• At A Glance
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Best Things to Do & See in Shimizu shore excursions

One of the hottest ports in Japan, Shimizu, is a dream city for exploring Japanese culture, history, and landscape. A trip to Shimizu includes various worth-visiting places that we have summarized in the list below.

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji – an active volcano - is the highest mountain in Japan with the height of 3776 meters. The perfect cone shape has gone deep in the traditional art of this country revealing in paintings, folk songs, dances, and so on. The image of the gentle mountain with pure white snow covering the top is always one of the most popular symbols of Japan, both in spiritual and material life. The last time Mount Fuji erupted is in 1707. However, sometimes this area is closed due to safety ensuring for visitors. The recommended time to come to admire the mountain is early morning or late evening in autumn when the sky is clear and lack of rain, especially during July and August. Colder weather, not snowy days, provide the better view over the mountain than in summer when clouds can dominate your vision.

Kunozan Toshogu Shrine

A land respecting the worship convenient like Japan has various sacred sites along the country. In Shimizu shore excursions, the highlight is Kunozan Toshogu which dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu – the leader united the entire territory Japan by putting an end to the long civil war era. The only way to reach the shrine is trekking through a thousand steps to the mountain which is told to express the piety to Ieyasu. The architecture is well-maintained with many buildings painted bright red in color and decorated with gold accents, valuable carvings, and paintings. Beside the main ground exhibiting swords, armors, clothes along with a drum tower, a copper lantern, and halls, deep in the woods locates the tomb of the ancient leader.

Mihono beach

This beach is unique with black sand and small rock along the shore side. Instead of famous for a nice place to sunbath or swimming, Mihono beach is well-known with the spectacular view over the symbolic Mount Fuji which is considered as one of three most beautiful views in Japan. The mountain far away topped with pure snow is highlighted in the pattern of black sand beach created by crushed lava. Mihono beach is also specialized by the line of pine trees with a popular legend. Locals said that once a fisherman saw a robe hanging on the tree which belongs to a heavenly maiden. This sacred tree now has the age of over 650 years old and serves as the guardian of the Japanese sea.

Owaku-dani Valley

Owakudani is not a normal valley. The area is formed by the eruption of Mount Hakone over 3000 years ago which still active nowadays with a lot of interesting things to explore including sulfurous fumes, hot springs, and hot air radiating. Standing on the valley, you can admire the view over Mount Fuji with suitable weather. After a ten-minute walk through the trails from the ropeway station to reach the volcanic area, your eyes can catch the sight of various stream vents and bubbling pools. If you are hungry, sample some special eggs cooked in the naturally hot water with the black shells caused by the sulfur. Eating them is said that add your life seven years longer.

Lake Ashinoko

Also created by the last eruption of Mount Hakone, Lake Ashinoko is always on the top of must-seeing attractions in Shimizu shore excursions with those who love the natural landscape. The first impression in the lake is Mount Fuji serving as a wonderful background behind far away. The shore along the lake is lined up with small undeveloped towns.

Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum

Right to the name, Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum exhibits thousands of valuable woodblock prints of Utagawa Hiroshige. He is a 19th-century artist who is well-known for painting ukiyo-e – the unique kind of art using soft brush strokes to reveal the Japanese daily life through beautiful landscape, flowers, birds, and people inspired by European artists, especially Vincent Van Gogh. The most famous artworks is a series of The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido.