Take a break in Shizuoka,Japan

During my recent summer holiday I took a break for a while in Shizuoka Prefecture which is located near Tokyo. There is a lot of nice scenery, including views of Mt. Fuji, many beautiful natural places like hot springs, and delicious local food. It's a very interesting, historical city.

My Boyfriend and I drove there in about 3 hours from Shiga Prefecture (Kansai area of Japan). Our plan was 2 nights 3 days. We stayed in downtown Shizuoka city because it is in the center of Shizuoka Prefecture and getting around is very convenient.

On our first night I ran into this summer festival on the main shopping street. There were a lot of booths selling food, green tea, clothes, games, etc. It took place in front of a shrine and the street was closed to car traffic for the people participating in the festival. It reminded me of the walking streets in Thailand, my home country.

The music on street was especially entertaining. There was an old man playing some kind of musical instrument, but I didn't know what was. Does anybody know? Please have a listen and look at the video below.

Hagoromo-No-Matsu

Hagoromo-no-Matsu at Miho Beach on the Miho Peninsula has black sand from Shizuoka city into Suraka bay. From here you can see views of Mt.Fuji, go fishing, swimming, and do other water sports.

We went to the Hagoromo No Matsu pine forest. There are many pine trees on the path to the beach, hence the name. Unfortunately for us, on the day we were there it was cloudy all day so we couldn't even see the foothills of Mt.Fuji. I was a little bit disappointed, but not much. I was still hoping the weather would be better the next day. We just rested for a while.

Horai Bridge

Horai bridge is the longest wooden walking bridge in the world. It has been in the Guinness Book of World Records since 1997. Anyway, we paid the fee of 100 yen to cross the bridge, which is about 2,700 meters. It took about 40-50 minutes round trip, and made us very tried and hungry lol.

Green Tea Field At Nihondaira

We made sure to visit Nihondaira, about 40 minutes from Shizuoka City, which I heard is the best green tea source in Japan. From here you can see green tea covered hills and Mt. Fuji in the background. We didn't have much time to experience picking green tea, though. Disappointed again.

Shiroito Waterfall

The last destination of trip. Shiroito Taki or "Waterfall of White Threads" is southwest of the foothills of Mt.Fuji. You can see a beautiful waterfall and Mt. Fuji in the background on nice days. The series of waterfalls havevery clear water that contrasts nicely with the blue sky and green forest. This is a very popular tourist spot in autumn, around October-November. And amongst all of the tourists who fall in love with this place, one of them is me.

Shiraito Falls was my last chance to see Mt. Fuji, but the weather just wouldn't let us see it. But at least I was able to see bits and pieces of Mt. Fuji. So I guess I'll have to come back here again sometime, when the weather is more cooperative.