Ike Village Walking Tour
Category: Japanese Culture, Local Experience
Japanese Village Life
To understand Japan, nothing is better than learning about life in a typical rural village. Our tour of the village Ike (ee-kay) will introduce you to the fundamentals of Japanese culture. See how members of the community worked together to survive in Izu's rugged terrain by working in harmony with nature and each other.
About the tour
We’ll tour the village rice fields, visit the very old and very important mountain and water shrines, walk through the residential area. We’ll visit a 500 year old temple and learn the local folktale that describes its history. We’ll visit the water tunnel dug by the residents to drain a large pond (Ike means ‘pond’ in Japanese) and provide farmland. We’ll learn the stories behind several roadside stone carvings along the way.
Book The Ike Village Walking Tour
TOUR DETAILS:
Cost: $165 per person (minimum 2, maximum 6 people per tour)
Duration: Roughly 3 hours
Difficulty: Easy/moderate – this is a roughly 3 kilometer walk along a flat landscape. The entire course is wheelchair accessible.
The price above is for the tour only. Customers need to pay for transportation to/from the tour start/end points, and all other expenses. Japanese law prevents a private tour guide from collecting money for anything but the tour. Jimmy’s Izu Tours is happy to answer questions and help you get here, but we cannot offer extra services. We provide detailed instructions on how to get to the tour below and with your booking confirmation.
DIrections
The Ike Village Tour will begin and end at the Ike Community Center.
If you are coming by train, take a taxi from Izu Kogen Station.
Tell the driver “Ike Community Center.” Pronounce Ike like you’re saying the letters “E-K” by themselves. When you say “center,” drop the ‘er’ sound at the end and replace it with an ‘ahh’ sound. sentahh.
Of course you can just show the map to the driver, or write down the address, but you’re in Japan! Try communicating with the locals for fun. You can do it!
Prepare for a bad internet connection by writing down the name and phone number: Ike Community Center, 0557-54-2330
Your driver will be able to locate it using this info.