Explora Journeys in Shimizu

Shimizu is the cruise gateway to Mount Fuji, which rises across Suruga Bay and is often visible from the deck on arrival. The city itself is a working tea and seafood port in Shizuoka Prefecture, and the pier puts you within sight of the mountain on a clear morning. This is a day built around getting closer to Fuji and the pine-and-coast scenery the region is known for.

What to do on a day in Shimizu

• Miho no Matsubara, a 7 km pine-lined coast and designated Place of Scenic Beauty with the classic across-the-bay Fuji view, about 20 minutes by taxi or a short water bus ride from the pier
• Nihondaira plateau, reached in roughly 30 minutes by car, then the Nihondaira Ropeway for the panorama over Suruga Bay with Fuji behind
• Kunozan Toshogu Shrine at the foot of the ropeway, the original burial place of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu
• S-Pulse Dream Plaza, the waterfront shopping and dining complex with a Ferris wheel, directly at the pier and walkable for tea, local food, and souvenirs
• Shizuoka green tea estates and a wasabi farm on a longer transfer, the products the region is built on

Getting ashore

Ships berth at Hinode Pier (berths 4 or 5) with a passenger terminal and tourist information on site, and the S-Pulse Dream Plaza mall is a few minutes' walk away. Fuji and the marquee viewpoints need a taxi or excursion, so one day covers Fuji-area scenery or the coast and shrines, not both at depth.

When to book the ship's excursion vs your own →

Weather and when to visit

• Spring (March to May). Mild and often clear, with snow still capping Fuji. Mornings give the best odds of a clean mountain silhouette before haze builds; cherry blossoms run late March into early April.
• Autumn (September to November). Cooler and the most reliable for Fuji visibility as humidity drops; October sees the first summit snow and visibility around 61 percent. Mornings are clearest.