Living a Dogashima life

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A simple 1.5 hour bus ride from Shimoda lands me in Sawada, the town next to Dogashima (the head of the Minshuku in Shimoda told Sawada has better Minshukus than Dogashima). I get of the bus and look for a place to stay but they are all closed. A young couple at a fish store (maybe the owners??) take pitty on me and help me locate a place. No luck, they tell me to try Matzusaki, the town before Sawada. As I put my heavy pack back on, the guy motions to his little pick up truck and gives me a ride. It turns out his friends family owns a hotel and i stay there at a good discount. My luck has kept up.

I spend the rest of the day sightseeing including a boat ride around Dogashima which includes a trip into a cave with a hole on top (see photos). While out to sea a bit, as I was sitting on the bow of the boat, a dolphin swam up alongside. It was so close I could reach out and almost touch it. I was not fast enough to get a photo. I also visited Sawada Keon Rotenduru onsen, a small hot bath located on the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean. Great view at sunset.

Next morning, after I took a 2 hour walk which included joining some contruction men in their morning calisthenics prior to starting work. While waiting for the supermarket to open 9:30am, I walked around back to sit and view the ocean. There I found 3 lovely old people playing croquet. I helped them with one of there balls and they offered me cookies and apple juice. After grabbing some yoghurt and crossaints from the supermarket, I headed back to the hotel to grab my stuff and go north to Shuzenji. Outside the hotel, the owners son was admiring his new Suzuki motorcycle. We talked about bikes (I mentioned I have a honda) and the next thing I know, he offers to drive me in his surf van to Shuzenji (as he was going to see his girlfriend).

The entire 1 hour ride we chatted about life as best as we could as his English was ok and my Japanesse is rudimentary. I had read that along the road to Shuzenji there are great views of Mt. Fuji but I had forgotten as the conversation flowed. But wham, as we rounded a bend closed to the town of Toi, the great mountain came into view. It truly is breathtaking. Yogi was nice enough to pull over and take my picutre (you have to look closely in the distance to see the mountain over my left shoulder).

I can only imagine what Shuzenji had instore for me.

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Photos

Grace II
On board the Grace II, we go inside the famous cave with a natural window on top

Morning Workout
Construction workers begin their day with exercise

Sawada Keon Rotenduru Onsen
I was still a bit sick so I passed on the onsen, but here is a view standing next to it.

Sawada Keon Rotenduru Onsen
View if you were sitting in the onen

View of Mt. Fuji on the way to Shuzenji
Look over my left shoulder to see the mountain in the distance.