[ Dec.2013 ] We went to Izu Atagawa for one night with my old friends since my student days.
Atagawa is famous for the Alligator Garden and I remember seeing lots of alligators moving on top of each other, but this time we did not go there.
We enjoyed simply the hot spring and the great sea food.
This hot spring was discovered by a mid 15th century samurai called Oota Doukan, who is famous for building Edo Castle.
Apparently he saw that a monkey was having a bath in a pond and found that it was a hot spring, and he named this area Atagawa (hot river) because the river was warm.
You can see the hot steams coming out of the ground here and there, which gives great atmosphere.
Also the sea view was beautiful.
Although it was cold, I enjoyed blue sky, too.
