(June 15-16, 2024)
We went for an mini trip camping and visiting some new places in Izu. Although I have already visited Izu so many times, we still managed to find surprise and great places that I would like to recommend.
This is a great public park including white sand beach. Also, there is a family restaurant (Jonathan) across the street that can oversee this park and the seaside. Jonathan opens early and serves great breakfast. I particularly like their spongy pancakes.
This is like a lift for ski resorts, but this lift is use for going up and down the hill. It has a great view on sunny day, and the cafe on the top of the hill serves cute drinks. It was a nice place to chill and relax.
This is by far my most favorite Zoo. Although the entrance fee was a bit expensive, I feel totally worth it. The decoration and plantation inside the Zoo looked like South America. The most special part of this Zoo is that, almost all the animals and birds could freely walk/move/fly inside the Zoo. They were not in cages and chained. The area is quite spacious, with many trees and a large pond the the middle. Monkeys and birds were just hiding inside the trees that we had to look for them. Some animals were simply walking around. They all look so relaxed. It was a really pleasant place to visit. I took so many interesting photos there, really enjoyed it there.
This is an unbelievably huge park, with many different provisions. We only walked through British Village and Japanese Garden, although got too tired and to take a bus to return. Too bad it seems that I have missed the Canadian Village.
The whole area was so well maintained and carefully decorated, especially the Japanese Garden, full of flowers, a great place for photo-shooting. The British Village also looked impressive. Moreover, I really like the Toy Museum in the British Village. There were many ancient antique toys demonstrating inside. I think they were probably donated. I was particularly interested in the Toy House, it was so big and detailed, made from wood and other real materials, not just paper/cardboards. A toy house like that must have costed a fortune and long time to create…
This is a free campsite by Numazu City. It is located at northwest of Izu, deep inside the mountain and require car to get there, but the campsite/parking/BBQ site are free to use, just require reservation by phone/email.
The environment was really nice. There was small river flowing between the woods, a hiking trail to nearby Mt. Kinkan. The firewood was provided for free at the BBQ place. However, there is no bath/shower facility, so it would be a good idea to take visit a hotspring/public bath before driving to the campsite. Also, it would be wise to reserve campsites with grounding/base, which are limited.
