The scent of tea soothes the soul, and is a part of Japanese culture that has been handed down from ancient times. Why not encounter the true soul of the Japanese, by experiencing tea picking or the tea ceremony?
From the mountains and from the sea – savor the delicate flavors provided by bounteous nature. Sashimi and sushi, wasabi, eel, and other delicacies are dishes that distinguish Japanese cuisine. Experience authentic food made with the local touch of Shizuoka Delicacies.
Tea-flavored dishes
The hues of tea, as well as their refreshing tastes and fragrances are a perfect match for cuisine. Shizuoka has many restaurants where you can enjoy cuisine such as tea flavored rice, green tea noodles, lea-leaf tempura and green tea leaves cooked in a sweet soy-based sauce.
Makinohara Tea Estate, Makinohara City
A carpet of green covering the Makinohara highlands, this is Japan’s largest tea-growing plantation, producing 40% of Shizuoka’s green tea. In one corner is Makinohara Park, from where you can look down on the Oi River, and in the distance, you can see Mt. Fuji and Suruga Bay.
Access – From JR Kanaya Station, an approximately 25-minute walk.
Gyokuro-no-Sato, Fujieda City
Enjoy gyokuro refined tea and powdered green tea at the ‘Hyogetsu-tei’ tea house, white gazing out over the garden and pond. Traditional cooking and products are sold at the Cha-no-Hanatei.
Access – From JR Yaizu Station, approximately 20 minutes by bus, get off at Okabe-yakuba-mae, approximately15 minutes by bus.
Kaori-no-Oka Chapia (Chayuan), Fukuroi City
This is a total ‘tea-land’ that encompasses tea and the culture surrounding it. It features direct tea outlets, farms, and a learning area where you can experience tea hand-rubbing. At Chayuan, you can experience the tea ceremony. Access – From JR Fukuroi Station, approximately 10 minutes by bus.
Foret Nakakawane Chameikan, Kawanehoncho Town
A community area where you are introduced to life in Nakakawane, as well as nature and products all with a theme of green tea. You can also experience brewing your own tea.
Access – From Oigawa Railway Suruga-Tokuyama Station, an 10-minute walk.
Sumpu Park Momijiyama Garden, Shizuoka city
A Japanese-style garden and tea-house in Sumpu Park, in central Shizuoka. You can enjoy time drinking tea in an atmospheric, quiet tea house with tables and chairs.
Access – From JR Shizuoka Station, an approximately 10-minute walk.
Yui Honjin Park (Miyukitei), Shizuoka City
Yui Honjin Park has restored a traditional Japanese-style room visited three times by the Emperor Maiji. The refinements of the garden and tea house that are frozen in time give an aesthetic Japanese feel.
Access – From JR Yui Station, an approximately 25-minute walk.
Kuraya Narusawa, Izunokuni City
This sells tea that is grown and produced on-site. Here, visitors can experience picking tea white dressed in authentic tea pickers’ costumes. This also features a beer restaurant, at which you can enjoy grilled food, and microbrewed beer.
Access – From Izuhakone Railway Izunagaoka Station, approximately 8 minutes by bus.
Sashimi
Because it fronts the sea, Shizuoka Prefecture can provide tasty seafood, especially during the winter months. Enjoy the firm flesh, tender chewiness, and delicate flavor of sashimi made with the freshest fish straight from the wharf.
Shizuoka – the Fruit Kingdom!
Shizuoka is blessed by the sun, and this produces fruit with a distinctive sweetness. Delicious fruit Including strawberries, mandarin oranges, melons, and grapes are available year round. Visitors can also visit farms where they can pick melons and other fruit.
Cherry Shrimp
A valuable type of shrimp that can only be caught in Suruga Bay. This is distinctive for its rich, flavorsome taste, and is caught twice a year, from late March to early June, and from late October to late December.
Wasabi
Shizuoka Prefecture produces more wasabi than anywhere else in Japan. Enjoy the authentic rich, deep taste of wasabi grown in clear spring water.
Shizuoka Oden
This is boiled in a rich, dark soup that is replenished with beef every day Distinctive in that it contains Shizuoka’s famous fish cakes. This is eaten sprinkled with aonori and dashiko.
Eel
Shizuoka is famous for its eel-producing areas, including Lake Hamana, Hamanatsu, and Yoshida. Why not try the unaju box set, with plump, juicy eel on rice?
Sushi
Shizuoka Prefecture is a center of sushi culture, and it hosts the World Sushi Expo. Fishing ports in each area have an abundance of sushi restaurants with the freshest fish, and these are popular with both locals and tourists.
Japanese Spider Crab
The world’s largest crab, with a leg span of over three meters, is caught in Suruga Bay. It is known for its, fresh taste, with a delicate sweetness. This crab is recommended when grilled.
