Hey guys, I’ll be in Japan for 2 weeks at the beginning of March. I’ll be travelling with my gf, her sister and her mother who has knee problems. Me and my gf speak Japanese and have already lived in Japan, her mother has been to Kyoto with us before and it will be her sister’s first time. We have the JR pass and our hotel is next to Shizuoka Station.
We haven’t been in Shizuoka yet so we don’t know what to expect. We will be arriving from Tokyo on Sunday, March 5th, and going to Kyoto the next day, so we’ll roughly have the first afternoon and the next day until around 1/2pm to see stuff.
I was thinking about seeing Nihondaira on day 1 and Miho no Matsubara on day 2, but it will probably depend on the weather and if fuji is visible. Does anyone else have suggestions for other things to do in case the sky is too cloudy? (no animal related stuff like zoos or cafés)
Or has anyone been to those places and can give me advice?
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I have not been yet, but have done some research. We are planning to hit up the “sushi street” at S-pulse in Shimizu (near Miho no Matsubara) to try the special sakura shrimp in the area. S-pulse also has a ferris wheel. And there is a fish market not far from the station.
Further afield, there is a small museum that houses wood-block prints of by Hiroshige. I’m not sure we will make it there, as it requires a longish bus ride.
There is also a beautiful garden in Shizuoka we plan to visit (Sunpu Castle Park Momijiyama Garden.).
There are many strawberry fields and strawberry picking along the coast near Shimizu, and also Seiken-ji Temple.
Used to live in Shizuoka for 4 years, but I never visited Nihondaira! We are thinking to visit on our upcoming trip, but the youtube videos I have been using as research makes me think it might be dull.
There are a bunch of underground walkways that you can explore if you don’t want to get wet. After you get out of the station, head to the north end, go down the escalators and wander around…lots of shops and restaurants down there.
On the surface level, Aoba Dori has some green areas and sculptures. Oden Yokocho is around this area as well, definitely visit if you like oden. Try the local favorite, kuro hanpen. I like it as フライ but it’s delish in oden as well. Ryogaecho Dori is kind of like the “red-light” area of the city and is fun to walk around at night (very safe!) Our favorite Turkish doner kebab place is on the street, try to find it! A little hole in the wall. Sengen Dori has more traditional shops if that is more your style.
Sunpu Castle Park is a large park that most interesting and buzzing during sakura and festival season. There are castle reconstructions and the beautiful Momijiyama Garden (I think there is an entry fee). Next door to the park is the prefectural city building and you can go up to the top floor where there is a viewing area. Fingers crossed you will see Fuji-san!
I can probably think if so many more things or answer some questions, but I also haven’t lived there for 8 years haha.
Verkehr Museum in Shimizu is genuinely interesting, if you are into marinistic stuff.