Back in Shizuoka, tonight we’re staying at a well-known onsen ryokan in Izukyū Shimoda. The JR train from Atami is such a hassle — either it takes about 2 hours and 10 minutes, or you have to transfer and add another half hour, and the transfer timing is tight. To catch this train, I had to grab a fast-food lunch, buying tickets, collecting luggage, and waiting in line to eat all within an hour.
I picked a pasta place but ended up waiting again. Turns out their pasta is actually pretty good, and the service is fast.
After eating, I went to Atami to transfer trains, but the ticket situation was a mess — apparently 3 of them had to be bought as a set?
Two hours really flew by. Arriving in Southern Izu, I found out this train is a “Super View” one — meaning there are panoramic seats at the back where you can enjoy views of the Izu coastline.<
There was another train nearby that’s also Izu-limited edition, all black, matching the black ship theme of Izukyū Shimoda. It looked so stylish!! A bit appealing to train enthusiasts? It left the station very quickly!
Arriving at Izukyū Shimoda Station, my ryokan for the night — Shimoda Yamato-kan — offers a free shuttle bus. It’s located to the right as you exit the station and runs every half hour.
Shimoda Yamato-kan is one of the ryokans highly recommended by Tokyo TV programs, so I’m really looking forward to staying here.
Before even reaching the ryokan, I saw a beautiful beach and already thought it was amazing. Inside, the service is excellent — they let you sit in the sea-view lobby, offering tea and sweets while you check in. Their English isn’t perfect but still manageable. There were some foreign guests, but most were Japanese.
Near the lobby, you can choose yukata (casual kimono), with lots of patterns — the designs are really nice, and the belts are great too. Not those random plain ones, but ones you could actually wear formally with cute floral bows. Not many ryokans do this so well!
I arrived at 16:10, and chose dinner times at 18:00 or 18:30 — both quite early. I also picked breakfast for 08:00 or 08:30 tomorrow.
I booked a room with a private onsen bath inside and sea views, priced around ¥27,000, part of a special single package. Not sure if that’s why, but the room doesn’t feel very big (compared to Shirasagi in Shirahama), though maybe other rooms are bigger?
But the room is really nice!
Last time I didn’t rest enough after eating and went straight to soak — which gave me indigestion for days. This time I made sure to rest well before soaking.
The balcony gets sunlight, and it’s quite warm here, but with the sea breeze in the evening, it wasn’t too hot to soak.
Dinner time was at 18:30, so I headed to the 5th-floor restaurant. Ever since my last trip to Izu, I’ve been craving the seafood and sashimi here — it’s super fresh. Tonight’s dinner mainly featured grilled seafood over charcoal.
The appetizers were so delicate!
Right after the appetizers came the sashimi — it was really delicious, definitely better than what you’d get at regular fish markets.
Then came a huge platter of grilled seafood: red sea bream, scallops, abalone, shrimp, vegetables, and a piece of pork belly.
The staff helped grill the scallops and abalone to medium-rare — their technique was excellent.
The rest you grill yourself.
There was also salad~
By the time I finished eating, I was already full, but then the waiter told me, “We’ll be serving the main course.”
There was more?! But I really couldn’t eat any more. However, when the next dish arrived — oh, it was a soup with grilled red sea bream?! The waiter said it’s a traditional dish, and it was really tasty. He said it’s usually only served during special events, so I felt really lucky. It was simple but elegant, and I left not a single grain behind.
There was also unlimited dessert and fruit.
Chocolate fountain
I ate until I was so full I could barely move. The fruit was fresh and shiny too.
The environment is so relaxing. I went for a soak around 1:30 AM — maybe too late, and being alone, I didn’t stay long. Slept really well afterward.
Worth mentioning is that this onsen ryokan also has a spectacular scenic spa. If you book my package, you can get a 50% discount on the spa. Not sure how good the deals are for other packages.
The inn also has a small souvenir shop—so thoughtful, T? Shinchō?
The hot spring inn provides lotion, toner, cream, and even massage chairs. If you eat dinner too early and get hungry at night, you can buy snacks from the vending machines—there are hot meals as well as ice cream drinks and more.
I bought an ice cream and went back to my room to enjoy it slowly. After soaking in the bath, it definitely feels great, w??
Tomorrow we’re heading to Yokohama. I’ve actually wanted to go for a long time, but I hadn’t fully explored Tokyo yet. Now that I’ve done 7788 there, it’s finally time to set off for Yokohama.