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Kawazu Cherry Blossoms and a White Tiger

Published 2026-02-14

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Kawazu Cherry Blossoms and a White Tiger

I’d been sleeping lightly and woke up around 5 a.m.

I tried going back to sleep, but it wasn’t happening. It was cherry blossom season, so why not drive to the Izu Peninsula to see the flowers? On that impulse, I booked a car through a car-sharing service and set off for the day.

Breakfast and a morning soak helped wake me up. Then came a walk beneath the cherry blossoms along the Kawazu River and an afternoon visit to see a white tiger. That restless morning turned into quite a full day.

An Early Start for Izu
Breakfast at Fushimi Shokudo, Then a Morning Soak
Cherry Blossoms Along the Kawazu River
An Afternoon at Izu Animal Kingdom
Pork Cutlets in Atami
A Day Well Spent

An Early Start for Izu

At 5 a.m., I was awake and had decided to head to Izu.

There’d been no planning the night before, and I hadn’t booked anywhere to stay. I picked up the car and headed toward Ito. The whole trip came down to one thought: if I couldn’t sleep, I might as well go somewhere.

The sky gradually brightened as I drove the early morning roads toward Ito for breakfast.

Breakfast at Fushimi Shokudo, Then a Morning Soak

A Local Breakfast at Fushimi Shokudo

Breakfast was at Fushimi Shokudo in Usami, Ito.

Google Maps lists an 8 a.m. opening, but the restaurant is often open around 7. Some days it does seem to open at 8, though, so I still don’t quite know what to expect.

Between 7 and 8 a.m., the owner runs the place alone, and the only option is the local breakfast set. It comes with dried horse mackerel and sashimi, which was exactly what I’d come for. Anyone hoping for something else, like the grilled mackerel set, would probably do better to arrive after 8, when someone comes in to help.

It was quiet that morning. While I ate, the owner told me about the snow that had caused trouble even on the Izu Peninsula about ten days earlier.

A breakfast set with dried horse mackerel, sashimi, rice, and miso soup — Fushimi Shokudo’s local breakfast set with dried horse mackerel and sashimi

The horse mackerel here is wonderfully fatty and so good. I’d left home on a whim, but this breakfast alone made the drive to Izu worthwhile.

A Morning Soak at Ito Marine Town

Still sleepy and tired after breakfast, I drove over to Ito Marine Town, a roadside rest stop, for a morning soak at Asahi no Yu Seaside Spa.

The spa opens at 5 a.m. I love being able to stop for a hot spring bath even on a trip that starts this early. By the time I got out, I felt much more awake and finally ready for the day.

Next up were the cherry blossoms near Kawazu Station.

Cherry Blossoms Along the Kawazu River

The Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival website had reported about 50% bloom. It warmed up quite a bit that day, though, and on my walk the blossoms looked closer to 70% open.

There’s something lovely about this stage just before full bloom, with branches still visible between the flowers.

Kawazu cherry blossoms against a background of yellow rapeseed flowers — Pink cherry blossoms and yellow rapeseed flowers

Yellow rapeseed flowers blooming in the sunlight — Rapeseed flowers beside the cherry trees

A small insect flying beside yellow rapeseed flowers — A little visitor approaching the rapeseed flowers

Deep pink cherry trees lined both banks of the Kawazu River. With the river, mountains, and blossoms all in view, even a few steps or a slight turn gave me a different scene.

The Kawazu River seen beneath cherry branches reaching out over the water — Cherry branches reaching toward the river

Rows of Kawazu cherry trees along the river below a mountainside — Pink blossoms against the green mountainside

Rows of Kawazu cherry trees coloring both riverbanks pink — Cherry trees stretching along the Kawazu River

Food stalls lined the festival grounds, too. Signs for wasabi burgers and Fujinomiya yakisoba noodles gave it a distinctly Shizuoka feel.

Festival food stalls with signs for beef skewers, wasabi burgers, and Fujinomiya yakisoba — Food stalls adding to the festival bustle

The area near the station was crowded, but the crowds gradually thinned out as I walked upstream toward the hall housing a reclining Buddha.

I walked through a tunnel of blossoms, stopping now and then to look out over the river. I liked the balance here: still enough activity to enjoy the festival, but quiet enough to take my time with photos.

A riverside path with Kawazu cherry branches reaching in from both sides — A path surrounded by cherry blossoms

Kawazu cherry blossoms with the riverbank and mountains behind them — A quieter stretch of the riverside farther upstream

In this photo, the blossoms in front are blurred while the flowers farther back are in focus. Then there are the shadows of branches across the ground. I can’t quite explain it, but I love that combination.

