High Speed Ferry

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High speed ferry boat " MS ILE DE VACANCES 3RD”or “IRU-DO BAKANSU 3-SEI(Japanese),is on the service between the port of Ito and Hatsushima Island, twice a day.
The ferry is 292 G/T, 44m of Loa and 8.2m Beam , with a speed of 18.6 K't. It is capable of 868 passengers.
(Pictures were taken when the ferry was approaching to the entrance of Ito port)

Sailing boat came to Ito Marine Town

On July 21,2016, an old type sailing boat with two masts and four sails called Sunrise Marina, Ito Marine Town. There were 21 students of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology on board the sailing boat,which was usually called as "Pinnace Type Sailing Boat". They were on the way from their university to such various ports of Izu as Inatori fishing port, Shimoda, Izu Oshima and so on.
This summer sailg around the ports in Izu by Pinnace is about 70 year traditional event of the University,which is said to be started from around 1943, when the university was located in Shimizu (Shizuoka Pre.). Needless to say, the purpose of this sailing is to skill-up the seamanship of the students, who aim to become the captain of the ship in the future.
This is the first time for them to call Ito bay.

The entrance of Ito port

Here is the entrance of Ito port. It is just adjacent to the entrance of Matsukawa river. The port is used for, mainly, small ships like fishing boats, yachts and ferry boats (going to Hatsu-shima, Atami, or other places).
The entrance of the port is landmarked with a white light beacon on the breakwater as shown in this photo.

The mouth of Matsukawa river

The Matsukawa river, after running through the center of Ito downtown area, pours into the Sagami bay. This is the mouth of Matsukawa river, where William Adams, known as Miura Anjin, built a western-style sailing ship for the first time in Japanese history, in Edo age, about 400 years ago.

Ito Orange Beach(Swimming Beach)

In about 5-10 minutes by walk from Ito railway station(to seaside), there is a swimming beach named Ito Orange Beach. It is a sandy beach with about 850 meters of length. Because of its good location having a rather convenient distance from, not only railway station, but also Ito downtown area, the convenient stores or other stores, lodgings, etc., the beach is crowded with a lot of people who seek coolness or suntan in summer time (mostlu July and August). Many people also come to the beach by car, as the municipal and also private car parks are available near the beach.

Wooden Washtub Riding Race

On the first Sunday of July every year, the wooden washutub riding race is held on Matsukawa River of Ito city. Not only the citizens but also the tourists (including the foreign tourists) can freely participate and enjoy the race, with many sight-seers watching and cheering from the riverside. The contestants ride in a wooden washtub of about 30 cm deep and 100 cm diameter, and go down the river rowing with two large wooen paddles.
This is an amusement racing and one of the big events of summer festival in Ito city since 1956.

Nagisa Park, Ito city

Nagisa park in Ito is located at the mouth of Matsukawa River, the seaside of central Ito, near Orange beach.
It is at a distance of about 15 minutes walk from Ito railway station. The park faces the Ito bay and we can spend a comfotable time there having a gentle breeze from the ocean in the summer time. When it is fine weather, we can also enjoy seeing Hatsu-shima island, Miura Peninsula and, even, Boso Peninsula on the horizon.
In the park, there are several sculptures made by a sculptor who is from this Ito city.

Ito-Rieti Friendship City Mounument

Ito city and Rieti city (Italy) are in the friendship-City relationship since July 1985. The opportunity for both cities to make an agreement for the friendship-City relationship is that, in Ito, we hold a wooden washtub racing in the River Matsukawa running through the center of Ito city every year as a big event of summer festival in Ito city since 1956, while, in Rieti city, Italy, (about 80 Km northeast of Rome) they have a similar type of festival in which a wine-barrel racing is held in the Verino River running through the center of Rieti city, and both cities found that there were similar cultures in this regard.
This monument, with actual storn handmill for grinding the olives, which was presented by Rieti city, was set up on June 30,2001 near the mouth of Matsukawa River, as a proof and memorial of this relationship between two cities.

San Buena Ventura

Ito is known as a place where the Western-style sailing ship was built for the first time in Japanese history. Namely,in 1604, William Adams, known as Miura Anjin, built the first Western-style sailing ship of 80 tons at the mouth of Matsukawa river of Ito by order of Tokugawa Shogunate. This is a bronze monument of 120 tons of sailing ship " San Buena Ventura" displayed near the mouth of Matsukawa river, seaside of Ito.( A view in the background is Ito harbour). San Buena Ventura was the second sailing ship built at this mouth of Matsukawa river by William Adams in 1605.
San Buena Ventura, then, crossing the Pacific Ocean, navigated to Mexico in 1610.

Anjin Memorial Statue

Just beside the bronze monument of SAN BUENA VENTURA at Anjin Memorial Park, Ito city (at the month of Matsukawa River), there is an Anjin Memorial Statue ( unvieled in 1987 ). There is also a memorial pole (right) to commemorate this place where the western style sailing ship was built for the first time in Japanese history.

TOKAIKAN

Tokaikan was built in 1928 as a hot spring inn for the people who visited Ito. Especially after 1938, when Ito/Atami railway line openned, many people enjoyed staying in Tokaikan to take hot-spring cure.
Tokaikan is a tipical Japanese construction made with special woods like Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress by the skillful Japanese carpenters.
Now a day, Tokaikan is no longer used as an inn, but it is openned to the public to see and enjoy its valuable traditional Japanese architecture styles, inside and outside.
Look at this beautiful architecture !