Automatic check out machine! All you need to do is drop insert your key to check out! Quick and easy 😊
We ate and shopped at Tokyo Station while waiting for our train to Izu Peninsula.
Cinnamoroll pop-up shop in Tokyo Station
We found a Calbee➕ at Tokyo Station! Try the potato chips, it was so good!
We decided to book the Odoriko Limited Express from Tokyo Station to Izu-Inatori Station after doing my research (more details here). We booked via this website, where you'd need to create an account to book. You do not need to pay until you collect your tickets in person from your chosen ticket collection counter. However, the tickets must be collected at least one day in advance before your travel date (we collected ours yesterday).
Our tickets to Izu!
It cost us ¥6,200 per adult and ¥3100 per child (one way). Technically it was free for children under 6 years old who don't require a seat but we didn't want to risk having him sit on our laps for more than 3 hours so we paid for his ticket anyway. Turns out that we could've saved the money as there were so many empty seats near us! *sigh*
Our boarding time was at 1pm at Platform 9 or 10.
Tokaido Line at Platform 9 or 10
Try to get there earlier and ask someone for the exact train to board. Thank God we did otherwise we would have boarded the wrong train! Ours was the Super View Odoriko train, which was an express train that stopped at fewer stops than the regular train and hence more expensive!
On our Superview Ordoriko train to Izu!
Super spacious seats with pull-out tables
Bento that we bought from Tokyo Station to eat on the train
Beautiful scenery as we were travelling in Izu and approaching our station
The train will stop at multiple stations so do look/listen out for your station to alight. We finally arrived at Izu-Inatori Station, after travelling for approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Izu-Inatori Station
The route to the hotel looked doable so once again, the hubby suggested that we walk instead of taking a taxi to the hotel.
Lugging our luggage up a hill
We stumbled on some Sakura trees in full bloom along the way! Whoots! My first time experiencing hanami!
It's a typical ryokan where you'd have to remove your shoes at the door and change into the slippers provided. Even the boy had his own kid-sized slippers to wear!
The hotel welcomed us with a welcome drink and some sweet mochi. The boy and I loved it so much that we bought boxes of the mochi home as souvenirs!
The hotel also allowed us to choose the design of our yukata👘! This is the first time that we had ever been given the chance to choose our yukata in any ryokan!
A staff brought us to our room, which required the good ole metal key to open. It's been a long time since we've opened a door with actual key ever since we got an automatic door lock!
We had booked the Japanese Style with Open-Air Bath via Agoda at ¥68,331 per room per night. The price was inclusive of service charge, GST, breakfast and dinner but excludes bathing tax of ¥599 per person. We also had to pay approximately ¥8,500 per night for our boy for his food and accommodation. Note that the prices could vary depending on the season and whether it is weekday or weekend.
The room price may seem very expensive but trust me, you'd find that it is very worth it once you see the 10 course breakfast and dinner we had every morning and evening (more on that later)!
Japanese Style room with traditional tatami
You'd notice that there are no beds; well that's because they have not laid out the futons, which are stored in the huge cupboards behind.
Left: Fridge and air-conditioning, which you will need as it can get really hot here!; Right: Complimentary water.
Spacious bathroom with good size bathtub that I never use because I'd much rather bathe in the onsen
Clockwise from left: complimentary toiletries (you can help yourself to more at the onsen);
More toiletries for your use;
As usual, the toilet is separate from the bathroom.
We wanted to try what it's like to have our own private outdoor bath and I'd have to say, it's really quite awesome! The boy really enjoyed getting to soak in it every day and night!
Very tiny but will suffice for the 3 of us
Beautiful view from the balcony of our room!
You could also choose to bathe at the public onsen too if you want. I did because I was alone most of the time! It's like having a whole onsen to yourself!
Public onsen
Sneaked a photo of the public onsen since I'm always alone 😁
We headed out to the restaurant for complimentary pancakes during afternoon tea, before heading out to explore the surrounding area.
Complimentary pancakes for tea
We were in a Tsunami area! *gasps*
Super beautiful view of the sea and the setting sun
The boy had a super mega toddler meltdown before this shot was taken. I'm posting it anyway because 1) it's a pretty photo and 2) I'm keeping it real!
As we were exploring, we stumbled upon a pretty little park with a foot spa just 10 minutes away from our hotel. It had a lot of Sakura trees in full bloom! So pretty!
So glad that we got to see the Sakura and take photos with it before the big rain the next day (see next post)!
Took this family photo with the help of my Olympus OMD timer and a wooden divider
The foot spa is free for all to use! We were so tempted to take off our shoes and get our feet wet but we didn't have any towels with us to clean up after.
Indoor foot spa
Or outdoor foot spa
Instead, we did what we loved best: shopping in a supermarket!
Aeon MaxValu Supermarket was located just 3 minutes away from the park
They had the kid-size trolley that my boy loved! He was enthusiastically putting all of our stuff in it!
By now, we were super hungry so we headed back to the hotel for our dinner.
The boy received his kids pack, which came with super cute towel, notebook, shower foam and toothbrush!
We also got dressed in the yukata we chose when we checked in. Even the boy had his own yukata!
Family photo in our room!
The hubby preempted me that the dinner had rave reviews online but we had no idea just how abundant and sumptuous our dinner was!
Even the boy had a full course meal which could've been enough for an adult! We had to help the boy finish half of his meal!
As for our meal, it was served course by course just like fine dining!
Our amazing starter, which in itself was a work of art!
My first time trying matcha cheese fondue! So yummy! 😋
A tray full of sashimi made up of the freshest fish that's caught in this region!
Fired 🔥 up abalone!
Clockwise from left: Woah, fire on!;
More fish, this time cooked;
Yummy dessert to end the meal!
What an experience! We had never tried a 10-course Japanese dinner before so this was such a treat! We were both so FULL by the end of it!!!
The staff laid out the futons while we had dinner so that we could return to our comfortable beds once we were done. You can choose when you would like them set up and when you'd like them to be kept.
The excited boy's first time sleeping on a futon!
Futons are awesome for kids because you'd never have to worry that they'll fall off onto the floor! For once, we don't have to share a bed with the boy! 😁
We are totally in love with Izu and having a great time so far! We highly recommend visiting if you're tired of the typical touristy places such as Tokyo and Hakone ☺️
