Leaving Izu Nagaoka we enter the core of the Izu Peninsula.

As it is of volcanic and tectonic origin, the center of the Peninsula is characterized by many mountains.

The Amagi Mountain Range dominates the center of it, with Mount Atami and Mount Amagi in the East and Mount Daruma in the West.

The peninsula's major river, the Kano River, flows through a valley created by plate tectonics.

As a result of its geology it abounds in hot springs, onsen, like in Izu Nagaoka and Shuzenji, the village that I've introduced in the first part of this blog, as it hosted the cycling events of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

In between Nagaoka and Shuzenji there are the small villages of Nirayama (with its Nirayama Hansharo reverberatory furnace) and Ohito.

The Nirayama Hansharo became Unesco's World Heritage Site in 2015, determinating an increase in local tourism.

There, the Japanese built their cannons to try to stop the American troops to enter the island, at the end of 19th century.

Close to Hansharo there is a restaurant and also a brewery, where you can enjoy some good local beers and have some delicious food too!

A lot of people coming from Tokyo, Yokohama and all over Japan comes in the Nagaoka, Nirayama and Shuzenji's area every year to enjoy some relaxation at the onsen and local ryokan.

The area is also surrounded by many golf courts, where are being held many business meetings and transactions and by a lot of wasabi plantations, the typical green spicy cream that is used to give sushi and meat that delicious taste.

In this area's supermarkets and souvenir's shops you can find raw wasabi roots, that can be then used at home instead of the industrial ones.

As I love its taste, it is one of the main reasons I like living in Izu:)

It reminds me the Italian (used especially in the city of Trieste) kren (horseradish) root even if the color is different, but the taste is very similar.

From Shuzenji you can go to both East (Atami, Ito), West (Heda, Toi) and South, to the Amagi Pass or through the small town of Naka Izu.

In the middle of the Amagi Mount it is a very interesting experience to visit the old Amagi tunnel, where ghosts are coming out at night, they say...

Let's continue together our trip next week!

Alberto