Travel to Shimoda, Shizuoka

During winter break this year I was able to sneak in a refreshing and fun little trip to Shimoda, Shizouka. The small city is a popular tourist destination known for it's history of early foreign trade and political relations with the outside world, as well as it's beautiful natural environment and gorgeous beaches. My friend was living there for a few months during a temporary work assignment, so it was the perfect chance to go for a couple days and see what it had to offer.

Shimoda City, seen from the Shimoda Ropeway going up Mt. Nesugata.

Ryugukutsu Cave (Ryugu Cave) & Toji Beach
Shimoda lies right on the Izu Peninsula coastline, and plenty of cool geographical features can be seen such as Ryugu Cave, located right next to Toji Beach. Although it's called a cave, it's probably better to describe it as a large cavity naturally carved by the crashing waves. A short walk down some steps leads into a the large open cave, where the celling has long collapsed, exposing it to the sky above. Waves enter through a large hole in the outside wall as well, so it's just awesome to be there to experience it with your own eyes and ears.

Cape Tsumeki
A popular area is Cape Tsumeki, which is nicely developed with walking paths along grassy hills and a lovely white lighthouse overlooking the coast. During my visit, white and gold daffodils were blooming on the hills (also called narcissus flowers), which give off a very pleasant sweet smell making the atmosphere even nicer.

Tsumagi Lighthouse

Shirahama Beach
In addition to seeing the beautiful ocean views and playing in the sand, many people enjoy surfing in Shimoda. One of the most famous beaches for this is Shirahama Beach. People can surf year-round here, and local surf shops are nearby for everyone's convenience. Also right next to the beach is a Shirahama Shrine, which is neat to check out while in the area.

Tatadohama Beach
Another fantastic beach is Tatadohama. During my visit this felt much more secluded than the others I had visited, but perhaps that was due to the time of year. As the daylight faded we watched an amazing sunset while surfers got in a few last rides on the waves and a couple small families walked along the beach.

I had a super good trip to Shimoda! I showed some of my favorite places in this post, but it's only half of the places I actually went to. For anyone who loves the beach, the ocean, and the outdoors, this region is really spectacular and I highly recommend it! It's a pretty small town so there isn't necessarily a lot of shopping of nightlife, but it's perfect for a short visit. 

* There's a couple more things I would like to include in this post, so I might update it later with a bit more about the interesting history of Shimoda.