Day trip OR one night stay in Izu?

Hello. I was starting to research the Saphir Odoriko train, which goes from Tokyo Station (my starting point/station) to stops in Izu in the morning. At first, I thought of taking that train back as well, but it's not necessary as long as I can head to the Izu peninsula in that nice one :)

I did watch Japan Guide's nice video about Izu but am still unsure how much I'm interested in seeing there. The Jogasaki Coast and suspension bridge are definitely spots I'd like to go to. I'm not sure if I'm as excited to see some of the temples on this trip, having visited many in other cities and tourist spots throughout. I would be curious to know about any recommended restaurants or even cafes or tea houses if.

All those random considerations put together, do you think I could comfortably see one or two sights in a day trip? Or a night stay would be necessary? Prior to the visit I'll be staying a few stops from JR Tokyo Station. Thank you for any travel ideas or considerations in advance.

Really depends on what you want to see on the peninsula. If you can't gather enough places of interest for more than a daytrip, do it as a daytrip. If you find more that interests you, stay overnight. Especially if you like hot springs, an overnight stay at one of the many onsen ryokan can be very rewarding.

If you enjoy recreational train riding, Izu is a very good day trip from Tokyo. But check the departure times of the Saphir Odoriko from Tokyo Station. If I�fm not mistaken, the first one leaves pretty late in the morning. You might want to leave earlier and take the regular Odoriko on the way out and save the Saphir for the return ride. That is what I did on my last Izu day trip. Try to get ocean-side seats on both trains if you can (it�fs a little harder on the Saphir as there are fewer seats and it�fs a fairly popular train).

I had a very nice day trip from Tokyo to Shimoda once; I took the ropeway up and wandered around for a while then had a nice lunch and came back. For me that was enough sightseeing for the day, as the train riding was the main event as far as I was concerned. But I enjoy recreational train riding myself. For people who want to pack a lot of sightseeing into their day trips or who don�ft really enjoy train riding, Shimoda would be too far. There are other places you could stop if you want to spend less time on trains.

I think the Saphir Odoriko is a fun ride. Definitely better than the Izu Craille was (it was a rather short-lived tourist train that was the most over-hyped recreational train I have ever seen in Japan). But you do have to pay for green seat tickets at a minimum. The regular Odoriko is actually pretty nice. The train sets for it had gotten kind of dated, but they redesigned the interior a few years ago.

It is nice to see you are interested in seeing Jogasaki Coast. Sofar have not been there. Most local tourists here from Tokyo and Yokohama stay one nite in Izoo for getaway at an onsen town or at a beach in summer.

So attraction of Izoo is not only landscape but onsen, beaches and fishes. I have seen many local fishing crazy. Actually I have moved to Inatori in East Izoo two years ago. Port of Inatori is the fishing port for Gold Eye Snapper(Kinme-Dai) as well as port of Shimoda. Simmered snapper is the signature dish of East Izoo.

All the value will be in two days. Please enjoy staying here. So far haven't seen many inbound tourists. I sometimes hear Chinese but no English.

The Jogasaki Coast is quite nice - though much more crowded on weekends. Most people stick close to the bridge, but there is a whole hiking trail with few people you can go down if you wish. Mt. Omuro may be another place you'd like. If you're interested in history, then going down to Shimoda would be well worth it. Read up on Commodore Perry and see the area - but that also makes it much more time consuming, and trains are not that frequent.

Thank you for the different perspectives, so far! I think it's a great idea to consider the trip on the Saphir on the way back - I agree, the morning trail for Saphir is around 11:00 a.m., and I like to start my sightseeing or train travel much earlier where possible.

Taking more notes from everyone :)

It mainly depends on whether or not you want to experience the minshuku, pension or hotel experience that Izu is popular for. Day trips are perfectly do-able unless you're going there during swimming season (which ends on Aug 31).

Thanks, Uco. I may visit in a couple of months, closer to Fall.