Ito Onsen & Jogasaki Coast

Ito is a hot spring town on the Izu Peninsula's eastern coast, about 20 km south of Atami and reachable directly from Tokyo in around 2 hours via the Limited Express Odoriko, or in 25-30 minutes from Atami on the local JR Ito Line. The town has a long onsen history dating to the Edo period and a compact center of ryokan, public bath houses, and the Kimigahama beachfront, while the Jogasaki Coast just south of town is a rugged stretch of volcanic cliffs formed by Mt Omuro's lava flows, reached by a roughly 25-minute local Tokai Bus ride from Ito Station. A typical itinerary starts with a morning arrival in Ito, a walk through the old town past its retro shopping street and a soak at one of the public foot baths, then the bus out to the Jogasaki Coast for the coastal hiking trail that runs past black volcanic rock formations to the Kadowaki Suspension Bridge, a swaying footbridge over a dramatic inlet. Small seafood restaurants and rest stops cluster near the Jogasaki Kaigan bus stop and the Ito Marine Town complex, useful for a lunch of fresh Izu seafood before or after the coastal walk. May brings wisteria blooms in and around Ito, while October and November color the coastal pines and hillsides above Jogasaki; the coastal trail itself is walkable year-round but exposed to wind, so a windbreaker is worth carrying regardless of season.