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| The only decent photo I took because I was too busy eating! I took a lot more photos the next day (see next post) so you might want to check that out instead π |
After breakfast, we prepared to head out to explore Izu. We took the FREE shuttle bus provided by our hotel to Izu-Inatori Station.
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| The complimentary shuttle bus from the hotel (apologies for the blurred photo, we were in a rush because it was about to rain) |
We wanted to get the Izukyu-Line 1-Day Pass at ¥1,200 (child under 6 years old FREE). You need a non-Japanese passport to purchase each ticket so don't forget to bring all your passports to the counter.
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| Izukyu-Line 1-Day Pass for unlimited train rides on the Izukyu-Line |
Our first stop was Izukogen Station, which was approximately 45 minutes from Izu-Inatori Station.
We were hoping that the rain would stop by the time we arrived at Izukogen but it didn't! It was raining so heavily that we were stranded at the station and had little choice but to take a taxi to our first destination. The taxi costs us ¥700 (all taxi start at ¥700 for the 1st 1km).
We arrived at Music Box Museum of Izu, the reason why I wanted to come to Izu in the first place!
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| Music Box Museum of Izu (Address: 〒413-0232 ι岑ηδΌζ±εΈYawatano, ε «εΉ‘ι1191-1, Japan) |
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| Beautiful music boxes on display! |
As you know, I'm a big lover and collector of music boxes. I love the tinkling sound of the music box after I have wound it up! The Music Box Museum of Izu is run by the same company as the one in Hokkaido (read about our experience in Otaru here), albeit a lot smaller.
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| A very small collection of music boxes |
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| Couldn't decide which one I wanted! |
At the end I decided to get 2 music boxes, of which one had lights and played the tune 'beauty and the beast'! π
The rain STILL did not stop after we were done so we ran to the Daiso next door to shop, especially for rain coats 'cos it looks like we're gonna need it!
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| Thank God for this Daiso!! We managed to buy very good raincoats that we used for the whole trip! |
The rain was relentlessly beating down on us as we walked to Izu Teddy Bear Museum! Thank God that I bought both the top and bottom rain protection for the boy! Although his hands and feet were drenched, he was otherwise kept mostly dry. Not bad for 100 yen a piece!
It was not the same for the hubby and I though! Our heads were wet because our hoods kept getting blown off by the crazy winds and the raincoat wasn't long enough to cover our legs so we were drenched from waist down. So miserable!
We managed to survive the 20-minute walk to the museum and thought that we could have a nice lunch. However, it turned out that Teddy's Garden, the museum's cafe, did not serve any main course! Since we had already sat down and took a drink of water, we had a little choice but to order a small dessert and tea and take a little breather.
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| Teddy's Garden at Teddy Bear Museum of Izu |
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| Super expensive and totally not-worth-it tea with nice banana cake and Teddy-shaped cookies. A for presentation, B for taste and C- for value π |
Luckily Google found us a nice restaurant with good reviews, Kenny's House Cafe, that was only a 5-minute walk away!
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| Kenny's House Cafe (Address: 〒413-0232 Shizuoka-ken, ItΕ-shi, Yawatano, 1064-6) |
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| Had their signature curry omelette rice and burger. Very yummy! |
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| The boy and I also tried their soft serve ice cream, which we love! |
After a satisfying lunch, we walked back to visit the Izu Teddy Bear Museum.
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| Izu Teddy Bear Museum (Address: 1064-2 Yawatano, ItΕ-shi, Shizuoka-ken 413-0232, Japan) |
It costs us ¥1,080 per ticket (FREE for my boy), which was OK though the museum wasn't very big. It would have been cheaper if I had remembered to flash my Izukyu Line 1-Day Pass but I forgot!! Darn it!! π£
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| The museum housed a fairly large collection of teddy bears, including a robotic one that greeted every visitor. |
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| All kinds of teddies |
I personally loved the Teddy Bear Express, that had very cute 'upper class' teddy bears going places!
