Higashiizu: Inatori Onsen, Hanging Dolls and Fishing

If you’re looking for a hotel in Higashiizu, Inatori Onsen offers a specific starting point for planning your trip. The hot spring resort is located on the edge of the Izu Peninsula. Inatori Onsen is served by Izu-Inatori Station. From Atami, you can reach the station by train in about an hour; check the timetable for your travel date.

Hanging Dolls and Festival Season

The Hanging Doll Festival usually takes place from mid-January to the end of March; the exact dates may vary from year to year. At the festival, decorated Hina dolls are displayed alongside hanging fabric dolls. Visitors can make their own hanging dolls in workshops. 文化公園 雛の館 is the festival’s main venue. If the festival determines your travel dates, check the dates for the relevant year.

雛のつるし飾り is a traditional custom unique to Inatori. Its exact origins are uncertain. The custom is said to have already existed during the childhood of a woman born in the Meiji era; this places its origins in the late Edo period. Before Inatori became known as an onsen destination, it was a fishing village. Bathing at a traditional inn is also part of the onsen experience, offering wide views of the Pacific Ocean.

Fishing and Local Produce

Inari-maru offers sightseeing trips aboard a fishing boat in Izu-Inatori. Check departure times and reservations separately if you’d like to include a trip in your plans.

稲取キンメ refers to alfonsino caught by handline and landed at Inatori Fishing Port after a day at sea. Fishing begins at sunrise, and the boat returns to port by 4 p.m. at the latest. The こらっしぇ direct sales outlet sells 稲取キンメ, fresh fish caught with set nets that same morning, as well as fresh vegetables and fruit from the Izu region. The two fish descriptions therefore highlight different fishing methods: handlining for the named alfonsino and set nets for the fresh morning catch.

Views and Landscapes

Inatori Ryugu Cape Park is home to Dontsuku Shrine and a viewpoint overlooking Izu-Oshima. You can include both a cultural site and a specific viewpoint within the same park in your travel plans.

Another natural attraction is Inatori Hosono Kogen. The area covers about 125 hectares and is considered rich in animal and plant species in a volcanic landscape. You can walk freely across Hosono Kogen and observe wetland plants in four wetlands. Shizuoka Prefecture has designated these four wetlands as cultural properties. Higashiizu therefore offers a choice of different landscape experiences: a viewpoint overlooking Izu-Oshima, or walks and plant watching on the Kogen.

Discover more destinations: Yaizu, Ito, Fuji, Minamiizu, Shimoda, Nishiizu, Kakegawa, Shizuoka

For the broader travel overview: Shizuoka Prefecture.