The capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka’s main sites are within easy walking or cycling distance. Its city centre is located around Shizuoka Station, while Shimizu and its port make up a secondary centre. Like the prefecture, the city is known for its tea leaves and scenic views of Mount Fuji. It is also famed for supplying maguro tuna and cherry shrimp. Shizuoka is where Tokugawa Ieyasu—the shogun who reunified Japan in 1600—grew up and lived out his final years. Many reminders of his presence remain in Shizuoka’s castle, park, and temple.
Group Attractions
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine is a magnificent shrine where Tokugawa Ieyasu is buried. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) brought a long period of civil wars to an end and united all of Japan. Kunozan Toshogu is built-in in the Gongen-zukuri style reminiscent of Nikko, in which a stone-paved room connects the main hall and worship hall. The shrine complex itself is extensive and consists of a large number of bright red buildings decorated with gold accents and colourful carvings and paintings.
Activities: Photo stop, Shrine visit Fee: JPY 500 (shrine) Time required: Minimum 45 minutes
Shimizu Port
Until it was incorporated into Shizuoka City in 2003, Shimizu was a city of its own centred around its port. Shimizu Port has several attractions but is most famous for being among Japan's most scenic ports thanks to views of Mount Fuji on clear days. At Shimizu Port, there are several shopping establishments such as the S-Pulse Dream Plaza—a four-story shopping mall along the waterfront that includes museums, movie theatres, a food court and a Ferris wheel, Kashi-no-Ichi Market—a local fish market.
Activities: Photo stop, Shopping Fee: None Time required: Minimum 1 hour
Miho-no-Matsubara
There's a stretch of coastline known as Miho-no-Matsubara with over thirty-thousand pine trees. The green pine forest, the white waves, and the blue ocean, along with Mt. Fuji has been celebrated in pictures and poems for centuries. The area is on the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of Japan's Mt. Fuji cultural site. The nearby Miho Shrine, Kami no Michi (God’s Road), and a passage of Tokoyo-no-Kami (Gods of Tokoyo) will make you feel refreshed as you walk there.
Activities: Photo stop, Cycling Fee: None Time required: 40 minutes
Sunpu Castle
Sunpu Castle is where shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu spent his formative and last years. None of the original castle buildings remains, and the grounds now mostly consist of park space. The attractive Momijiyama Japanese Garden was opened in the park's northeastern corner. In the style of a traditional landscape garden, it features a pond at its centre, a man-made hill and a network of walking trails. Local tea is served in a teahouse in the corner of the garden.
Activities: Photo stop, Stroll around Fee: None Time required: 1 hour
Nearby Areas
S-Pulse Dream Plaza is a complex full of attractive features such as the Shimizu Sushi Food Court (10 sushi shops), the Suruga Souvenir Shopping Area—where regional specialty items such as Shizuoka cakes, well-known products, and green tea can be purchased, and Shimizu Sushi Museum. There is also a remodeled Chibi Maruko Land.