Jogasaki Coast

When I think of Izu, one of the first things that comes to mind (other than Mt Omuro) is the Jogasaki Coast. This is a hiking trail that stretches for 9km along the eastern coast of Izu. The terrain was actually created by lava flowing from an eruption from Mt Omuro around 4000 years ago. The Jogasaki Coast is accessible via bus and train (there is a train station even named after it - Jogasaki-Kaigan). However since we came by car we just opted to walk a small stretch of it, from our campsite at Kusamakura up to the Kodawaki Suspension Bridge and back. I’d almost be sad or have a sense of FOMO that we didn’t get to hike more of it, but we got to enjoy some pretty interesting sights (i.e. birds) along the way so I came away from the walk feeling pretty fulfilled. The first up was a black kite or “tobi” perching majestically on a rock. I was rather excited just to see this guy but more was yet to come. Next up was a pigeon. From the naked eye I couldn’t quite tell what it was, and it…