Izu Itinerary?

Hi all, anyone know how to travel from kawazu to minami cherry blossom festival? what is the cost and frequency of bus/train?

also, is it possible to do cape irozaki + kawazu + minami cherry blossom festivals within a day?

thanks,

Lynn-san,
From kawazu to Shimoda, the 1st choice is to take "Izu-kyu Railway (�ɓ��})". The 2nd one is "Tokai Bus (���C�o�X)".
It costs around 500 JPY p.p., and the frequency of the train is 30-60 minutes.
From Shimoda sta. to Minami cherry blossom festibal, there is only one public transportaion, Tokai Bus.
You are supposed to take the bus via "Hinno (����)". Please ask the staff in the office that stands by Mcdonald shop just in front of the station which bus goes through Hinno. 2-3 services are avilable hourly during daytime, and the cost is 520 JPY.
FYI, if you visit Shimoda druing the period from Feb.10 to Mar.10, How about a daily sightseeing trip that includes minami festibal?. Detail is as follow.
http://www.tokaibus.jp/file.jsp?id=6664
To trip cape irozaki, kawazu, and minami cherry blossom festibal is feasible but a little bit hard if you do not speak and understand Japanese, and in case you stay another place on the previous night.
If I were you, I visit the cape at first in the early morning, then return to Shimoda by a local bus via minami festibal (the number of the bus service from Irozaki to Shimoda sta. is not adequate but all the buses are via Hinno!), then drop in Kawazu on the returning way to Tokyo.
Have a nice trip!! ^^

thanks sparringenthu!

would you know if minami cherry blossom festival has festival stall as well?

what do you think are the must-see sights in a day, if im returning back to Tokyo at night?

thanks for your help n time again! :)

sparringenthu,

how long does it take to go from shimoda station to minami festival and cape irozaki?

thanks again.

Sorry to jump in here - but I think it's around 30 mins to Minami Izu and 45 minutes to the Irozaki coast - but the second time is from memory.

It's possible to do all three in a day - but I'd probably suggest visiting Shimoda instead of the Irozaki coast just as it gives you more time to travel if you have a problem with a bus transfer which is highly possible.....

Lynn-san,

Estimated time from Shimoda sta. to Hinno(����),where the minami festival is held is around 20 minutes by a local bus.
And the one from Shimoda sta. to cape Irozaki is 50 minutes.
Please let me excuse at first that 100% of followings are by my own impression.

As mfedley says, to trip Irozaki, minami festival, and Kawazu in one day is possible but a little bit hard...
If I were you, I skip Kawazu because this place is sooooo famous for the early blooming of sakura(cherry), and would be packed with countless visitors in high season. You may be annoyed and ask yourself like you visit there to see sakura or human being....
Hinno(����)is less popular than kawazu due to the long distance from the train station.
But the length of the Sakura trail along the river is quite same as one of Kawazu, and it has more rural atomosphere than there.
Cape Irozaki is of course a nice place but as I mentioned in the previous post, bus services are not adequate, and if you lose your way or get a wrong bus, your itinerary would be devastated.
The bus services from Shimoda sta. to cape Irozaki are 8:20(��),9:00,10:00,10:40(��),11:30(���j
Irozaki becomes the last stop in marked �� service, in another word, the possibility you get off the wrong point is almost 0% as long as you use �� bus service.
The returing buses from Irozaki-koh-guchi(please not Irozaki has two bus stops. I strongly recommend you to get off and on the bus at Irozaki-koh-guchi(�ΘL��`��) busstop, that is along the main street, and a few minutes walk takes you to the port from the stop. You can find a hiking trail to the lighthouse from the port easily.) to Shimoda are at 10:20,11:25,11:51,12:20,12:55,14:05. All the services stops at Hinno, there you enjoy the Sakura festival, then go back to Shimoda sta. From Hinno to Shimoda sta., there are 2-3 buses hourly.
If you feel some anxious to use the local bus, you have a choice to buy "Minami Izu free pass" that is valid whole that area.
It costs 2,790 JPY, and is available at "Tokai bus" sales office just in front of the station, next to Mcdonald.

Minami festival has of course festival stall but its number is less than the one of Kawazu.
In Kawazu, all the hiking trail from the beginning to the end is filled with the stall...Minami festival has 10-20% of above but it is enough, I think.

Thank a million, sparringenthu!

Really appreciate your time and effort on the details! Where did you get the bus info from - I would like to find out the last buses from hinno where the minami festival is back to shimoda station.

thank you! I'm travelling with my parents so hoping to minimise any unnecessary walk for them..

Lynn-san,

Sorry for late reply.
Please transfer to the following URL.
Written in Japanese but I guess you could imagine the leaving time of the bus from Hinno to Shimoda.
http://dia.tokaibus.jp/OrangeGuide/pc/table.do?pole=2&busstop=4205&kin...

Hope you have a nice trip!

Thanks a million, sparringenthu !

sorry, and last bus from irozaki to shimoda is 2pm?

thanks so much.. You have been extremely helpful :)

Sorry again for late reply...

Bus services from Irozaki-ko-guchi to shimoda is available on

15:15,16:00,16:45,17:26 after 2pm.