In the Totari (十足) valley, just north of Mt. Ōmuro, there is a Buddhist temple by the name of Ryūnji (龍雲寺). In a prominent location just outside the main entrance to the temple, there is a Shinto shrine called Kōsu Inari.
Why is there a Shinto shrine inside the grounds of a Buddhist temple?
Behind the Izu Kogen train station, on the other side of the tracks, is one of the area’s many unique museums. The Jogasaki Cultural Museum is a place to learn about Izu history and culture, view art exhibitions, collaborate with artists, and mingle over coffee.
Sushi has become very popular throughout the world. Perhaps the most recognizable ingredient in sushi is wasabi. By now, many sushi lovers know that the wasabi they have on their sushi is not actually wasabi. It is a horseradish based mixture of ingredients designed to mimic wasabi.
So what is real wasabi? It is the root of an aquatic plant that grows in cold mountain streams. It is also very sensitive: grated wasabi must be eaten within 5-15 minutes in order to taste its fullest flavor.
One of the things I noticed when I first moved to Izu is that people are nuts about anything Hawaiian. While the same can be said about Japanese people in general, I didn’t see as many expressions of Hawaii love when I lived in Tokyo.
Local geologists describe Mt. Ōmuro as a scoria cone volcano – aka a cinder cone. “Cinder cones are the most common type of volcano in the world. They are small in comparison to the other types of volcanoes. In fact, they’re only tens to hundreds of meters in size. But at the same time, they’re very steep typically with a bowl-shaped crater at the summit.”
Japanese people love fireworks, and Japan has many famous fireworks festivals that attract thousands of spectators.
Wander a little off the beaten track in Japan, and you will discover local fireworks events with a real hometown character.
New year’s eve fireworks are a good opportunity to experience this type of small town cultural event.
One major difference from bigger events, is how an MC announces local sponsors before each successive round of fireworks.
At the bottom of the west slope of Mt. Ōmuro is a large, open pit. On the edge of the pit is a cave that goes deep into the volcano, probably a collapsed lava tube. Legend has it that a daija (giant snake) lived in this cave and frequently terrorized the villagers.
Gyokusenji was the first US consulate in Japan and was occupied by Townsend Harris, America’s first resident diplomat.
