atami adventures

Whoops, another huge gap in posting. But things have finally calmed down a bit so hopefully I'll be all caught up soon!

So shortly after I returned to Japan, my friend Tomás came to visit on his way back to Thailand! You may recall that he took me all around Thailand last Golden Week, so this time it was my turn to return the favor. We didn't go all over, but we did go to Atami, a place famous for hot springs that neither of us had every been to before.

We set off Saturday morning on a short shinkansen trip (per Tomas's request) and arrived at Atami Station, where one of the first things we saw was a foot bath right outside the station! We didn't use it but saw lots of people enjoying it and little vending machines with commemorative towels. Then, as it was lunchtime, we wandered around the shopping streets looking for a place to eat before deciding on a place with fresh seafood. To be honest I think I have had better but Tomás seemed to enjoy his a lot so that's what mattered, haha.

After lunch we continued wandering and went along the beach, where we found a (supposedly) famous statue that Tomás actually knew from a game he played! We saw lots of early cherry blossoms and also visited a shrine nearby (Kinomiya Shrine), which had some very old and big and impressive trees before visiting the Atami Plum Garden, which was having a festival. Unfortunately we got there just before closing and there wasn't much there in terms of festivities, but there was a cool little waterfall and cave as well as a few plum trees in bloom.

Then we walked up some windy roads to our hotel, which was kind of in the middle of nowhere but had some pretty nice baths. There I discovered that I somehow had forgotten to make sure I had enough cash to pay for the hotel, and they didn't accept credit cards. D: They were kind enough to accept payment on check-out instead though, so we averted a crisis. Then we took s bus back down into town and wandered around before finding a ramen restaurant for dinner, which was delicious, and then returned to the hotel for a soak in the bath and some drinks before going to bed early.

The next day we got a bus pass and went around the Itou Peninsula. First stop:  the Jogasaki coast and bridge, which was probably my favorite part of the trip! The weather was very nice and the trail was beautiful, with stunning views of rocky coasts and ocean everywhere.

Next we went to the Izu Cactus Park, to see capybaras soaking in hot springs! Well it was probably more just like a bath, but anyway they were happily soaking (and pooping?!) in it, along with some citrus fruits. Very cute. :3 There were a lot more animals and exhibits (and cacti), but the capybaras were definitely the highlight.

Our next stop was Mt. Omuro, an extinct volcano covered in grass that reminded me of Stone Mountain back home somehow (maybe just its very round shape). We took a chairlift up and took a walk around the rim of the crater, which had a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji. You could do archery inside the old crater, but we didn't try.

Our final stop of the day was Lake Ippekiko, which frankly wasn't really worth stopping for in the end, but we took a short walk before heading back to wait for the next bus before it got too dark. And then we had dinner at a cute little restaurant and ice cream before heading back to our hotel.

Our last morning in Atami was spent at the Museum of Art, before having a final sushi lunch and heading back to Yokohama! I took Tomás around to all my standard spots, including the passenger terminal, red brick warehouse, and Cup Noodle Museum, which I think he enjoyed. Then we went back to Chiba and had yakiniju to celebrate his birthday!

And that was the end of his trip, since he was going back to Thailand the next day for a conference. It was a short few days, but lots of fun and a great first trip of the new year! :)