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The city of Numazu is about 100km from the center of Tokyo, and easily accessible in about one hour both by Shinkansen and automobile via the Tomei Expressway.
South from the shopping district surrounding the train station, much of which is currently under redevelopment with construction to raise the train tracks to elevated platforms, is the river Kanogawa, the flow of which describes a large "S" through the city. Fed from the Amagi Mountains rising from the eastern part of the city to the center of the Izu Peninsula jutting far out into the Pacific, the Kanogawa is a clean, clear current busy in the summer with fishermen after ayu, a type of sweetfish. Two kilometers to the southwest from here is the glittering blue Suruga Bay. A pine forest continues for about 10km along the coast, with the blue of the sea and the green of the forest in sharp contrast to the white sands of the beach. The forest plays a very important role in protecting the inland homes and fields from the harsh ocean winds.
As one follows the coastline to the east, it suddenly curves sharply to the south and then hooks due-west, bringing the traveler to the promontory of Osezaki, said to be one of the most beautiful sea-bathing spots in Japan, a place where the summer tourist trade is very brisk. The Pacific's Japan Current flows up from the south, bringing with it many varieties of tropical fish and making the area very popular among scuba divers. Shops and hotels catering to divers abound, and even in January (when the research for this article was done) there were scuba divers braving the icy ocean waters. The view of Mt. Fuji from here is spectacular. The sight of the mountain rising up, pure and white over the ocean mists, is a precious asset that no other city can boast of. |
