We took the train down to Shimoda at the bottom of the Izu peninsular where Makoji-chan is currently living. Shimoda is a seaside resort with lots of good beaches. So Hannah was able to visit a beach and play in the sand and sea for the first time.
After that we drive up the west coast of the peninsular to the town of Matsuzaki where we stayed at the Hotel Izu Matsuzaki-so overlooking the beach.
This is the dinner we had at the hotel. As you can see, it was huge.
Hannah showing how old she is. 'Ni-sai!' ('Iam 2 years old')
The beach outside the hotel. I think this may be damage from the recent typhoon.
The next day we drove further up the coast. The west side of Izu is very rocky and has dramatic scenery with lots of headlands, inlets and coves and small beaches. The main road is also dramatic with lots of tunnels.
About lunchtime we got to the port of Toi and took a ferry across Suruga Bay to Shimizu. It was a lovely day and we had a good view of Mt Fuji on the north coast of the bay.
Panorama: starting from north-west, the panning to Mt Fugi to the north, then west back towards Izu peninsular and the port of Toi.
"Suruga Bay is a place of contrasts. Japan's loftiest peak, Mount Fuji at 3,776 m (12,388 ft), rises from the 2,500-m depth of the Suruga Trough running up the middle of the bay, which makes it Japan's deepest
Suruga Bay was formed by tectonic subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate at the Suruga Trough, making it a source of considerable seismic activity, [2][3] and giving the bay its extreme depth
Panorama starting looking south-west to Shizuoka coast, then panning north to Mt Fuji and finally east towards the Izu peninsular.
Looking south-east towards the southern Izu peninsular.
This is Shimizu bay which is the port of Shizuoka.
And this is a Hiroshige wood-block print of Suruga Bay.
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