Chubu · Prefecture Guide
Mt Fuji's southern gateway — Japan's tea capital, the world's finest wasabi, volcanic hot spring peninsula, cherry blossom shrimp from the deep bay, and grilled eel by the lakeside
Shizuoka Prefecture stretches in a long arc along Japan's Pacific coast from the volcanic drama of the Izu Peninsula in the east to the broad estuaries and lake-fringed plains around Hamamatsu in the west, making it one of the most geographically varied prefectures in the country. At its northern edge, Mt Fuji rises from Shizuoka's own soil — and it is from this southern side, via the Fujinomiya Trail, that the mountain is climbed most steeply and viewed most classically, framed by the ancient pines of Miho no Matsubara above a sea that carries the mountain's perfect reflection. Inland, the Makinohara plateau and the river valleys are carpeted with tea farms that produce roughly 40 percent of all Japanese green tea. The deep waters of Suruga Bay — Japan's deepest, at over 2,500 metres — bring extraordinary marine riches to the table, including the cherry blossom shrimp found nowhere else on earth. Meanwhile, the Izu Peninsula's geothermal energy surfaces in dozens of hot spring towns from the railway resort of Atami to the bamboo-shadowed streets of Shuzenji, and Hamamatsu anchors the western end as Japan's eel capital.
Shizuoka sits directly on the Tokaido Shinkansen — Japan's busiest high-speed rail corridor — making it fast and straightforward to reach from Tokyo, Nagoya, or Osaka. Atami, the eastern gateway to the Izu Peninsula, is reached in just 1 hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen.
Deep-dive guides to help you plan every aspect of your visit — from top sightseeing spots to the best restaurants and seasonal events.
The Fujinomiya Trail is the steepest and most dramatic of all Fuji climbing routes, starting higher than any other trailhead and cutting a direct path to the summit crater rim. Shizuoka's side of Fuji feels raw and vertical — the final ridgeline looms overhead from the moment you arrive at the 5th Station. On a clear morning, the Pacific Ocean glitters far below while the crater opens up in front of you in a scene of extraordinary volcanic scale.
Miho no Matsubara is a long crescent of white sand fringed by centuries-old black pine trees, stretching out with Mt Fuji rising perfectly from the sea on the far horizon. Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage component, this pine grove has been painted and photographed as the definitive image of Japan for over 400 years. At dawn or dusk the combination of glassy sea, ancient pines, and snow-capped Fuji creates a scene of almost unreal beauty.
Perched on a steep forested hilltop above Suruga Bay, Kunozan Toshogu is one of Japan's most ornate and historically charged Shinto shrines — built as the first resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord who unified Japan. Blazing lacquerwork in red, black, and gold decorates every surface of the main hall, tucked into deep cedar forest above the sea. A scenic ropeway connects the shrine to the Nihondaira plateau, offering sweeping views of Mt Fuji and the bay.
Ryugenbuchi is a deeply cut volcanic gorge near the Izu Peninsula, where dark columnar basalt cliffs drop straight into churning jade-green water below. The gorge was carved by ancient lava flows meeting the sea, creating a dramatic geological landscape of jagged walls, sea caves, and stacked rock formations. Walking the clifftop path here gives an exhilarating sense of Izu's violent volcanic origins, with ocean swells crashing far beneath your feet.
Shiraito Falls is one of Japan's most distinctive waterfalls — not a single powerful plunge but a wide, lace-like curtain of water seeping from porous volcanic rock and flowing from hundreds of thin threads simultaneously across a 200-metre cliff face. Fed entirely by snowmelt filtered through Mt Fuji's lava layers, the water arrives crystal clear and cold even in midsummer, wreathing the forest below in mist. As a UNESCO World Heritage component it forms part of the Fujisan Cultural Landscape.
