After waking up the next morning, I went downstairs to enjoy the onsen again, then came back up and had breakfast inside our room. I was afraid of eating too much cause we would be heading for ichigo gari later that morning. However we almost didn’t make it as we ended up waiting almost 45 minutes for our taxi to get to the hotel! It was so congested with everyone heading into Kawazu that the traffic was back up for several kilometres. When our taxi finally arrived I was so happy we were heading in the opposite direction!

Strawberry picking itself was a lot of fun. The last time I went was 7 years ago in Kariya, so it was a bit nostalgic for me. I don’t think I ate enough to make the admission fee worth it, but I was super happy I got to try it again!

Later that day we took the taxi back to Izu-Inatori station, then the local train all the way to Jogasaki-Kaigan Station. The train line is situated along the coast, so it was a scenic ride all the way there. Jogasaki-Kaigan Station is also really unique as it looks more like an old log cabin than a station. There’s also a foot spa inside! 

From the station we walked towards the Jogasaki Coast. We stopped for lunch at this British themed restaurant called Cafe Bridge for a meal of yorkshire pudding. Even though I’ve been to England in the past, I feel like this was the first time I’ve ever tried yorkshire pudding. I never would have expected to find this kind of restaurant in Izu!

After lunch we continued walking along until we reach the Kadowakizaki Suspension Bridge. From the bridge and the top of the lighthouse, you can see many of the islands in the distance, especially Oshima Island which is the largest. There’s also a lot of hiking trails in the area which you can enjoy. We ended up taking one which got us to a nearby art gallery. Then we backtracked to the station and stopped by a cafe for a cup for tea while we waited for the next train.

Later that evening we took the train back to Atami, stopping briefly at the station and the shopping street, then headed back to Tokyo for dinner. Overall our two-day trip was a lot of fun and I’m glad I got to enjoy both the Hina Matsuri and the cherry blossoms! It was definitely more enjoyable being able to travel with friends!