Izu Inatori: Day One

Home for a day or so

Well here we are in Izu-Inatori.

Firstly, it’s lovely.

Killin time: We arrived a little ahead of check-in so we went for a little walk around the township. The place is pretty small can’t be any more than a few thousand – not a gaijin in sight. On our little jaunt we spotted a butterfly the size of my hand, a low hanging nest of tiny little swallows and small tank with the most energetic and reactive turtle we have ever seen.

"Got a problem bro?"

The Rza: Ryokan Senoumi, where we are staying is wonderful. The staff are overly attentive and English speakers are a rarity and broken at best, but they try very hard. We had a 15-minute introduction with a woman with no English – there were a few scratched heads to be sure. Our room has a sea view and is very traditional with tatami mats and the set in area with a picture and ikebana that is an old Japanese room feature.  The balcony over looks a fish shaped public pool and just beyond that dug into the rocky shore is a large swimming area. It is also traditional to note that a stay in a ryokan includes breakfast and dinner – although dinner is more of a banquet.

Got a light?

Seafood overload: Prior to coming down to Izu I bemoaned our lack of experimentation in the Japanese snack market. I really wish I hadn’t bought us those god awful fish jerky things as the first meal – nay - banquet contained more experimentation than one could truly imagine. It was a fish banquet and was beautifully and meticulously presented. We enjoyed it but it did feel a tad weird to eat so much fish – we’re just not used to it. I drew the line at the sea snails. They are horrific – I took a nibble and I could not see, taste or understand one redeemable feature of them. The tastes was acrid yet musty, chewy yet crunchy and was completely without pleasure. Will bypass those bad boys next time I’d say.

Old Coach: It was nice to see a bottle of NZ red on the wine list, and when the wine list only contains 5 wins varieties that is all the more impressive and thus Hannah enjoy the explorative feast with a bottle of Old Coach Road Malbec Merlot Cabernet. Very nice indeed and Hannah and I spent the evening playfully dancing around our ryokan room in our Yukata.

Izu or bust(ed) ligament

Hannah almost gets her face eaten
off by a rogue flower

Dancer: We are gassing it down the Izu Penisula coast in a fast train, also known as a Romance Car; apparently its name is “Dancer”. It is nowhere as near as fast as the Bullet train but still thwacks along at a fairly impressive pace. The window is down and my arm is outside the carriage being softly buffeted by a thick warm wind – it is bloody beautiful. So that is our latest little holiday in Japan. We’re headed to Izu-Inatori to a Ryokan Onsen resort called Senoumi for three nights. A somewhat pricey affair at 70,000 yen per person, but it includes hot mineral springs, breakfast, dinner and the train fair there and back so I think it is well worth it.

Good to see you: It is a minter of a day out as I gander out the window to my left and watch the ocean break on the rocks – it is quite nice to the see the ocean again as it has been over six months since I saw it – which isn’t long, but kind of is when your used to living a few minutes from the ocean your whole life. I used to frequently wander down to Oriental Parade back home and it’s those little difference that catch up with you, yielding a wasted sentimentality that felling that can build within you: Longing. Anyway it is good to see the big blue bastard.

Still ballin

Best laid plans of Mr and Mrs Elks: I’ll let you in on a secret- this trip was arranged a mere two days ago. We had made plans months ago to go on a cycling tour of Nagano and Niigata. We were looking forward to it as anyone would. There is a company that organizes private tours and a bloke had tailor-made us a five day tour with cycling, trekking and climbing Mt Naiba, Onsen (hot spring) and Ryokans (Japanese Inns) and it was looking great – until three days ago when he called me and told me the tour needed to be cancelled due to a shoulder injury *gutted*. I was a little disappointed to say the least but these things happen. We went back to the drawing board – a real crap drawing board though as it is Obon week – perhaps the busiest and most expensive week of the year for travel and vacation.  Seriously it is horrible hotels, tours and packages etc double, triple and even quarazzle in price. But after a day or so of faffing we organized this delightful package and we are happy as Larry. By the way, who the smeg is Larry and why is he such a cheery fellow? By the way even though it was cancelled I totally recommend the company that do the bike tours - Kevin the guy organising it did a great job catering for our needs: onelifejapan

Farewell Liggy, I hardly knew ya: To be honest it (the trip cancellation) could all be seen as a gloriously silver lined cloud (Note: I am not a “glass half full” kind of guy – I’m more of a glass moderately full sort of a fellow). We had a work BBQ in the bush on Saturday and they had this giant group skip rope activity “It’ll be lots of fun for sure.” Mmmmm - wasn’t so fun when I tore my Anterior Cruciate ligament clean in half upon landing. No sireee Bob (who is this Bob? And why the formal title?) It is an injury I started over a year ago playing football with about a 90% tear. Bam 100%! Goody. So we’re lucky really as there would be no way on God’s luscious green earth I’d be able to cycle for any length of time – let along walk for more than an hour without it ballooning up. On the moderatle sort of full side of things the swelling has receded and pain is not an issue.

Anyway that is us so far. Will give you an update from Izu-Inatori! S’gonna be great!