Shimizu, Japan

Arrived in Shimizu at noon and we’d booked a ship excursion to take us to Kuno-San Tushogo Shrine, Nihon Daira Lookout, and Miho No Matsubara. Our number one hope was to be able to see Mount Fuji. But given the overcast weather, we thought that would be unlikely. And it was🥲 Our guide explained that it’s visible about 40 per cent of the time this time of year. It’s most frequently visible in the winter months.

Nonetheless, it was a great afternoon. We took a cable car or “Ropeway” down to the shrine which was built in 1617 and has the tomb of Ieyasu Tokugawa who was a beloved shogun. We then went to the lookout with our fingers crossed hoping to see Mount Fuji. ‘Twas not to be.

Our next stop was a visit to Miho No Matsubara, a pine grove with an ancient sacred pine tree. The grove of 54,000 trees is along a seven-kilometre stretch of coastline. Legend says an angel hung her celestial kimono on one of the trees while she went for a swim. A local fisherman found the garment and held it for ransom. You can learn more about it here: http://www.travel-around-japan.com/k51-35-miho-… This beach is also a prime site for seeing Mount Fuji. But not today.Read more