Shimoda & South Izu: Black Ships, Sea Caves & Beaches — 2 Days

A chain of seven waterfalls strung along the upper Kawazu river in the green hills above the coast, linked by a walking trail that crosses and recrosses the stream on bridges and stone steps past basalt columns and pools — the largest fall, Odaru, drops 30 metres. The valley is the setting of Kawabata Yasunari's 'The Izu Dancer', and bronze statues mark the tale along the way. A cool, shaded forest walk on the way down the peninsula, lovely with hydrangeas in early summer.

Open at all hours, free; the full loop trail takes about an hour. In Kawazu, ~30 minutes by car north of Shimoda (or the Izu Kyuko line to Kawazu plus a bus). NOTE: the famous Kawazu cherry blossoms are a separate, earlier event (early Feb to early March); the waterfalls themselves are year-round. Wear shoes with grip — the stones can be wet.

The temple where the Treaty of Shimoda was negotiated and signed in 1854, the agreement that opened the first Japanese ports to American ships and effectively ended two centuries of seclusion. Perry and his officers walked here from the harbour along what is now Perry Road. The temple keeps a museum of Black Ships-era artefacts — documents, prints, everyday objects from the moment two worlds met — and its grounds fill with fragrant jasmine in May. The historical heart of the town.

Grounds open daily, free; the Black Ships museum keeps daytime hours, small admission (approx., 2026). In central Shimoda, a short walk from the harbour and the head of Perry Road. The jasmine (American jasmine) blooms in May. Allow about 40 minutes.

A short, photogenic street following a willow-lined canal from Ryosen-ji toward the harbour, the route Perry's men marched to the treaty talks, now lined with old stone-and-namako-plaster merchant houses converted into cafés, bars and small galleries. It is the loveliest corner of Shimoda for a slow lunch — a café table by the water, the willows, the old facades — and an easy, atmospheric way to feel the town's nineteenth-century opening rather than just read about it. Browse the galleries afterward.

The street is open at all hours, free; individual cafés keep their own hours (several open for lunch). In central Shimoda between Ryosen-ji and the harbour. A canalside café lunch runs roughly ¥1,200-2,200 (approx., 2026). Shimoda's seafood speciality is kinmedai (golden-eye snapper) — look for it on local menus.

The finest beach in Izu and one of the best on the Pacific coast near Tokyo — a long curve of genuinely white sand against clear blue-green water, with the vermilion torii of Shirahama Shrine standing on the rocks at its northern end. Out of the summer swimming season it is a wide, near-empty stretch for a walk, with surfers in the breaks and the shrine on its outcrop. The clean sand and the shrine make it the classic south-Izu coast scene.

Open at all hours, free; swimming season is roughly mid-July to August (lifeguards and facilities then). About 10 minutes by car or bus east of central Shimoda. The Shirahama Shrine torii on the north rocks is the photo spot. Parking fills on summer weekends.

A long-established garden ryokan in the quiet Rendaiji onsen district just inland of Shimoda, set in green grounds with its own abundant hot spring, indoor and open-air baths and a mix of Japanese rooms and more resort-style accommodation. It is the most comfortable upscale base in the Shimoda area — away from the harbour bustle, with good kaiseki dining and a garden to wander — and an easy launch point for the next day's run down the coast. A restful end to the history-and-beach day.

Rates vary by season and room (2026) — confirm directly. In Rendaiji, ~10 minutes by car or one rail stop inland from Shimoda. Ask about the open-air baths and the kaiseki dinner plan. A car helps for the coastal route the next day.

A cable car that climbs from beside Izukyu-Shimoda Station to the top of Mount Nesugata, where a garden park looks down over the whole harbour where Perry's Black Ships once anchored, out to the open Pacific and the offshore islands. There is a small shrine, a Black Ships-era lookout point, and seasonal flowers — hydrangeas in June — along the summit paths. A short, scenic way to start the day with the lie of the coast laid out below before driving south.

Round trip about ¥1,500 adult (approx., 2026), daytime hours. The base station is beside Izukyu-Shimoda Station in central Shimoda. Hydrangeas bloom on the summit in June. Allow about an hour including the summit garden walk.

The southernmost point of the Izu Peninsula, a dramatic headland of sheer cliffs dropping into the open sea, with a white lighthouse on the heights and a tiny shrine, Irozaki Shrine, wedged into a cleft of rock right at the cliff edge. A walking path runs out along the spine of the cape past wind-bent vegetation to the lookouts, with the Pacific on three sides and, on clear days, distant islands. The most elemental coastal viewpoint in Izu and worth the drive to the tip.

Open at all hours, free; a paid parking area sits at the trailhead. About 40-50 minutes by car from Shimoda along the south coast. The walk to the lighthouse and shrine takes 15-20 minutes each way over uneven ground — wear sensible shoes and take care on windy days.

The 'Matsushima of Izu' — a stretch of the west coast where soft volcanic rock has been eroded into pillars, arches and sea caves scattered with little pine-topped islets. Small sightseeing boats run from the harbour through the caves, including the famous Tensodo, a cave with a collapsed roof open to the sky, where light pours down onto the water. At low tide a natural sand path, the Tombolo, opens to a nearby island. Restaurants by the dock serve seafood lunch with the rock scenery in view.

Sightseeing boats run daytime hours, ~¥1,500 adult for the cave cruise (approx., 2026); cave entry can be suspended at high tide or in rough seas — check on the day. In Nishiizu, ~50-60 minutes by car north of Cape Irozaki up the west coast. Restaurants at the harbour for lunch. The Tombolo land-bridge depends on the tide timetable.

A tiny public open-air hot-spring bath perched on a cliff ledge above the sea at Sawada, just north of Dogashima, looking straight out across the water — famous as one of the great sunset baths of Japan, the western sky and the rock islands glowing as you soak. It is small and basic, with simple changing rooms, and gender-separated; the view does all the work. A perfect, elemental close to a south-Izu coast day before the drive back.

Open daytime to evening, ~¥600 (approx., 2026); small, basic and gender-separated, and may close in rough weather or for maintenance — check the day's hours locally. On the cliff at Sawada, ~5 minutes by car north of Dogashima. Bring a towel. Time it near sunset if your schedule allows.