201503 Tokyo-Izu Peninsula Road Trip Day 8 @Eat & Travel, Ling!

The Drive to Shuzenji Onsen

The weather was getting worse when we started our drive from Heda. To get to Shuzenji Onsen from Heda, I had to drive through unfamiliar small mountain roads. The major road was from Toi to Shuzenji but I didn’t want to backtrack that way.

There was rain and fog up on the mountain which made it even more challenging for someone who was not familiar with the roads. I was driving slower than speed limit as I couldn’t see far and wanted to keep safe. A number of cars overtook us and drove off very quickly. I tried to keep as close to the mountain as possible to allow for cars to overtake and provide some space between us and oncoming cars in the opposite direction.

As we got closer to Shuzenji, the fog cleared and I realised there was a ditch between the road and the mountain. Goodness! I might have driven us into the drain if I’d drive any closer to the mountain! It would have been a scary and terrible thing to happen up in the mountain in horrible weather conditions. So do be careful when you’re driving from Heda to Shuzenji.

Shuzenji Onsen

Thus, it was with much relief when we arrived in Shuzenji Onsen. We were looking forward to visiting Shuzenji Onsen where I’d booked a really nice ryokan for our stay. I droved us directly to Taizanso Ryokan where we parked our car and checked in for the day.

The weather in Shuzenji Onsen area was much better with sun, clouds and blue skies. We had some time before dinner so decided to go for a stroll around the area as our lodging was quite close to Shuzenji Temple.

Shuzenji Onsen was picturesque with many vermilion red bridges across Katsura River which ran through the area. There was also a free hot spring footbath in the middle of the area. It’s a good idea while travelling through Japan to have a small towel in your bag. That way you could take the opportunity to have a footbath whenever you come across one.

Shuzenji Temple

Shuzenji Temple was founded in year 807 by Kobo Daishi, who also founded the 88 temples in Shikoku. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt a number of times and the current building was about 100 years old.

In its history, Shuzenji Temple had been associated with murders and assassinations related to the Kamakura Shoganate. Strolling around Shuzenji Temple grounds, there was no longer any traces of the tragic events except for Minamoto no Yoriie’s death mask (we didn’t see that). We felt peaceful and said a prayer there.

Bamboo Grove & Spring

Shuzenji Onsen had its own Bamboo Grove nearby. There was no one around but us, thus was calm and peaceful compared to tourists packed Arashiyama’s Bamboo Grove. It was a nice walk with the setting sun peeking through the bamboo.

Spring was in the air in Shuzenji Onsen too. It added colours to our stroll around the area, putting us in very good mood. This particular Japan trip was to catch Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) and we never failed to see them on the trip.

Not only did we see Sakuras, we also saw many Peach Blossoms with their vivid pink. I think we picked up a few Peach Blossoms as souvenirs though I couldn’t remember where I kept them. 🤔

Dinner at Taizanso Ryokan

We went back to Taizanso Ryokan for an onsen bath before we headed to the dining area for dinner. We were quite surprised by the dinner at Taizanso Ryokan. SY and I enjoyed the dishes as many were new to us and the flavours were great. It was fun grating fresh wasabi though a lot of hardwork.

Fresh Wasabi and Shark Skin Grater (SY’s photos)

There were elements of fusion in some dishes which created the surprise. Innovative flavours tantalised our tongues. The Chawamushi (Steamed Egg Custard) was made with an Italian flavour fusing nicely with the Japanese dish. Portions might look small, but after eating up every dish, we were quite filled up.