Blurred cherry blossoms in the foreground, with sharper blossoms, people on the path, and branch shadows beyond — Cherry blossoms in focus and branch shadows across the path

Kawazu cherry blossoms against a blue sky — Cherry blossoms opening beneath a blue sky

People walking on the riverbank beside rows of Kawazu cherry trees — A riverside stroll beneath the blossoms

Kawazu cherry trees lining both riverbanks with mountains in the background — Mountains, river, and cherry blossoms in one view

After soba noodles for lunch, I took a short nap. I’d been up and about since 5 a.m., so it was time for a break.

Once I woke up, I headed to the day’s other destination.

An Afternoon at Izu Animal Kingdom

That afternoon, I visited Izu Animal Kingdom to see a white tiger.

An entrance sign bearing the name Izu Animal Kingdom — The day’s other destination: Izu Animal Kingdom

There’s much more here than white tigers. The animals have relatively spacious areas, and I enjoyed watching them stretch out and catching their expressions in little unguarded moments.

Almost as soon as I started walking through the park, there were animals to see.

A seated hamadryas baboon with its tongue sticking out slightly — A hamadryas baboon with an almost human expression

A slender bird with gray and black feathers — This bird’s long neck and legs make such an elegant silhouette

A buffalo with large horns resting on the ground — A buffalo taking it easy

An ostrich facing the camera — An ostrich staring right at me

A cheetah lying down in dappled sunlight — A cheetah resting beneath the trees

A lion lying down with sunlight catching its mane — A lion lying down with a calm expression

A White Tiger, Both Striking and Adorable

And there it was: the white tiger I’d come to see.

White fur, black stripes, blue eyes. It looked so relaxed lying there, but the moment it lifted its head, it had such a presence. Striking and somehow adorable at the same time. I could’ve watched it forever.

A white tiger resting on the grass with its front legs stretched out — A white tiger lounging on the grass

A white tiger looking toward the camera with blue eyes — Somehow both impressive and adorable

A white tiger walking slowly across the ground — Even a slow walk shows the tiger’s powerful presence

Giraffes Up Close

I don’t often get this close to giraffes. I looked up as one stretched its long neck, and even got to see a giraffe walking with cherry blossoms behind it.

A giraffe bringing its face close to the fence — This giraffe came surprisingly close

A giraffe walking with Kawazu cherry blossoms in the background — A giraffe and pink cherry blossoms: a scene that felt very Izu

More Animals Around Every Corner

Rhinos, zebras, and animals with magnificent horns. Every few steps brought another animal into view, and I couldn’t wait to see what was next.

A large rhinoceros walking in the sunlight — A rhino strolling right past me

A group of zebras standing and resting among rocks — Zebras taking it easy, some standing and others resting

A mouflon with large curled horns — The mouflon’s curled horns were hard to miss

It wasn’t just the big animals that held my attention. An owl, a goat, a bird perched among cherry blossoms, a porcupine, and a brightly colored parrot kept me looking as the time flew by.

An owl facing forward with its wings folded — An owl quietly watching me

The face of a long-haired goat with horns — A goat with such a gentle expression

A gray bird perched on a Kawazu cherry branch — A bird tucked among the cherry blossoms

A porcupine walking with long quills along its back — This porcupine made an impression even at a slow stroll

A parrot with vivid blue and yellow feathers — A parrot’s vivid blue and yellow feathers

I’d come mainly for the white tiger, but so many other animals caught my attention. I could easily spend a whole day here, wandering slowly and taking photos.

Pork Cutlets in Atami

On the way home, I stopped in Atami for yaki-tonkatsu, a pork cutlet served over rice, at Tonkatsu Shizuku’s Atami location.

A thick pork cutlet extending well beyond the edge of its rice bowl, with miso soup alongside — A pork cutlet too big for its bowl

A cross-section of the unusually thick pork cutlet — Just look at how thick that cutlet is

The premium option comes with an enormous, thick-cut pork cutlet. Even with a regular serving of rice, I was already uncomfortably full partway through.

Horse mackerel for breakfast, this cutlet to finish. I’d packed a lot of eating into a single day trip.

A Day Well Spent

This whole day in Izu started with a 5 a.m. wake-up and a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Breakfast at Fushimi Shokudo and a separate stop for a hot spring bath at Ito Marine Town woke me up. Then I walked along the cherry-lined Kawazu River and saw the white tiger and plenty of other animals at Izu Animal Kingdom. The pork cutlet in Atami left me more than full.

I enjoy a well-planned trip, but there’s something fun about booking a car and driving off the same morning the idea hits. Restless night and all, it turned out to be a good day.