Udo Yama

New-to-us Port #57.

The port of Shimizu is said to be one of the most scenic in Japan. The caveat? Mt Fuji has to deign to show itself. The mountain, designated a UNESCO WHS, was not cooperating today. We saw it neither from the port, nor from the pine grove our tour went to specifically for a look-see. Luckily, the mountain wasn’t the reason why we booked the tour.

At first, we were going to stay in town and explore Shimizu on our own. At the last minute, however, we decided to book a ship’s tour using some of our “funny money.” The tour we chose took us to Shizuoka … to the shrine where Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who is the unifier of Japan, is enshrined.

With a scheduled noon arrival into Shimizu, we had a quiet morning at sea. Our 12:30p tour meeting allowed us to grab a quick bite from the Waves Grill before we had to show up in the Insignia Lounge to turn in our tickets for bus assignments.

The main approach to the shrine requires a thousand-step zig zag up the mountainside. We took the easy way out by riding the ropeway (cable car) down from the Nihondaira plateau to the shrine. There was a lengthy queue at the ropeway. But with each cable car able to accommodate 55 people, the line moved fast. After a short wait we were off on the five-minute ride to the shrine … about .7 miles.

When we arrived at the bottom station, our guide distributed the admission tickets, gave us an overview of what to expect, and told us that we’d have to climb approximately 100 uneven stone steps to reach the burial site. Setting us free to explore at our own pace, she cautioned us to be back by 2:30p for the ropeway ride back up to the plateau.

The Kunozan Toshogu Shrine was built in 1617 by Ieyasu Tokugawa’s son Hidetada as a mausoleum for his father.  It is the first of 130 shrines dedicated to Ieyasu throughout Japan. The shrine complex consists of a number of red lacquer buildings decorated with gold accents and colorful carvings. The main building is a designated national treasure, and several others buildings are designated important national cultural properties.

Mui and I took our time climbing up the steep, uneven stone steps … the risers on some of them so high that he needed to give me a hand. Short legs, dont’cha know. We made it all the way up to Ieyasu’s gravesite, with stops along the way to study the details on the red-lacquer buildings.

After riding back up to the plateau, Mui and I had some free time while people browsed the gift shop. Getting some ice cream, we walked over to the terrace from which one can see the panoramic views that stretch out to Shimizu Harbor and the Japanese Southern Alps. Mt Fuji can apparently be seen from here. But we were once again skunked. Nonetheless, it was a good opportunity to stretch our legs before getting back on the bus for the second stop of our tour … Miho-no-Matsubara, a short ride away.

Touted as one of the “three new views of Japan,” the Miho-no-Matsubara Pine Grove is a nearly 4.5-mile stretch of coastline lined with some 54,000 pine trees. It is registered as part of the Mt Fuji UNESCO WHS.

The bus parked in a lot in town and our guide led us down the road to a boardwalk. Tradition has it that the boardwalk serves as a path for the kami to travel between the Haguruma and Miho shrines. What are kami, you ask? They are spiritual beings believed to inhabit particular places and elements of nature, such as the sea, mountains, waterfalls, or trees. I don’t know if any spirits were around, but the walk actually felt quite serene … despite the bus load of people with whom we shared the boardwalk.

At the end of the .3-mile path, which is lined with 200- to 300-year-old pines, we came to the grove. Following a dirt path through the trees, we headed down to the beach. We were all keeping our fingers crossed that during our short bus ride Mt Fuji might have decided to reveal itself to us. Alas … no.

According to legend, an angel is said to have hung her hagoromo — a celestial kimono made of feathers — on one of the pine trees on the beach while she was swimming. A local fisherman found the garment and held it for ransom, saying he would return it if she performed a celestial dance. Since the angel could not return to heaven without her kimono, she gladly danced for the fisherman, disappearing into the mist once the dance was concluded.

The story is lovely. And we found the “Hagoromo” pine in the grove. Except that it is not the original tree. That one is said to have sunk into the sea when Mt Fuji erupted in 1707. The second tree withered away in 2013. Thus the tree we saw is the third one to be designated the “Hagoromo-no-Matsu.”

We took a few quick photos of the scenery; visited the Haguruma Temple, which sits at the edge the beach; and took a stroll under the pine trees. Then, we retraced our steps to the boardwalk, detouring along the way to check out the Shizuoka City Miho-no-Matsubara Culture and Creativity Center. We had just about 30 minutes before the center closed to do a quick run through to see the exhibit that showcases the relationship between Mt Fuji and Miho-no-Matsubara.

Instead of turning left at the end of the boardwalk to return to the bus, we walked straight to take a peek at the Miho Shrine. Tradition says that a piece of fabric from the Hagoromo feather kimono is held at the shrine. The grounds were teeming with mosquitoes, so we didn’t dally long.

Our bus returned to Shimizu shortly before 5:00p. Hoping to find a restaurant nearby for an early dinner, we decided to walk into town. Mui had found a restaurant a mile away. Unfortunately, it was due to close at 5:30p. Instead, we detoured to the nearby mall, figuring that we could get a bite to eat there. Well, let’s just say that our timing wasn’t good … the eateries at the mall were either closed or about to close. Nothing to do but return to the ship for dinner.Read more