Shizuoka Prefecture stretches along Japan's Pacific coast between Tokyo and Nagoya, framed by the southern slopes of Mount Fuji, the hot-spring resorts of the Izu Peninsula, and the deep waters of Suruga Bay. Home to Japan's largest green tea harvest, its top eel-producing city, and the closest classic views of Mount Fuji outside Yamanashi, Shizuoka pairs UNESCO World Heritage scenery with feudal-era castles and coastal onsen towns across 7,777 square kilometres of the Chubu region.
Top attractions
The most popular and significant attractions in Shizuoka.
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1
Sunpu Castle Park (Sumpu Castle Ruins)
This is the site of the castle where Tokugawa Ieyasu retired after handing power to his son, and where he lived until his death in 1616. The stone moats and reconstructed Tatsumi Yagura turret and Higashi Gomon gate remain, but the main keep was never rebuilt, so the park today reads as open lawns and walking paths inside the old walls rather than a standing castle. A statue of Ieyasu with a hawk marks the grounds, tying the site to his falconry hobby in retirement.
Tip: Buy the combined ticket if visiting both the turret and Momijiyama Garden to save on separate admission fees · Arrive before 10AM on weekends to avoid school and tour groups at the turret entrance · The park itself is free; only the reconstructed buildings and garden charge admission · Closed Mondays, so plan castle-facility visits for another weekday · Bring cash, as facility ticket counters may not accept cards
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2
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine
Kunozan Toshogu is the original mausoleum shrine built for Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately after his death, before the more famous Nikko Toshogu was expanded; the lacquered and gilded main hall here is a National Treasure and predates Nikko's version. It sits on Mount Kuno overlooking Suruga Bay, reached by a long stone staircase of over 1,000 steps or by a short ropeway from the Nihondaira side. The compact shrine complex feels denser and less crowded than Nikko while showing the same Momoyama-style ornamentation.
Tip: Combine the shrine ticket with the museum ticket to save over paying separately · Climb the staircase for the views, or take the Nihondaira Ropeway if avoiding over 1,000 steps · Visit on a clear morning for the best chance of seeing Mount Fuji from the staircase · Arrive before mid-morning to avoid tour bus groups at the main hall · Wear sturdy shoes; the stone steps are uneven in places
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3
Nihondaira Ropeway
This short ropeway connects the Nihondaira plateau to Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, crossing a forested valley in about five minutes. Nihondaira itself is a hilltop lookout point known for wide views that, on clear days, take in Mount Fuji, Suruga Bay, and the Shizuoka coastline together. Most visitors ride it one-way as the link to the shrine rather than for the ride itself.
Tip: Check the operator's phone line or signage for wind-related suspensions before heading up · Ride in winter for the clearest Mount Fuji sightlines across the bay · Buy the round-trip ticket if returning to Nihondaira rather than descending the staircase · Combine the ropeway with a Kunozan Toshogu Shrine visit to avoid climbing all 1,159 steps · Cabins run frequently, so there is little benefit to arriving early to beat lines
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4
Toro Ruins and Shizuoka City Toro Museum
Toro is a Yayoi-period rice-farming village site excavated in the 20th century, notable for the raised-floor storehouses and paddy field layout preserved from roughly 2,000 years ago. Reconstructed pit-dwellings and granaries stand on the original site, giving a sense of how a rice-farming community here was organized before Shizuoka existed as a city. The adjacent museum displays wooden tools and pottery recovered from the excavation.
Tip: The ruins park and museum first floor are free; only the second-floor special exhibits charge admission · Visit in early autumn just before harvest for the most photogenic golden paddies · Weekday afternoons are quieter than weekday mornings, which draw school groups · Combine with nearby Sunpu Castle Park for a half-day of Shizuoka City history · Closed Mondays, so plan around that when combining with other sights
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5
Miho no Matsubara
Miho no Matsubara is a curving pine-covered sandbar on Suruga Bay, registered as part of the Mount Fuji UNESCO World Heritage listing for its role in classical views pairing the pines with the mountain across the water. It's also the setting of the Hagoromo legend, in which a fisherman finds a robe belonging to a celestial maiden; a pine said to mark the spot stands near the shore. The beach walk itself is fairly plain sand and pine, with the framed Fuji view being the actual draw.
