya (22-2525; meals ¥1260-3150; lunch & dinner Wed-Mon) A former private home, filled with antiques, elegant woodwork and funky Western-style seating. With an English menu, it serves steaks, sandwiches, burgers and curry. Look for the namako-kabe (lattice-pattern walls).
Gorosaya (23-5638; lunch/dinner ¥1575/3150; lunch & dinner Fri-Wed) Elegant, understated ambience and fantastic seafood. The Isōjiru soup is made from over a dozen varieties of shellfish. From the Tourist Association, head two blocks down My My-dōri, take a left and it’s on your left. Look for the wooden fish decorating the entrance of the blue-and-white building. There’s an English menu.
DRINKING
Ja Jah (27-1611; drinks from ¥700; 7pm-2am Tue-Sun) This cosy bar is a good place to kick back with fun tunes and friendly people. DJs sometimes spin (R&B, soul, hip-hop) on weekends. Look for the English sign.
Cheshire Cat Jazz House (23-3239; drinks from ¥500;11am-1am Thu-Sun) For live jazz, visit this low-key spot on My My-dōri. It’s easily spotted by its English sign.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Shimoda is as far as you can go by train on the Izu-hantō. You can take the Odoriko tokkyū from Tokyo Station (¥5480, 2¾ hours) or Atami (¥3400, 80 minutes). From Itō, Izukyūkō trains run from Itō Station (¥1570, one hour). Trains also run from Atami (¥1890, 1½ hours). Try to catch Izukyū’s Resort 21 train cars, with sideways-facing seats for full-on sea views.
South and west, transit is by Tōkai Bus to Dōgashima (¥1360, one hour) or Shuzen-ji (¥2140, two hours, one daily).
Car rental is available at Toyota Rent-a-Car (27-0100) by the train station.
Tōkai Kisen ferry (22-2626) serves the Izu-shotō islands Kōzushima, Shikinejima and Niijima (all ¥3740).
Around Shimoda
IMAIHAMA
This relaxing seaside village is one of Izu’s few towns with a sandy beach and a laid-back surfer vibe. Just what the doctor ordered for an overdose of culture and history.
You can rent body boards or fins from ¥1500 a day at Soul Surf (0558-32-1826) on the main street. Onsen Minshuku Wataya (0558-32-1055; fax 32-2058; http://wataya.biz, in Japanese; s/d incl 2 meals ¥9075/1650) is a kindly, family-run, eight-room place facing the beach, with tiny sea-view rotemburo and 24-hour indoor baths. Look for the Kirin beer sign about 100m past the surf shop.
Imaihama-kaigan Station is on the Izukyū line between Itō (¥1330, 45 minutes) and Izukyū Shimoda (¥480, 20 minutes).
RENDAI-JI & KANAYA ONSEN
The town of Rendai-ji is home to one of the best onsen on the peninsula, Kanaya Onsen (admission ¥1000; 9am-10pm). Its rangey, rambling building houses the biggest all-wood bath in the nation (on the men’s side), called the sennin-furo (1000-person bath, a vast exaggeration). The women’s bath is nothing to sneeze at, and both sides have private outdoor baths as well. BYO towel, or buy one for ¥200.
The same building also houses the fabulously traditional Kanaya Ryokan (0558-22-0325; fax 23-6078; r per person with/without meals from ¥15,750/7350), which was built in 1929 and feels like it. Some of the tatami rooms are simple, while others are vast suites with private toilet. There are no restaurants nearby, so go for the inn’s meals or pack you own.
From Izukyū Shimoda Station take the Izukyū line to Rendai-ji Station (¥160, five minutes), go straight across the river and main road to the T-junction and turn left; the onsen is 50m on the right.
IRŌZAKI
The southernmost point of the peninsula is noted for its cliffs and lighthouse and some fairly good beaches. You can get to the cape from Shimoda by boat (Click here) or by bus (¥930, 45 minutes) from bus 4 platform. Izu Cruise (0558-22-1151; adult/child ¥1000/500) runs frequent 25-minute