gotemba-kawazu-inatori

We awoke to hopefully see a beautiful sunrise, but Mount Fuji was still sleeping.

At breakfast, we saw some hail but for the most part it was really cloudy.

After a hearty breakfast buffet, we headed to Gotemba station and caught the train to Kawazu (which takes about 2 and a half hours).

From Atami to Kawazu the train winds down the tracks through many coastal towns.

Unlike the weather at breakfast, it was turning out to be another beautiful day.

When we arrived at Kawazu station, you could see the pink trees just below the train platform.

We were ready for lunch and popped into a cafe right near the station called Kirin-kan.

One reason we popped into this cafe was to use their restroom, the line at the station was krazy! (even for the men's restroom!)

Satoshi ordered their hayashi rice (hashed beef) and I had their open faced sandwich (tuna, cabbage and tomato and sausage with potato)

Their food was delicious and we happened to eat at the right time (there was a line for the cafe when we left!)

Before checking out the kawazuzakura, we walked to one end of the path which was near the ocean.

Being from Hawaii, I am a beach snob and can never get used to seeing Japan's "dirty" sand...

We then walked the path (about 2.4 kilometers (1.4 miles)) to Nehando, where they have a statue of a sleeping Buddha.

If you climb up the hill next to Nehando, you can see the river and all the sakura trees lining it.

Kawazuzakura emerged when the oshimazakura and kanhizakura varieties were naturally bred. Unlike the someiyoshi variety which is seen all over Japan, kawazuzakura is a darker pink, bigger flower and blooms earlier than the someiyoshi and the flowers last about a month.

On the way back to the station, we checked out the original Kawazuzakura tree which is over 60 years old!

This year's festival runs from February 10 until March 10.

After a lot of walking we went back a couple of stations to Izu-Inatori where a shuttle took us to Inatoriso.

This hotel was quite large and had many different bath areas, including several baths in a separate building! (Satoshi had fun checking out all the different baths)

Our room looked like we were on a cruise ship, yeah?!

Dinner was an assortment of things...like sashimi...we each could choose a type of fish, I chose kanpachi (amberjack) while Satoshi chose tai (snapper).

A citrus gelee was served to be eaten with the white fleshed fish...different but delicious.

There was also some squid, amaebi (northern shrimp) and maguro (tuna)

Apparently Inatori fishermen catch the most Kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) in Japan...so this fish appeared on our dinner menu several times...like this shabu shabu.

And this kinmedai nitsuke...in which the fish is simmered in a sweetened shoyu based sauce.

They suggest that you eat your nitsuke by putting it on some rice, drizzling the sauce on and topping it with a combination of katsuo bushi (shaved bonito), green onion, ginger, wasabi and/or nori.

I had mine with green onion, nori, ginger and a little katsuo bushi..delicious!

Another thing I enjoyed at dinner was this deep fried kasago (scorpionfish)...you could eat the bones! crunchy like kettle chips!

This was served with a yuzu salt...delicious!

I also enjoyed this shiso sour which is made with a shiso syrup and I think a shochu (distilled sweet potato liquor).

We walked a lot and ate a lot...it was nice listening to the ocean and relaxing in the different hot spring baths.

Kirin-kan
160-3 Hama
Kawazu-cho, Kamo-gun
Shizuoka
Phone: 0558.32.0007
Closed Thursdays
Hours: 9:30-17:00

Inatoriso
1531 Inatori
Higashi-Izu, Kamo-gun
Shizuoka
Phone: 0557.95.1234