Hotel Shikino Kura

Hotel Shikinokura may surprise you as it looks like a Balinese resort located deep in the heart of.... Izu?? Yes, Izu, the large peninsula that's part of Shizuoka prefecture located west of Tokyo and southeast of Mt. Fuji. It is really a small dog-friendly hotel nestled deep in the mountains not far from the town of Kawazu which is on the eastern coast and due west of Ooshima. The hotel is in a picturesque spot with lots of winding mountain roads, steep inclines and lush greenery, about a two hour drive from western Tokyo and an hour and a half or so from Numazu, where my wife's family lives. We often visit Izu as it is close to Tokyo but also a world away as it often seems that time has forgotten the area. Kawazu has a population of 7,569 and is surrounded on the north, south and west sides by the Amagi Mountains and the sea on the east. It is noted for hot springs and farms with tea fields and farms taking up most of the available flat land. The hotel has 27 rooms though more rooms, as well as extensions to the kitchen and dining hall, were under construction as of this writing. There are four floors with twenty steps between them but no elevator. You will get a workout climbing the stairs, especially with luggage, though the staff will help you if you need it. Ramps are provided for the dogs but not the people (lucky dogs). The Balinese theme extends into each room and the lobby, both of which have lots of bamboo, hardwood accents and carvings that are not overly done but definitely not Japanese either. The bed in our third floor room was a twin four-poster complete with canopy and mosquito netting, though I suspect the latter is more for show than actual use. It was a bit small for two adults and two small dogs used to a queen-sized bed but we made do well enough. The usual hotel amenities were there, including HDTV, coffee maker, safe, refrigerator stocked with water only, free but unprotected room-wifi, HVAC and a large modern tub big enough for two people. You could bathe your dogs in it if you wanted to. The large window overlooked the valley to the east with the town of Kawazu in the distance. The grounds are rather jungle-esque in appearance though the bougainvillea were in full bloom and the outdoor paths were well trimmed. There's also a large wooden deck with canopy and chairs where you can hold parties or picnics, though in a bit of bad timing it was being creosoted at the time of our visit and smelled strongly of tar. Across the deck is the path to the two rotenburos (outdoor baths) where you can enjoy a shower and a warm soak under the beautiful starry night sky. They are private by way of a key that is given to each guest as you sign in so couples and families can enjoy the bath without interference from the other guests, though as there are only two of them you may have to wait until yours is unoccupied. The round tiled baths use true hot-spring water but are rather small, about ten feet across. They are very relaxing, however, and if you're lucky, the local hottaru (fireflies) will delight you with their company. By the way, the nearby geothermal well from which the water comes looks like an ordinary Japanese country house but it has an absolutely huge cloud of steam rising from it 24/7 making it look like it is permanently on fire. Quite spectacular - you may see it if your evening meal is in the same restaurant where we were taken as it is located only about 100 feet from there. Speaking of the evening meal, it was a pure delight! Due to the kitchen being renovated the hotel manager took us and another couple in a van to a nearby restaurant that is owned by the same owner. The ten-course Japanese meal was spectacular with delicacies from the local area nicely blending with those from around the country, and all were very tasty and satisfying. I can't begin to name them, but you must try everything as to not do so is to miss out on one of the inestimable joys of traveling in Japan - the food! The highlight of the night was discovering my new favorite sake, a brand called Kudokijoozu, which literally translates as "Smooth Operator" in Japanese, like the lyrics to the Sade song. And smooth it is, sweet without being too sweet with a delicious fruity aftertaste. Best served cold - highly recommended! Breakfast the next morning was in the small bar/restaurant next to the hotel's lotus garden. Our dogs were allowed to join us at the table and the staff even provided water and food dishes for them. We of course kept them tied to the chairs to keep them from moving about, and they were well behaved, though I can't say the same about the other guests' dogs. We did make a few new friends, though, as dogs are always great for opening conversations with strangers. The breakfast was not as spectacular as the dinner, not as tasty and more western style, but not bad overall so we didn't complain. Our two dogs loved the dog run, actually runs as there are three of them located up a long, log and wood-chip festooned outdoor staircase with heavy forest growth on either side. The 38 steps to the rotenburos and another 65 steps to the tri-level dog-runs were a bit of a climb for the two of us as we're in our sixties and our all-white miniature poodle, Jack, at 11 1/2 is roughly the same age as us in dog years. Our almond colored toy poodle, Clara, on the other hand is two and has boundless energy. She could run up the Stairway to Heaven and back without so much as losing her breath. When we got to the top we found it like something out of Jurassic Park - surrounded by old-growth trees but well kept and nicely trimmed with clean fine gravel on the ground, perfect for the dogs to run around in. Clara instantly took off at full doggie speed, skidded to a stop at the far end, then took off again and with a huge grin on her fat furry face skillfully changed direction by jumping on and bouncing off the net fences as she went. We have no idea where she learned those skills as we certainly didn't teach them to her. Jack has a mild heart condition endemic to poodles so we just let him sniff the flowers and spritz on the more delectable ones, his favorite pastime. A bit of catch-ball ended the session and we all went back to our room to pack for our return trip to Numazu. To sum up I would say that the trip was quite enjoyable. Beware of the many steps and enjoy the outdoor baths and meals. The final mile or so up the mountain is very steep and narrow so avoid taking a large car as it may be difficult negotiating the hairpin turns.