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The Best View of Mt. Fuji
Third Leg - Ferry boat ride to Shimizu
city, viewing Mt. Fuji from Suruga Bay
  When
you are ready to leave Shimoda and the Izu peninsula, then check with the staff
at your hotel for departure times for the ferry boat to Shimizu (or see the web
link at the bottom of this page). The ferry runs twice daily, once in the
morning and again in the afternoon and takes just under two hours to cross
Suruga bay. If the weather is clear then be prepared for a special treat
of one of the best views of Mt. Fuji from the sea. The mountain will be on
the starboard (right) side of the ship and should loom beautifully with a snow
capped topping in winter and wispy clouds trailing off the peak in summer.
While admiring Fuji-san from the safety of your modern ferry, it might be
interesting to recall that these same waters were the scene for one of the most
famous Japanese woodblock prints ever made, the Great Wave print (image
above) by
Hokusai Katsushika. These waters can indeed get rough,
especially during the summer typhoon season, so be prepared for a possible rough
ride in inclement weather.
The
ferry will drop you off in the large port city of Shimizu (now part of larger
Shizuoka). From here you may venture on to the next leg of your journey
and catch the bullet train to Kyoto, or perhaps you might decide to linger in
Shimizu and nearby Shizuoka for awhile. Shimizu and Shizuoka are pleasant cities with a
rich history and many interesting attractions. This area was the
retirement home of the Tokugawa shoguns who, though they could live anywhere
they wish, chose this area for its mild climate, scenic beauty and convenient
distance to the capital city of Edo. If you visit this area during
the summer months and are in good physical condition then you might enjoy a
hiking adventure in the beautiful Japanese Southern
Alps, or even attempt to summit Mt. Fuji itself!
 The Shizuoka area is
widely considered the green tea capital of Japan, so while traveling about do
keep your eyes open for carefully manicured tea fields which can be seen
everywhere, from the flat lands as well as hugging the curves of hillsides far
into the mountains. Also, if you like Japanese tea then be sure to pick up
a bag or two of fresh Shizuoka green tea. If you are visiting in May or
June then ask for "shin-chan" which is the season's first harvest and
considered the best
tea of the year. And when you return home remember to visit our website
again in order to read the article titled "Brewing
Japanese Green Tea" to learn how to properly prepare the perfect cup of
Japanese tea.
  The
photo and woodblock print at right show the Shimizu and
Shizuoka area as it appears today as well as during the Japanese feudal era (the
rows of plants growing in the foreground of the first image are green
tea).
It's interesting to note that though these images were created centuries apart,
they appear to have been composed from roughly the same physical location.
Note how the trees in both images are similar, as are the foothills in the
distance. Even the snowline on Mt. Fuji appears similar! In addition
to being a wonderful area of Japan, Shizuoka city is also the place we
call home and where our little business is based. If you do decide to stay
and explore this area then please
contact us as we will be happy to offer further suggestions for places to
see and things to do. Click here or on the button below to go
to the next leg of your journey.
"The Best View of Mt. Fuji" related links:
- Shimoda to Shimizu Ferry Service Information:
http://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/kikaku/ki-20/english/TSL/
- On-line guide to the Shizuoka area:
http://www.shizuoka-guide.com/index.asp
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