The JR Tokaido Shinkansen connects Osaka with Mishima and Atami at the entrance to the Izu Peninsula. The one way journey takes a little over two hours by direct Hikari train and costs about 12,000 yen. It is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass. There is usually one direct Hikari train every two hours.
Above fees and schedules are subject to change. Be sure to check current yen exchange rates.
The Izu Peninsula is served by two railway lines and a relatively efficient bus network. It is also a suitable region of Japan to be explored by rental car, motorcycle or bicycle. Please see the individual pages about Shimoda, Ito and Atami for further access and orientation details.
The JR Ito Line leads from Atami to Ito, from where the Izukyu Line continues further south to Shimoda. Note that Shimoda's railway station is called Izukyu-Shimoda Station. There are roughly two local trains per hour that run all the way between Atami and Shimoda in each direction plus a few Odoriko limited express trains to/from Tokyo. The one way journey from Atami to Shimoda by local train takes about 90 minutes and costs 2020 yen. By limited express train it takes about 70 minutes and costs around 3500 yen.
Since the railway tracks south of Ito are owned by Izukyu Railways, holders of the Japan Rail Pass will have to pay a supplement when using this section. The supplement between Ito and Shimoda is 1690 yen on local trains and 2490 yen on limited express trains (one way). However, thanks to a special agreement, the trip is fully covered by the JR Toyko Wide Pass, JR East Nagano Niigata Area Pass, JR East Tohoku Area Pass and JR East South Hokkaido Pass.
The other railway line serving the Izu Peninsula is the Izuhakone Line from Mishima to Shuzenji. There are departures every 10-20 minutes in each direction. The one way journey takes 30 minutes and costs 550 yen. JR passes are not valid for this trip.
Tokai Bus operates a dense and relatively efficient bus network that covers most of the Izu Peninsula and is centered around the major railway stations, including Atami, Ito, Shuzenji and Shimoda. The fare is proportional to the distance traveled and is paid when exiting the bus. The ten major IC cards, including Suica, Icoca and Pasmo, are accepted on Tokai buses.
Tokai Bus also offers a variety of bus passes for the different areas of the Izu Peninsula. In addition to unlimited use of buses, many also include discounted admission to selected attractions within the areas covered. Some of the most useful passes include:
Exploring the Izu Peninsula by rental car can be very pleasurable and efficient. Rental car outlets can be found near many major railway stations, such as Mishima, Atami, Ito, Izu Kogen, Shuzenji and Shimoda. Driving from Atami Station to Cape Irozaki takes about 2.5 hours.
Like around most of Japan, the roads on the Izu Peninsula are well maintained and drivers are relatively considerate. However, traffic jams along the peninsula's eastern coast are not unusual on weekends and during holidays. Traffic along the western and southern areas of the peninsula tends to be much lighter.
Due to the mountainous terrain of the peninsula, many inland roads have steep and winding passages, including the Izu Skyline and Nishi-Izu Skyline, two toll roads with spectacular views of the surrounding scenery.
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