A small fishing village steeped in history, Shimoda is a great escape for a long beach weekend. Less than three hours from Tokyo Station, Shimoda has everything you’d want in a low-key sandy getaway: nice hotels, cheap pensions, historical sites, great seafood, and most importantly, clear water and soft white beaches.
How to get there: Splurge and take the super-cush green car train. The Limited Express Odoriko Superview offers panoramic views and a ride sweeter than first class in the air. From Tokyo Station it takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to get to Izukyu-Shimoda Station.
Where to stay: I want to be on Ohama Beach. Not near it, not around it, on it. (I settled for as close as I could get). I grabbed a cab from the station and went to The White Beach Hotel, literally a 30-second walk from Ohama Beach. White Beach Hotel offers big, white, fluffy beds and a super cool staff, all of whom speak English. Note: this is a Western hotel that caters to foreigners and Japanese alike.
If you’re looking for a traditional Japanese experience, there are a ton of tiny, family-run pensions scattered in the area, some with rooms as low as 3,500 yen per night (these look pretty bare bones, however). You’ll very likely need some decent Japanese skills to roll into these spots. There are other hotel options that looked really nice as well, one being Ernest House, just a few minutes’ walk from the beach. Ernest has a nice Hawaiian-ish cafe called Cafe Mellow.
Where to eat: Two words: fish tacos. I cannot tell you how happy I was to find Marina’s. Owned by a Southern Cali/JP couple, Marina’s Fish Tacos serves up the real deal. Authentic, California-style (not fried) fish tacos for 400 yen. I ate the salmon and swordfish taco set, which comes with rice, black beans, chips with salsa and guack.
What to do: If you have transport, you have a ton more options. White Beach manager Kevin gave me a mind-blowing tour of the area and pointed out some of the highlights in the area:
-- If you’re into history, there’s the Perry’s Landing Monument. In 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry came to Shimoda to initiate the opening of trade with the United States. You can take a bay tour on a replica of one of Perry’s “Black Ships.” (You’ll see the model black ship at the station too). There are loads of pretty shrines and temples scattered throughout the town, including the Choraku-Ji temple, which dates back to 1555 and commemorates the spot where the Japan-Russia peace treaty was signed 300 years later, in 1855. Also check out the restaurants and shops on super quaint Perry Road
-- If you’re into water sports, Shimoda has diving, kayaking, fishing, and surfing. Zero waves kept me from surfing, but hanging out on the super-clean, soft beach was a fine consolation prize. Check out the Real Surf Shop to get gear and/or lessons (White Beach can also hook it up for you).
-- If you’re into nature, Shimoda is freaking paradise. Lush green mountains with endless winding roads give way to breathtaking ocean and cliff views, tiny secret coves, and little villages where life hasn’t changed in decades. If you drive, or can get a ride, definitely check out the Ryugu Sea Cave. There’s also a ropeway in town that takes you up for an aerial view of the entire area, including the Izu Seven Islands.
Happy beaching!
© GaijinPot
6 Comments
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Goodwill_Hunting
Any reason you didn't tell us how much your hotel cost?
And do they offer stand up paddle boarding rentals at those beaches? Never a dull day on SUP, even with zero waves.
PeaceWarrior
I love Shimoda and for me the most important thing is that it has very few kurage so you can actually go there and enjoy swimming and snorkeling without the risk of getting one of these bast..ds stinging you. I highly recommend the place.
gaijintraveller
The article tells I how to go, but I think it needs more vital information:
How not to go: By car. Traffic in Izu in the holiday season can be worse than traffic in Tokyo in the rush. Driving between Tokyo and Shimada can take as long as flying to Thailand.
I gave up on Izu a long time ago. If you go by car, it is a waste of time. If you go by train, you cannot avoid cars.
When to go: When the beaches are officially closed.
If you are looking for somewhere to go, I would like to offer this bit of advice. Ask Japanese people where to go and then go somewhere else. Anywhere they recommend will be too crowded and should be avoided like the plague.
Spanki
Yumigahama beach is great, really beautiful, not busy and no surfers whenever i've been, so its good for young kids too as its in a large cove. If you drive to southern Izu do your journeys at night to avoid the awful traffic on the way. Personally whenever I go down there, which is quite often, I get the train as its relaxing and sometimes rent a car from Shimoda station for the weekend.
Cynthia Popper
GaijinTraveller: Exactly- I actually got this recommendation from a Japanese friend, so yeah, I totally agree. I didn't feel the need to offer any converse travel advice because I offered the nicest way to get there. And I don't drive.
Goodwill: Sorry about that- the original article on GaijinPot had a link to the hotel with the rates, which vary according room type and season. I paid 180 a night.
Get Real
180 yen?
Was that for a single or a double? Full board, half pension, breakfast included?
How much was the train, with it's 'ride sweeter than first class' (no exaggeration, of course)?