Around Shuzenji Station in Izu City

The final station on the Izuhakone Railway Sunzu Line

Tyra 'nell Pille-Lu Jul 08, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>The entrance/exit gate to and from the station...</p>

<p>The moment I stepped out of the train and into Shuzenji Station, I felt like I was taken a few years back into the past.</p>

<p>If the station seems deserted, so is the area surrounding it. The bustle on the pavement disappeared completely.</p>

<p>Even the stores outside the place look like they've never had a customer for, how many years?</p>

<p>There are only a limited number of buses and it would take more than 20 minutes to wait for the next one.</p>

<p>I felt some mixed emotions wash over me while walking around this place.</p>

<p>These were places I did not expect to see in Japan.</p>

<p>It's a good thing there is a Fujiya here. Fujiya is a cafe and bakery store that specializes in pastries.</p>

<p>Here, you can find several souvenir items.</p>

<p>This was where we had a sumptuous lunch of udon and soba.</p>

<p>This colorful building near the station cheered my eyes up.</p>

<p>I found this ingenious and very artistically made plant holder.</p>

<p>This soba is very tasty and satisfying.</p>

<p>This udon will take your hunger away with utmost satisfaction.</p>

<p>The famous Japanese soba topped with dried seaweed.</p>

Traveling from Numazu to Shuzenji in Izu is like hopping on a time travel machine and going back in time. On a perfect sunny day a few years ago, a friend and I took the local train from Numazu to Mishima, then transferred to the Izuhakone Sunzu line for Shuzenji, the final station on that line.

The moment we went through the exit gate of the station, a sense of nostalgia washed over us, as a picture of Japan more than a decade ago was conjured up in our minds. The ambience took us fifteen years back; it was like something we saw on TV. The roads were almost deserted except for a few elderly people doing their daily routine. Mixed emotions of loneliness, emptiness yet tranquility surfaced as I walked past several old fashioned buildings.