In the Izu scenery we have recognized our beloved Liguria, the Italian region where we lived many years, that gave birth to important navigators, an upon-a-time maritime power and famous singers.

From Izu Kogen we can go on daily business trips to Tokyo, and it is therefore ideal for our interpreting work. With the Shinkansen, the super-fast express train departing from Atami, it takes only 36 minutes to get to Shinagawa's station. And in such a short time we are back again to our private paradise.

In the middle of such a vital energy, since we are usually sit all day long in front of the computer we find that cutting the fast-growing grass in summer and picking the millions of fallen leaves in fall is a great diversion for us (despite the common belief, translators too are not completely stress-free, to say the truth).

But strolls in such showers of negative ions - or should we call them green labyrinths, perhaps, since we still end up losing our way - are the true refresh for us. Although Izu Kogen has always been traditionally considered an area of pensions and company holiday houses, recently the number of residents is on the rise, and among them you can also find many artists and "creative" people that, like us, try to contribute to the creation of a very particular cultural atmosphere in a place that is far from being a city but is neither a strictly rural settlement.

Omuroyama, one of the Izu's symbols, can be recognized by its gently green silhouette that is so perfect to look like as if it was created by the man. This is a volcano with a long history, with its last eruption occurred some 3,000 years ago.

"Sakura-no-sato", a lovely spot right at the foot of Omuroyama, is said to have approximately 3,000 cherry tress planted in such a relatively small area where thousands of people every year gather for the typical "hanami", the viewing the cherry blossoms in Japan.

Omuroyama is also considered a phenomenal "power spot" where streams of energy are said to concentrate. Not everyone is blessed with feeling the natural energy. But what has attracted our curiosity since arriving here is the presence of a very old tree a few steps after crossing the "tori", at the entrance of the mountain, that looks like if it is spreading the arms towards the sky and crying desperately to relieve its pain for the on-going destruction of mother nature.

And here we live, at the foot of the southern slope and exposed to the usually strong yet refreshing south-west winds.