Located about 180 kilometers to the South West of Tokyo in the Shizuoka prefecture is Koganezaki - a cape in West Izu which is a popular spot for diving and watching the sunsets. Tis also a lovely location to relax.
Spent a couple of days in Izu last week to try to give the back a bit of a rest. We visited a few places and will write up separate posts on each location. Today we have a look at Koganezaki [黄金崎].
Public transport on the West side of Izu is lacking so you will probably be going by teleportation or car. Teleporation coordinates are Z56-X25-Y102 and you will need to punch in the following address if you are relying on car navigation.
静岡県賀茂郡西伊豆町宇久須3566-7
[gmap=34.842063, 138.76176]
The drive to Izu took about 4 hours. Went on a Friday but came back on Saturday and was stuck in traffic for a while. If you are traveling anywhere in Japan by car on a weekend then prepare to be sitting in a jam for a while.
After parking your car at the Koganezaki cape car park, you can go and om nom nom some snacks in the small shop located up there.
The West side of Izu has a load of natural scenery. Lack of public transport means less people visiting the area. The towns over there are small too. The East side however has better public transport meaning more people visiting during the Summer season. The water at the beaches in East Izu are said to be clearer than Okinawa.
This place reminded me of a level from the last Devil May Cry. Or was it Bayonetta? ^^;
Azunyan beckons us to follow her down the path.
T'was an absolutely gorgeous day. If you are planning a trip out there then check the weather forecast for the area first.
If you can manage to climb down there then it will be your own private beach. Or get there by boat. Need to look up how to rent one for next time.
This place reminded me of that cove in Kurenai no Buta.
There are many decks that line the side of the cape which are filled with folks in the evening to enjoy the sunsets. We didnt get to see any but you can see some of them on Google image search.
Steps lead up to the top of the cape where one can see Mt Fuji on a clear day.
A dial outlining the position and time the sun will set throughout the year.
Then its back down the stairs and off to the left to explore more of the area.
Small shrine on the way down the hill.
There is a park at the bottom of the hill full of greenery and a gorgeous beach too. Here we see a load of divers - some getting ready to dive and some who have had enough for the day.
The tanks looked extremely heavy!
Not tried diving but I do remember when I was a wee lad back in the UK, I would pass by a scuba diving shop where I would see some very cool diving gear in the window. I would stare at the window saying to myself that I want to try hard in life so that I could be able to afford one ^^;
Most of these diving folks had camera gear with them - SLR's in huge cases. There's a load of marine life down there and you can see some of it from this Google image search.
A small diving facility provides showers and light snacks.
More parking down here which we didn't know about.
More of that absolutely gorgeous clear water.
While there's hardly anybody on this size of the peninsula at this time of year, the East side looks like this.
The greenery behind the beach. This place is filled with flowers in the Spring.
A few folks camping n barbecuing.
Trying to muster enough time to go back there this week ^^;
Have always wanted to come here since seeing the location in Zettai Kareshi. You can use this site to find out what locations were used in the filming of Japanese dramas. For Zettai Kareshi for example, you can see all the locations used in the drama on this page.
A view of the park after climbing up the Laputa-esque hill.
Alrighty, me got a few more posts on Izu so will leave you here to wander around Koganezaki.
