Beginning in Nagano prefecture and meeting the sea at the coast of Shizuoka, the Tenryu river is the ninth longest in Japan. On the first weekend of June, the Enshu Hamakita Flying Dragon Festival is held in honor of Ryujin (Dragon God), god of the T..
Izu City is a relatively warm city that lies along the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture. Famous for its hot springs and the Shuzenji Temple, Izu is ideal for travellers looking for a mixture of land and sea experiences. The Kano River runs through the city, culminating in the Joren Falls, a wate..
Kakegawa is a city in western Shizuoka known for its green tea production and is surrounded by green tea fields. There, visitors may see Kakegawa Castle, a reconstructed Edo castle that is the city’s biggest landmark. Bird-lovers will also find a large variety of birds such as penguins and hor..
Shizuoka City in central Shizuoka Prefecture is perfect for outdoor lovers as it is surrounded by numerous mountains, lakes, and rivers. Like many other cities in the prefecture, Shizuoka City produces a lot of green tea and strawberries. Many historic shrines and roads line Shizuoka City that can b..
Looking for lunch one day in the middle of Shizuoka City, I headed up to the dining floor of the Cenova shopping center, hoping to find something tasty, filling and inexpensive. My eye was caught by the display outside Atari Cafe, advertising their a..
An absolute Mishima institution, Jun has been serving up hearty, affordable 'Japanese Western' comfort food to the locals since 1955. Just round the corner from Sanshin Zen Gallery a few minutes' walk from the JR station, it's a good ..
Green tea is one of Japan’s most representative products—and one of its most delicious. Green tea used to be such a prized commodity that it was used as a form of taxation in the late 1700s. One of the most prominent tea regions is Shizuo..
While visiting Japan, you start searching hotels to book. Often hotels located at the station are simple and well designed business hotels. However, Hotel Century takes it one step father and gives you convenience, luxury, style, and comfort. Hotel C..
Every autumn I go to Shizuoka for the Daidogei street performance world cup, a very fun event that takes over the city for four days. In order to be close to everything I try to stay as centrally as possible, and it would be hard to find somewhere mo..
K’s House of Ito is located in a 100 year-old Registered Tangible Cultural Property. It is located within a 7-minute walk from JR Ito Train Station and a 4-minutes walk from the beach. The hostel offers hot-spring baths, free Wi-Fi, and three l..
Following the logic of the road, from JR Atami Station, I walked down towards the sea. I knew, eventually, I would reach the marina. I wanted to explore Atami a bit on foot. I didn’t have a map with me or any particular objectives. Like flowing..
The rugged and towering cliffs along Jogasaki Coast in Ito, Shizuoka have a mysterious attraction to a traveller. I felt this way the first time my friends and I briefly dropped by on a rainy day in July a few years ago. In January last year, a frien..
National parks in Japan are designated for protection and preservation by the government and offer views of breathtaking beauty. Comprising of 34 from Hokkaido in the north, to Okinawa in the south, Fuji Hakone Izu National Park is one of the most vi..