Hidden in the forested interior of Izu, this atmospheric cedar approach winds between enormous ancient trees whose straight silver trunks disappear into a canopy that filters the light into green columns. Stone lanterns and mossy temple markers line the path, lending the walk a meditative quality that makes it feel genuinely removed from the tourist circuits along the coast. The cedar smell and cool stillness here are extraordinary in every season — oppressively ancient in midsummer, ghostly in winter mist.
Hamamatsu's Lake Hamana has nurtured the finest freshwater eel in Japan for centuries. The local kabayaki preparation — eel split, steamed, then grilled over charcoal and basted in a secret sweet-savoury tare sauce — and the Kansai-style no-steam direct grilling both produce exceptional results. Specialist unaju (eel over rice) restaurants abound in the lakeside fishing villages.
Shizuoka produces around 40 percent of Japan's entire green tea harvest, and the rolling plateau of Makinohara — terraced with rows of clipped tea bushes stretching to every horizon — is the most iconic tea landscape in the country. The prefecture's humid Pacific climate, volcanic soils, and temperature variation produce complex, grassy, and deeply fragrant sencha that sets the benchmark for Japanese tea worldwide. Visitors can walk the tea rows, meet farmers, and taste freshly steamed leaves at estate shops throughout the region.
In late April the Makinohara plateau and the hillside farms of the Abe River valley fill with pickers harvesting the first flush — the ichiban-cha — the most delicate and prized tea of the year. Many estates invite visitors to join the harvest, learning to select only the two leaves and a bud at the shoot tip that produce the finest sencha, and then to steam and roll their own small batch of tea to take home. The landscape during picking season — rows of vivid green tea bushes in the slanted spring light — is one of rural Japan's great visual spectacles.
Hamamatsu is Japan's undisputed unagi capital, where freshwater eels raised in the warm brackish shallows of Lake Hamana are split, steamed, and grilled over charcoal before being lacquered with a sweet soy-and-mirin tare sauce. The result — served on a bed of glossy rice in a lacquered box — is intensely smoky, silky, and richly flavoured in a way that mass-produced eel never approaches. Dozens of specialist restaurants line the city streets, many with queues forming before the doors open.
The clear, ice-cold mountain streams of the Izu Peninsula create perfect conditions for growing real wasabi — the genuine rhizome that most of the world has never tasted, replaced everywhere by horseradish paste. Izu farms grow wasabi in stepped stream beds shaded by bamboo, and the freshly grated root has a subtle, floral heat that builds slowly and clears the sinuses without burning. Paired with hand-cut soba noodles at a riverside restaurant, this is one of the most rewarding gourmet experiences in all of Japan.
Sakura shrimp — delicate pink crustaceans named for their cherry blossom colour — are found in commercial quantities in only one place on earth: the deep waters of Suruga Bay. Harvested twice a year in spring and autumn, they are eaten fresh in crispy kakiage tempura fritters, dried and sprinkled over rice, or piled raw on top of bowls of vinegared sushi rice at harbourside restaurants in Yui. The flavour is sweet and briny with a faint oceanic perfume unlike any other shrimp.
The Fujinomiya Trail is the steepest and most dramatic of all Fuji climbing routes, starting higher than any other trailhead and cutting a direct path to the summit crater rim. Shizuoka's side of Fuji feels raw and vertical — the final ridgeline looms overhead from the moment you arrive at the 5th Station. On a clear morning, the Pacific Ocean glitters far below while the crater opens up in front of you in a scene of extraordinary volcanic scale.
The Izu Peninsula juts into the Pacific like a clenched fist of volcanic rock, its coastline slashed by cliffs, sea caves, and hidden coves that plunge straight into some of the deepest blue water in Japan. Dozens of hot spring towns are scattered across its mountains and shores, fed by geothermal waters that burst from the earth in the most dramatic ocean-facing settings imaginable. From the wild black sand beaches of the west coast to the coral reefs of the south, Izu rewards travellers who venture beyond the famous onsen towns.
