Shimizu, Japan

Beautiful Scenery

A pine grove of some 30,000 trees along Suruga Bay, registered in 2013 as a component part of the Mount Fuji World Cultural Heritage site. The Hagoromo Pine and the “Path of the Gods” running from it to Miho Shrine are the set pieces. Shizuoka City's own directions are the Miho-Yamanote Line bus from JR Shimizu Station, about 25 minutes, then about 15 minutes on foot — so allow for the walk at the far end. Whether Fuji itself is in the picture depends entirely on the cloud, and nobody can promise it.

Ancient History & Ruins

The shrine built over Tokugawa Ieyasu's original burial place, and there are two quite different ways up. The shrine's own figure for the stone stairway is 1159 steps taking roughly 20 minutes; the alternative is the ropeway from the top of Nihondaira, which it puts at about 5 minutes. Choose before you set out rather than at the bottom of the steps — the two routes start in different places.

Family Fun

The waterfront complex about five minutes on foot from the berth, with a sushi museum and a ferris wheel. It earns its place here for one reason: it is the only thing on this list that needs no bus, no taxi and no water bus, which makes it the fallback when the weather closes in or the call is short.

Recommended visit duration

One inland sight plus the waterfront is the realistic shape of this call. Miho no Matsubara is about 25 minutes by bus from JR Shimizu Station and then a 15-minute walk, and Kunozan Toshogu is either 1159 steps or a ropeway from Nihondaira — either is a half-day once travel is counted. S-Pulse Dream Plaza is five minutes from the berth and fills whatever is left.

Accessibility

The three sights differ enormously here. S-Pulse Dream Plaza is level and five minutes from the ship. Miho no Matsubara ends in a 15-minute walk from the bus stop, on sand and pine-grove paths. Kunozan Toshogu is the hard one by the stairway — 1159 steps — but the Nihondaira ropeway exists precisely to avoid that and takes about five minutes.

Weather

Mount Fuji is the reason most passengers book this port and it is the one thing that cannot be arranged. The peak is roughly 37 km away and frequently clouds over as the morning goes on, so treat a clear view as luck rather than an itinerary item — and pick sights that are worth the trip on their own terms. Miho no Matsubara, the shrine and the waterfront all are.

Worth booking ahead?

No