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| Teddy Bear Express |
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| The attention to detail was remarkable! |
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| The boy asked me to take this photo of him. He liked the train very much too! |
We also enjoyed viewing Teddy Bear Land and Teddy Bear Factory. The displays were really pretty cute!
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| Welcome to Teddy Bear Land, a theme park for teddy bears π»! |
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| The boy spent a considerable amount of time staring at this display! |
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| The Teddy Bear Factory |
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| Observing the little workers hard at work! Super cute!! It's like mega Sylvanian Families but with only teddy bears! |
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| Left: A bear dressed in a full kimono; Right: Bears of different themes like the Wizard of Oz. |
I was also pretty impressed by their Tiny bears collection, with teddy bears as small as 1.3cm!
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| Tiny bears collection from all over the world |
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| The level of eye power and skill required to make such a tiny teddy bear is really remarkable! |
Izu Teddy Bear Museum also housed a 1mm bear, which is probably the smallest bear in the world! It was so small that you needed a magnifying glass to see it and even then, it was hard to see it clearly. I tried and failed to take a decent picture so you'll just have to take my word for it and go see it for yourself!
We moved on to the 2nd floor where a special exhibition of the famous Japanese anime, 'My Neighbour Totoro' is being displayed.
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| Photo with the gigantic Catbus, one of the characters in the anime |
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| Left: At the other end of the Catbus; Right: A photo with the gigantic Totoro! |
I had a great time at the museum even though the hubby grumbled that it was very small. I like cute stuff so this is right up my alley π
By the time we left the museum, it was STILL raining very heavily. We debated whether to wait it out or just brave the storm. I shopped around at the museum's gift shop while we debated. Eventually the rain lightened just enough for the hubby to declare that it was time for us to make our way back to Izukogen Station on foot.
As a result of the non-stop relentless downpour the whole day, my plans to visit the Izukogen Cherry Trees and Shimoda Ropeway were completely dashed! I was so disappointed!! π
Maybe this is just a sign that we have to visit Izu again, this time with my girl! Maybe we might even have time to visit the beautiful Izu Shaboten Zoo.
With gloomy hearts, we took the Izukyu Line from Izukogen Station back to Izu-Inatori Station. We decided to take a cab (¥700) from the station to the nearby supermarket as it was STILL raining. We managed to do some shopping at a local store and small Daiso, which cheered me up a bit.
When the rain lightened once more, we hastened back to our hotel as quickly as we could. As we were nearing the coast where our ryokan was located, we experienced such strong winds that blew us backwards that we almost couldn't walk! It took all of our strength to walk against the wind towards the safety of our ryokan! The wind was still constantly howling the whole time we were in our ryokan. It was a pretty scary experience!
We were so thankful for the comfort of our room and the warm onsen that greeted our freezing bodies when we returned. I never take my warm baths for granted and am always thanking God for the hot water that I get to bathe with everyday! What simple luxuries! π
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| Dressed in new yukata, this time with an additional yukata coat to keep us warm in the cool evening. |
By the time we were all warmed up, it was time for our dinner (this is part of our room charge as mentioned previously)!
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| My boy's kids meal platter! Yummy! |
As usual, the hubby and I enjoyed a 10-course meal which was delicious! π
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| Rice cooked on a hotpot |
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| Clockwise from left: The very beautiful starter platter with various delicacies; Can't remember what soup this is but it was yummy; A large plate of full-size fish (this was definitely too much for two persons!!). |
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| Sashimi platter! So yummy! π |
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| We got to grind our own wasabi! |
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| Baby lobster soup! π |
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| Delicious matcha ice cream to end off a sumptuous meal! |
Yet another satisfying meal! Amazing!
We went to bed that night with warm bellies and a grateful heart despite the howling wind outside our window. Life is still good π
Continue to >> Tokyo-Izu Day 5: Izu to Tounosawa Ichinoyu Shinkan Hotel, Hakone
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