[hkskyline]

This short getaway to Japan was designed to explore the smaller towns and not the big city. It was a last minute trip after my original trip to Taiwan had to be cancelled due to immigration restrictions. Japan had a lot of cases on the Diamond Princess at the time but not much on local community transmission was recorded, so I had comfort it was safe to visit.

Located mid-way between Tokyo and Nagoya, Shizuoka is a reprieve from the megacity and is a good base to explore Mount Fuji. While you may need to pay an arm and a leg for a Fuji-view hotel in Tokyo, the same can be had here at a fraction of the price, and even at a budget hotel.





I stayed in the secondary centre in Shimizu, which is also the city's port. I arrived at the Kashi-no-Ichi Market a bit too late to see the action, although restaurants in the adjacent building were still open. Tuna is the specialty here. With the bay right next to you and your table looking at it, expect very reasonable prices for fresh fare.





Prices are very reasonable.





Nihondaira is a must-visit destination not only for its Mount Fuji views but also an otherwise difficult-to-reach shrine behind it. A city bus makes the long climb uphill from either Shizuoka or Higashi-Shizuoka station.



















A cable car away, the shrine celebrates Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu, who died in 1616 and wanted to be buried here. His successor fulfilled his wish by building a shrine with the finest craftsmen of the time.































More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/shizuoka.htm