Each year on July 10 the Fujinomiya Trail officially opens for the climbing season, marked by ceremonies at the 5th Station and the removal of the wooden barriers that close the upper mountain through spring. The opening weekend draws serious mountaineers and first-timers alike, many beginning their summit attempt at midnight to reach the crater rim at dawn for the legendary goraiko sunrise. The Shizuoka side celebrates the mountain as its own in a way the more famous Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi side does not — quieter, steeper, and more intimate.
The Nishi Izu Skyline is a winding mountain road that traces the spine of the western Izu Peninsula above the clouds, with views that open alternately to Mt Fuji on one side and the Pacific island chain on the other. By bicycle the descent to the west coast is exhilarating — a series of switchbacks through cedar forest that eventually deliver you to the seafront with the smell of the ocean rushing up to meet you. E-bike rental has made the challenging climbs accessible to all fitness levels, and the quiet roads see little traffic outside summer weekends.
Miho no Matsubara is a long crescent of white sand fringed by centuries-old black pine trees, stretching out with Mt Fuji rising perfectly from the sea on the far horizon. Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage component, this pine grove has been painted and photographed as the definitive image of Japan for over 400 years. At dawn or dusk the combination of glassy sea, ancient pines, and snow-capped Fuji creates a scene of almost unreal beauty.
The clear, ice-cold mountain streams of the Izu Peninsula create perfect conditions for growing real wasabi — the genuine rhizome that most of the world has never tasted, replaced everywhere by horseradish paste. Izu farms grow wasabi in stepped stream beds shaded by bamboo, and the freshly grated root has a subtle, floral heat that builds slowly and clears the sinuses without burning. Paired with hand-cut soba noodles at a riverside restaurant, this is one of the most rewarding gourmet experiences in all of Japan.
The Izu Peninsula juts into the Pacific like a clenched fist of volcanic rock, its coastline slashed by cliffs, sea caves, and hidden coves that plunge straight into some of the deepest blue water in Japan. Dozens of hot spring towns are scattered across its mountains and shores, fed by geothermal waters that burst from the earth in the most dramatic ocean-facing settings imaginable. From the wild black sand beaches of the west coast to the coral reefs of the south, Izu rewards travellers who venture beyond the famous onsen towns.
Shizuoka produces 40% of Japan's tea on terraced hillsides between the mountains and the sea. The Makinohara Plateau and Yui township offer walkable tea plantation tours with Mt. Fuji as a backdrop (on clear days), ending with cupping sessions comparing sencha, gyokuro, and the local deep-steamed fukamushi variety — all produced within view of your teacup.
The Nishi Izu Skyline is a winding mountain road that traces the spine of the western Izu Peninsula above the clouds, with views that open alternately to Mt Fuji on one side and the Pacific island chain on the other. By bicycle the descent to the west coast is exhilarating — a series of switchbacks through cedar forest that eventually deliver you to the seafront with the smell of the ocean rushing up to meet you. E-bike rental has made the challenging climbs accessible to all fitness levels, and the quiet roads see little traffic outside summer weekends.
The western Izu coast is Shizuoka's most untamed shore — a narrow road clings to cliffs above crashing surf, passing through tiny fishing villages where outdoor hot spring baths have been carved directly from the rock face at the ocean's edge. At certain rotenburo you can soak while waves break metres away, the horizon vast and orange at sunset behind a silhouette of volcanic islands. This stretch has no train service and rewards those who arrive by car or motorbike with a sense of genuine remoteness.
Dogashima on the wild west coast of Izu is famed for its cluster of volcanic sea caves — some of which can be entered by glass-bottom boat tours that glide through sea-carved tunnels while fish dart below the transparent hull. The largest cave has a collapsed roof open to the sky, creating a natural skylight cathedral of rock and sea that fills with turquoise light on sunny days. The surrounding cliffs, eroded into pillars and arches of white tuff, make this one of the most visually dramatic stretches of coastline in Japan.
