For most Japanese, mention of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture conjures up an image of a coast lined with onsen (hot-spring) resorts and blessed with good seafood, drawing hordes of visitors from the Tokyo area.
However, speak to the okami-san (proprietress) at any of the area's many old ryokan (Japanese-style hotels), and you will come away with a revised view of those "hordes." In fact, with Izu facing a slump in visitor numbers in the stagnant economy, its okami-san are now banding together in a bid to reverse the trend.
"Compared with the 1980s' bubble era, the number of people coming to the Izu region has decreased dramatically," said Ikuko Uda, the okami-san of Shirakabe-so, a ryokan in Amagi Yugashima in the central part of the peninsula.