Tip: Check a weather or Fuji-visibility forecast before making the trip, since the mountain is often hidden by haze · Visit at sunrise or in winter for the clearest views and fewest people · The site is free and open 24 hours, so an early visit avoids tour bus traffic · Wear comfortable shoes for the sandy boardwalk to the beach · Pair with a stop at the nearby Miho no Matsubara Visitor Center for cultural context
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6
Mishima Skywalk
This is Japan's longest pedestrian suspension bridge, spanning a valley near Mount Fuji with views toward the mountain on one side and Suruga Bay on the other when skies are clear. It opened in 2015 as a purpose-built tourist attraction rather than a historic crossing, and the surrounding complex adds a zipline, shops, and a garden area. The walk across itself takes only a few minutes; most of a visit is spent on the platforms at either end.
Tip: Cross in the morning for the clearest views of Mount Fuji beyond the bridge · Visit on a weekday to avoid the crowds that build on the deck during weekends · Check ahead during typhoon season or high winds, as crossings can be suspended · The zipline and slide require separate tickets from the bridge crossing fee · Wear layers, since the open deck can be windy even on mild days
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7
Hamamatsu Castle
Hamamatsu Castle is where a young Tokugawa Ieyasu based himself for about 17 years before rising to national power, which locally earns it the nickname "Castle of Success." The current keep is a 1958 concrete reconstruction rather than an original structure, built on the surviving stone base, and houses a small museum on Ieyasu's time in the city. The compact castle park around it is a modest, easy stop rather than a major fortress complex.
Tip: Admission is inexpensive, making the castle an easy add-on to a Hamamatsu itinerary · Visit in early April for cherry blossoms in the surrounding park · Weekday mornings are quietest before school groups arrive · The keep is a reconstruction, so visitors expecting original wooden interiors should temper expectations · Combine with a walk through Hamamatsu Castle Park's gardens after the keep visit
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8
Kakegawa Castle
Kakegawa Castle's main keep was rebuilt in 1994 as one of Japan's few reconstructions using traditional wooden joinery rather than concrete, based on old drawings and surviving comparable structures. The castle has ties to Yamauchi Kazutoyo, a lord here before the Battle of Sekigahara who went on to found Kochi Castle, and the two sites share some architectural resemblance because of it. The reconstructed Ninomaru Palace next to the keep is also one of the few surviving Edo-period palace buildings still standing on its original castle grounds.
Tip: Buy the combined ticket covering both the keep and Ninomaru Palace for a small discount · Visit on a weekday morning for a quieter, cooler experience inside the wooden keep · Wear socks, as visitors remove shoes to walk the palace's tatami rooms · The wooden staircases inside the keep are steep, so allow extra time and caution · Pair with the nearby Kakegawa Castle Park for a longer stroll
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9
Ryosenji Temple and Perry Road
Ryosenji is the Zen temple in Shimoda where the Treaty of Shimoda was negotiated and signed in 1854, opening the port to American ships under Commodore Perry. The temple grounds hold a small treasure museum with artefacts from those negotiations, and the treaty room itself can still be viewed. Perry Road, the canal-side lane leading toward the temple, is lined with older wooden buildings and stone bridges that give a sense of the port town Shimoda was in the 1850s.
Tip: Combine the temple museum ticket with a leisurely walk down Perry Road afterward · Visit in late afternoon for the best light along the willow-lined canal · Weekday mornings avoid the tour groups that arrive around midday · Stop at one of Perry Road's cafes for a break partway through the walk · Inquire on-site about the reduced child admission rate for the treasure museum
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10
MOA Museum of Art
MOA is a hilltop art museum above Atami built around the collection of Mokichi Okada, spanning Japanese and Asian paintings, ceramics, lacquerware and calligraphy. Visitors enter at the base and ride a long series of escalators through an illuminated tunnel up to the exhibition halls, which sit high enough to look out over Atami Bay. Its best-known holding is Ogata Korin's folding screen "Red and White Plum Blossoms," a National Treasure shown only during a limited period each year.
Tip: Check the museum's current exhibition schedule, since National Treasure items are shown on a rotating basis · Visit on a weekday afternoon to avoid the busiest weekend crowds · Allow time to enjoy the illuminated escalator approach rather than rushing through it · The museum closes on Thursdays except national holidays, so plan accordingly · Combine with an Atami hot spring stop, since the museum sits a short bus ride from the town center
Attractions by category
Explore by your interests.