Atami's fireworks displays are held multiple times throughout the year, fired from a barge in the enclosed horseshoe harbour so that the bursts of colour reflect perfectly in the still water below, creating a mirrored double image that photographers travel from across Japan to capture. The enclosed bay amplifies every explosion into a rolling boom that echoes off the hillside hotels, and the combination of hot spring town atmosphere, hillside lanterns, and seafront crowds makes these events feel like quintessential Showa-era Japan. Summer and New Year displays are the largest, but even the smaller off-season shows are spectacular.
The Fujinomiya and Gotemba routes from Shizuoka Prefecture offer quieter ascents of Mt. Fuji during the official July–September season. The Fujinomiya route is the shortest to the summit and offers direct views of the sea of clouds and Suruga Bay. Pre-registration is now required; advance booking of mountain huts enables the classic overnight summit for sunrise (goraiko).
Atami's fireworks festivals run throughout the year — a unique seasonal tradition in this compact hot spring resort town. Shells are launched from the hillside above Atami Bay and viewed from the enclosed natural amphitheatre of surrounding mountains, creating an intimate setting where every seat is good. Night-time onsen with fireworks visible from the outdoor bath is the ultimate Atami experience.
Each year on July 10 the Fujinomiya Trail officially opens for the climbing season, marked by ceremonies at the 5th Station and the removal of the wooden barriers that close the upper mountain through spring. The opening weekend draws serious mountaineers and first-timers alike, many beginning their summit attempt at midnight to reach the crater rim at dawn for the legendary goraiko sunrise. The Shizuoka side celebrates the mountain as its own in a way the more famous Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi side does not — quieter, steeper, and more intimate.
In late April the Makinohara plateau and the hillside farms of the Abe River valley fill with pickers harvesting the first flush — the ichiban-cha — the most delicate and prized tea of the year. Many estates invite visitors to join the harvest, learning to select only the two leaves and a bud at the shoot tip that produce the finest sencha, and then to steam and roll their own small batch of tea to take home. The landscape during picking season — rows of vivid green tea bushes in the slanted spring light — is one of rural Japan's great visual spectacles.
Atami's fireworks displays are held multiple times throughout the year, fired from a barge in the enclosed horseshoe harbour so that the bursts of colour reflect perfectly in the still water below, creating a mirrored double image that photographers travel from across Japan to capture. The enclosed bay amplifies every explosion into a rolling boom that echoes off the hillside hotels, and the combination of hot spring town atmosphere, hillside lanterns, and seafront crowds makes these events feel like quintessential Showa-era Japan. Summer and New Year displays are the largest, but even the smaller off-season shows are spectacular.
Every year from May 3 to 5, the vast sandbars of the Nakatajima sand dunes at the mouth of the Tenryu River become the battleground for what is considered the world's largest kite fighting festival, drawing over a million spectators over the three-day Golden Week event. Teams from different neighbourhoods fly enormous hand-painted kites on lines of woven hemp, attempting to cut their rivals' strings in a tradition dating back over 430 years. The noise, colour, and crowd energy across the dunes — with dozens of massive kites clashing overhead — is overwhelming in the best possible way.
Walk Shizuoka's terraced tea fields with a farmer guide who explains cultivar differences, pruning rhythms, and harvesting techniques before sitting in a farm shed for a proper tea cupping of three grades — sencha, fukamushi, and gyokuro — comparing flavour profiles and learning preparation temperatures. Finish with a matcha grinding and whisking session using stone handmills.
The Izu Peninsula's volcanic coastline plunges into some of Japan's clearest inshore waters, with visibility up to 20 m in the calm western (Suruga Bay) and eastern (Pacific) coasts. Dive schools in Ito, Shimoda, and Dogashima operate year-round introductory and licensed dives past underwater lava formations, moray eels, schools of jack fish, and seasonal visits by hammerhead sharks.
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