You can see Izu-Kogen without a car. Taxis do most of the work, but none of them cruise the streets, so every ride is one you call: through your hotel, through the GO or DiDi app, or by phone, and about 20 to 30 minutes ahead. The local bus is the budget backup, and a charter taxi or a guide makes sense when there are four of you or you want the day explained.
Why taxis, not buses
Every stop on our guidebook route, from Mt. Omuro to Jogasaki and the hotels, is within about 20 minutes by taxi of Izu-Kogen Station. Tokai Bus connects the station with Mt. Omuro and Jogasaki, but runs only one or two buses an hour in the daytime, and the last bus from Mt. Omuro (the Omuroyama-higashi stop) to Ito Station leaves just after 5 pm (17:02 in our September 2026 check). And once your bags are at a hotel, you may have to go back to the station to catch one.
So we tell most visitors: train to Izu-Kogen, taxis on the ground, and the bus when you want to save money and have time to wait.
Four ways to get a taxi
Ask your hotel. This is the most reliable way. Tell the front desk at least 20 to 30 minutes before you want to leave, or the night before for a morning car. Ten minutes is not enough here.
Use an app. GO and DiDi both work in Ito, which includes Izu-Kogen. GO accepts international credit cards and has an English version (GO in English); DiDi lists Ito City in its service area. Set both up before you fly, and still allow 20 to 30 minutes for the car. Do not count on Uber: when Uber Taxi expanded in Shizuoka in May 2025, Ito was not one of the cities.
Phone. We suggest Tozu Taxi: there is a translation tablet in the car, and you can ask for English-speaking guide staff when you book. The number is +81 557-37-3511 from your own phone while roaming, or 0557-37-3511 from a Japanese phone such as your hotel's.
A taxi-call QR code. Some venues display one. Scan it, enter your name, and a car comes. Use it only where the venue clearly provides it.
One habit saves the most waiting: book your ride back before you set off. At Jogasaki, for example, book the car from the Kadowaki parking lot before you start the cliff walk, not after.
What a ride costs
Taxis here run on a meter. Since 25 November 2025, most companies in the Izu area charge a standard car ¥700 for the first 1.15 km, then ¥100 for every 248 m, plus a ¥200 pickup fee when you call. Up to four people ride for one fare. Rough fares from Izu-Kogen Station:
- To a hotel in Izu-Kogen: 5 to 15 minutes, about ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 depending on the hotel.
- To Mt. Omuro: 6.5 km, about ¥3,000. The bus is ¥490 per person.
- To Izu Granpal Park: 3.7 km, about 10 minutes, about ¥2,000.
Mt. Omuro to Jogasaki is about 20 minutes on the meter. For two people the bus is much cheaper. For four, the station to Mt. Omuro works out at about ¥750 each against ¥490 on the bus, and you skip the wait.
If you book through GO or DiDi, the fare goes to the card in the app. If you call by phone or through your hotel, have cash ready.
When the bus is enough
If you have time and want to spend less, Tokai Bus connects Izu-Kogen Station with Mt. Omuro (the Shaboten Park stop, about 15 to 20 minutes) and with Jogasaki (about 10 minutes).
How to ride: board at the front door, take a numbered ticket or tap an IC card such as Suica or PASMO. The screen at the front shows the fare for your ticket number. Get off at the front door and pay as you leave, with the exact fare or a second tap of the card. Drivers do not give change, so break notes in the machine on the fare box first.
Tokai Bus fares went up on 1 October 2026. From that date, the Izu-Kogen and Jogasaki 1-Day Pass is ¥1,490 for adults (¥750 for children), sold at Izu-Kogen Station or in the EMot app. Check times and fares on Tokai Bus's route search before you rely on a bus.
On windy days, a car helps
The only way up Mt. Omuro is the chairlift, and it stops in strong wind. Sections of the Jogasaki coast path also close in strong wind. With a taxi you can switch: if the lift is stopped, Jogasaki is about 20 minutes away by car, and you can come back to Mt. Omuro later if the wind drops. With one or two buses an hour, the same change by bus can mean a long wait.
When to charter a taxi
A charter keeps one car with you, so there is no calling and your bags stay in the trunk. As a price guide, Izu Tokai Taxi publishes a 3-hour course covering Jogasaki and Mt. Omuro from Ito at ¥24,300 for a standard car (up to four people) or ¥34,500 for a large car (up to nine), as of November 2025. That is about ¥6,000 each for four. Tolls, parking, the chairlift and entry fees are extra, and extra time is billed in 15-minute blocks. Prices change, so confirm the quote when you book. Izu Tokai Taxi takes calls in Japanese only, so ask your hotel desk to call. Tozu Taxi quotes charters on request.
For two people a charter is expensive per head. For four, it saves calling a taxi between stops for the hours you book.
When to hire a guide
We suggest a guide when you want someone beside you in English who can explain what you are looking at, such as why Mt. Omuro is shaped the way it is, and who plans the day with you.
We do not run guided tours ourselves. If you send us your dates, group size and interests, we introduce you to a local guide partner we work with, who plans and guides a private day. You arrange the tour and pay the guide directly.
Questions we get
Can I flag down a taxi on the street in Izu-Kogen?
No. There are no cruising taxis in Izu-Kogen and no taxi rank at most sights. Ask your hotel desk, use the GO or DiDi app, or phone a taxi company, and allow 20 to 30 minutes for the car.
Does Uber work in Izu-Kogen?
Do not count on it. When Uber Taxi expanded in Shizuoka in May 2025, Ito was not one of the cities, and in our September 2026 check it had no local taxi partner here. Set up GO or DiDi instead.
Do taxi drivers speak English?
Of the two local companies, Tozu Taxi has a translation tablet in the car and English-speaking guide staff if you ask when you book. Izu Tokai Taxi takes calls in Japanese only. Either way, showing the driver the place name in Japanese or a pin on the map helps.
Is a taxi expensive?
Izu-Kogen Station to Mt. Omuro is about ¥3,000, and up to four people ride for one fare. For two people the bus is cheaper; for four, the taxi costs about ¥750 each.
Can I pay by card?
If you book through GO or DiDi, the fare goes to the card in the app. If you call by phone or through your hotel, have cash ready.