Landmarks
Sunpu Castle Park (Sumpu Castle Ruins)
The retirement castle of Tokugawa Ieyasu, with reconstructed turrets and a moat in central Shizuoka City
Mishima Skywalk
Japan's longest pedestrian suspension bridge, framing views of Mount Fuji
Miho no Matsubara
A seven-kilometre pine-lined shore facing Mount Fuji, part of the mountain's UNESCO World Heritage listing
Shrines_and_temples
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine
The original 1616 mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, reached by a 1,159-step staircase or ropeway
Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha
Head shrine of over 1,300 Sengen shrines nationwide, dedicated to the goddess of Mount Fuji
Shizuoka Sengen Shrine
The largest shrine in the prefecture and head shrine of the old Suruga Province
Ryosenji Temple and Perry Road
The temple where the 1854 Treaty of Shimoda was negotiated between Commodore Perry and shogunate officials
Museums
MOA Museum of Art
A hilltop museum above Atami holding Japanese and East Asian art treasures
Toro Ruins and Shizuoka City Toro Museum
A reconstructed Yayoi-period rice-farming settlement with an on-site archaeology museum
Fuji-no-kuni Tea Museum
A museum on Japan's largest tea plateau covering the history and craft of Shizuoka tea
Nature_and_wildlife
Shiraito Falls
A curtain-shaped waterfall fed by Mount Fuji's underground springs
Kawazu Nanadaru
A chain of seven waterfalls linked by a forest walking trail on the Izu Peninsula
Fuji Safari Park
A drive-through and walking safari park at the base of Mount Fuji
Nihondaira Zoo
A compact hillside zoo known for its red pandas
Izu Shaboten Zoo
A cactus garden and animal park on the Izu Peninsula with a monkey island boat ride
Practical information
What you need to know before you go.
- Hours
- Most castles, shrines and museums open around 9:00AM and close between 4:30PM and 5:00PM; natural sites such as Miho no Matsubara and Shiraito Falls are accessible around the clock
- Fees
- Shrine grounds are typically free with donations welcomed; castle and museum admission generally runs JPY 200-2,000 (approx $1.26-$12.60); wildlife parks such as Fuji Safari Park charge JPY 2,000-3,200 (approx $12.60-$20.16)
- Best Times
- Late March-early April for cherry blossoms at Sunpu Castle Park, June for hydrangeas along the Kawazu Nanadaru trail, and clear winter days for the best Mount Fuji visibility from Nihondaira, Miho no Matsubara and Mishima Skywalk
- Booking
- Nihondaira Ropeway and Kunozan Toshogu combined tickets can be bought at the ropeway station; Fuji Safari Park and MOA Museum tickets are sold on-site or through their official websites for advance discounts
Tips for visiting attractions
Make the most of your sightseeing time.
Shizuoka Prefecture stretches roughly 155 km along the coast between Tokyo and Nagoya, so group attractions by area (Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka City, Fuji foothills, Hamamatsu) rather than trying to cross the whole prefecture in one day
The JR Tokaido Main Line and Izukyu Line connect most coastal towns, but a rental car is the most efficient way to reach waterfalls, tea plateaus and safari parks off the rail network
Kunozan Toshogu is reachable only by the 1,159-step staircase from Yumigahama beach or by the Nihondaira Ropeway; there is no direct road access to the shrine itself
Izu Peninsula roads are narrow and mountainous; allow extra driving time between Shimoda, Kawazu and Dogashima
Mount Fuji views from Shizuoka's Fuji-facing attractions (Shiraito Falls, Miho no Matsubara, Fuji Safari Park) are most reliable on clear winter mornings; the mountain is often obscured by haze in summer
Many shrines and temples close their treasure houses or inner buildings by 4:00-4:30PM even when the grounds stay open later
Frequently asked questions
How many days are needed to see Shizuoka Prefecture's main attractions?
Plan at least 4-5 days: one to two for Shizuoka City and the Nihondaira/Kunozan area, one to two for the Izu Peninsula, and one for the Fuji foothills or Hamamatsu
Is a car necessary to see Shizuoka's attractions?
A car is not required for Shizuoka City, Hamamatsu and the main Izu towns, which are served by JR and Izukyu rail lines plus local buses, but a car makes it much easier to reach waterfalls, tea plateaus and the Fuji Safari Park on flexible schedules
Where is the best place to see Mount Fuji from Shizuoka Prefecture?
Miho no Matsubara, the Nihondaira plateau and Shiraito Falls all offer classic, unobstructed views of Mount Fuji on clear days, particularly in winter
What is the connection between Shizuoka and Tokugawa Ieyasu?
Ieyasu lived in Shizuoka as a hostage in his youth, ruled from Sunpu Castle in his prime and again in retirement, died there in 1616, and was originally entombed at Kunozan Toshogu Shrine before later enshrinement at Nikko