Shizuoka Prefecture - Group Tour: Day 1

 When we signed up for a 2 day 1 night group tour to Shizuoka prefecture I wasn't expecting too much. Wow! I was wrong! It was great! So, here we go!

First day, first stop: Miho-no-Matsubara (Miho Pine Forest on Miho Peninsula)

The first thing that Emi and I did was walk the 500 meter long tree lined boardwalk known as "The Way of God".

At the end of "The Way of God" is the Miho Shrine.

It's a fairly small shrine but it was worth the walk.

Walking back to the pine forest along the 500 meter Way of God.

There are over 30,000 pine trees at Miho-No-Matsubara. 

On the other side of the forest is a nice beach. There's no sand on the beach it's all small stone pebbles and when the waves wash over them they rub together and make a chirping noise like small birds. 

This beach is famous for it's beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. Just our luck, Mt. Fuji was covered with clouds. That's okay, I have a nice view of Emi! 

Time's up everybody heads back to the tour bus.

Next up is a Mt. Fuji Shimizu Port boat cruise.

 https://www.shimizu-cruise.co.jp/en/ 

Here we go! The first thing we do is go out to view Mt. Fuji.

And, there it is covered with clouds. 

Well, the top of Mt. Fuji is just visible above the clouds... and, that's good enough for me!

Shimizu Port is a busy shipping container port. We can see all the colorful shipping containers through the boat's window. 

Shimizu port is also home to a large ocean going Tuna boat fleet. We can see tuna boats and the buildings behind them are massive freezer facilities.

Okay, the boat ride is over time to disembark and head for the bus.  

One last look at the Tour boat before we get on the bus.

Next stop is Nihondaira Yume Terrace.

The first thing we saw when we arrived was this huge communications tower.

This is Nihondaira Yume Terrace located at the summit of Nihondaira.

https://nihondaira-yume-terrace.jp/

And, this is the view of Shimizu Port and Mt. Fuji from Nihondaira Yume Terrace.

Emi found a nice platform with a view.

There is a Mother and Child Statue of Akai Kutsu-No Onnanoko on the grounds of the Terrace.

This is the same girl as the famous Red Shoes girl statue in Yamashita park in Yokohama.

Okay, time to move on. Next up is Hōrai Bridge

Per Wikipedia: The Hōrai Bridge (Hōrai-bashi) is a wooden pedestrian bridge over the Ōi River located in the city of Shimada, Shizuoka, Japan. It was constructed in 1879 and rebuilt after a flood in the 1960s. With a length of 897 meters, the bridge was registered in The Guinness Book of Records as the longest wooden walking bridge in the world in 1997.

So, off we go to get to the other side.

A view of the Ōi River from the bridge.

When I got to the other side I turned around and took this picture of the bridge. It doesn't look very impressive from here but  the view of the bridge from up on a hill is much better.

See! It looks pretty good from the lookout point on the hill.

Another view through the trees higher up on the hill.

Time to go back across the bridge to get back to the bus.

There are a lot of temporary repairs on the bridge and a lot of the boards creak and squeak when you walk on them.  No problem, it's all part of the fun!

Emi insisted on taking a picture of me on the bridge. 

At the entrance to the bridge is a shop that sells matcha ice cream. 

Everyone was back on the bus and we're headed down this road for the last stop of the day. That stop is to check into our hotel for the night. 

Day one was great! Wait 'til you see day two, it's even better!

All the best,

Mike

The Tulips of Yokohama Koen - 2026

 Every year the city of Yokohama plants tulip bulbs in Yokohama Koen (Yokohama Park) and in the spring they bloom. 

Early March 2026: the tulips are starting to bloom

Late March Cherry blossoms are blooming in the park too! 

The tulips are looking good!

End of March the tulips are starting to bloom all over the park 

Early April things are getting crazy in a good way!

Even rainy days are good for looking at the tulips.

Bring your camera!

This is great and the price of admission is... it's free!

Middle of April

End of April sadly most of the tulips are gone now. Only some of the white ones are still standing.

Well, nothing to do now except wait for Spring of 2027 for the net blooming of the tulips in Yokohama Koen.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mike

Bonus shots!