FAQ

This topic is covered in detail here.

You can pay online by credit or debit card or you can pay in cash. We require a deposit to confirm your booking. You can pay the balance due in advance or when you meet your guide in person on the day of your hike. Full payment is always required before your hike begins. Details of how to make a payment will be provided when you make a booking.

If you cancel by 48 hours before the time for which you booked a hike, your full payment will be refunded. For cancellation between 24 and 48 hours in advance, 50% will be refunded. For cancellation between 12 and 24 hours before, 25% will be refunded. If you cancel less than twelve hours before your hike or fail to show up at the scheduled time and place, no refund will be given. Also see What if it rains? below for cancellation policies related to inclement weather.

The guide fee covers the cost of the services of a native English-speaking guide for the duration of the hike. It does not include any of the following expenses:

• train, bus, rental car or taxi fares/fees to and from the trailhead or the meeting/starting and ending points for the hike
• bicycle and camping gear rental fees, if bikes and gear are required for your hike
• the cost of food, drink and other items you bring or purchase during the hike
• the cost of admission to a hot spring bathhouse or other optional sites you visit during the hike
• all other incidental expenses

• Izu hikes can generally be done in running shoes. It's usually not necessary to have hiking boots. If you want hiking footwear, you can buy it through Amazon Japan or a sporting goods shop.
• a light rain jacket or poncho in case of rain
• more than enough food and water for the expected duration of the hike
• backpack to carry your food, water and personal items
• enough cash to cover the guide fee (unless you prepaid online) and your bus and train fares and hot spring bath entrance fees, if any
• your passport or Japan residence card
• sun protection, including sunscreen, lip sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat with a visor and clothing that fully covers your arms and legs
• optionally, an extra set of clothing in a plastic bag, in case you get wet due to rain or sweat
• optionally, a bathing suit to wear for a dip in the ocean or in a lake, stream or hot spring bath
• optionally, a small towel to dry off with after swimming or bathing
• optionally, a sweatband and/or a small cloth to wipe sweat from your face
• if camping overnight, a toothbrush and toothpaste
• Most hikers find insect repellent isn't needed in Izu.

• toilet paper
• garbage bag
• essential wilderness tools and emergency equipment (first aid kit, emergency food and water, headlamp, emergency shelter, etc)
• mobile phone for emergency use only
• bike repair kit and tools (only on bike and hike trips)

Our guides are native English speakers. They speak and read some Japanese but aren't professional interpreters or translators. Some guides also speak a little Chinese and French.

There is no minimum or maximum group size.

Children can join a hike their adult relative joins. The guide fee applies to children old enough to walk at least part of a hiking course.

Izu Hike staff will monitor the weather forecast as the day of your hike approaches. If sustained or heavy rain or other severe weather hazards are likely, they will inform you one to four days in advance that your hike is cancelled and give you the option to reschedule or receive a full refund of fees you've paid.

If, 24 hours before your hike, the chance of a small to moderate amount of rainfall is forecast to be 50% or greater, Izu Hike staff will inform you of the forecast and offer you the option to cancel anytime up to four hours before the scheduled start of your hike and to receive a full refund of fees you've paid. If you choose not to cancel or for any reason fail to cancel by four hours before the scheduled start of your hike and rainfall begins or continues after the scheduled start time, you will be offered the option to either proceed with your hike or to conclude it early and receive a prorated refund on guide fees you've paid, less 25% of the original guide fees as a service charge. No refund on bike, camping equipment and other rental fees will be given in case of failure to cancel four hours in advance.

Rain is a possibility regardless of the forecast. If rainfall was not expected but nevertheless occurs at or after the scheduled start time of your hike, you will be offered the option to either accept the above prorated cancellation terms or proceed with your hike. On the day of your hike, please bring a light rain jacket or poncho in case of rain.

We strongly recommend you get comprehensive travel insurance through World Nomads or another provider.

There are no bears, mountain lions, wolves or other large predators in Izu.

Izu is a large peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture just southeast of Mount Fuji and about 45 minutes southwest of Tokyo by train. It's known for its hot spring baths, striking seaside cliffs, beautiful beaches, mild climate, abundant flowers, extensive forests and mountain ranges. Most of Izu is lush, remote, sparsely-populated countryside that offers far more enjoyable hiking than overcrowded Mount Fuji. Izu's stunning coastline is largely contained within Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

The most convenient way to travel to Izu is by Japan's "shinkansen" high speed trains, which stop at two stations in northern Izu. If you intend to stay on the eastern or southern coasts of Izu, take the high speed train to the station in the city of Atami, and then, if needed, take a regular train down the eastern coast. For stays in central or western Izu, take the high speed train to the city of Mishima, and then take a regular train and/or a bus to your final destination.

Air travel isn't usually a convenient way to reach the peninsula. Izu's closest airport, in the city of Shizuoka, offers flights to only a handful of domestic and international locations and has no direct connections with most of Japan's largest cities. By public transportation, the airport is over ninety minutes from Mishima, Izu's northwesternmost city.

"Departs from" is given for each hike on our Day Hikes and Bike and Hike pages. You can use this as a guide to where you should book lodging once you've chosen the hikes that interest you. However, every part of Izu has excellent hikes, and the peninsula is sufficiently well-connected by public transportation that you could make a day trip from one part of Izu to any other for a hike.

We don't offer hiking tours on Mount Fuji itself. Our sister site Fuji Bike Tour offers guided biking tours through the Fuji Five Lakes region and Mt Fuji foothills from which you can enjoy spectacular views of the mountain and its beautiful surrounding landscapes.