8 Special Plans to Experience in Shizuoka
A Soul-Filling Trip with Japanese Tea, Traditional Homes, and Traditional Culture

Founded in 1837, Yoshikawa is a celebrated local restaurant known for unagi dishes and kappo (fine Japanese dining), located along the old Tokaido route.
Here, you can try the “Gomanetsu Plan,” where you attend a lecture about unagi and then enjoy their signature unaju (eel over rice in a lacquered box).

When you think of Shizuoka, you think of unagi.
This plan is perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy unagi after learning about the local food culture behind it.
The word “lecture” might sound stiff, but the “Gomanetsu Plan” pleasantly shatters that impression.
A witty chef explains everything at a lively pace, from unagi history to behind-the-scenes cooking, using retro kamishibai (paper storytelling).
Fun topics keep coming one after another-“Was Yoshikawa originally a hairdressing shop?”, “Are there four types of knives for preparing unagi?”, and “Why do the Kanto and Kansai regions use different preparation methods?”-and before you know it, you will be completely absorbed.
Another highlight, fitting for a Shizuoka ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant), is that they always have 15 or more kinds of Japanese tea and brew them to match your needs and preferences.
Spending time in the calm, all-private-room setting while looking out at a Japanese garden will become a special scene from your trip.
Once you have built up your knowledge and your stomach starts to growl, the unaju finally arrives.
Fluffy Shizuoka unagi is topped with a secret tare (sauce) that has been continuously replenished since the restaurant’s founding.
The moment you lift the lid and the aroma of unagi and tare rises up, you are sure to think, “I’m so glad I came.”
The unaju tastes all the more exceptional when you savor it after learning about the time and care artisans put into it.
This experience will surely enrich your “unagi life” from here on out.

If you want to experience old-style Japanese living, head to Yado-Nishimura in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City.
You can rent a 250-year-old kominka (traditional Japanese house) nestled quietly in the mountains as an entire private house and spend relaxed time with people you know well.
It is a home built about 250 years ago, filled with Japanese craftsmanship that is rarely seen today.
The large, gracefully curved ceiling beams-said to have been cut to match the slope of the roof-embody the wisdom and aesthetic sense of the time.
From the wood darkened by age and the irori (sunken hearth) that has supported the dining table for years, you can feel the time that has flowed through this place.

Because it is a whole-house rental, it is also a pleasure to spend your time without worrying about others.
You can slip on a hanten (traditional short coat), sit on the open, airy engawa (veranda), and gaze at the distant mountains.
Or you can feed charcoal into the irori and talk slowly with your loved ones while listening to the crackle of the fire.
Today, you may want to put down your phone and surrender to the “now” that you can only taste in this place.
On days with good weather, strolling around the inn is also recommended.
This area was once a thriving village called Hirano, a small settlement crisscrossed by waterways, where the gentle sound of flowing water naturally reaches your ears as you walk.
It is also wonderful how you can feel the seasons year-round, whether you see cherry blossoms and wisteria bloom along the mountainside or catch sight of people picking tea leaves.
In winter, because the river water can become warmer than the outside air, the right conditions can wrap the area in a fantastical scene of mist rising along the shape of the river.

Hotel Associa Shizuoka is a city hotel in a prime location, about a 1-minute walk from JR Shizuoka Station.
At the hotel’s teppanyaki restaurant NAKOTEI, you can enjoy a special pairing that spotlights Shizuoka’s famed Japanese tea.
This Japanese tea pairing course was created from a desire to “connect local farmers with travelers.”
It is a recommended plan for anyone who wants to discover new charms of Japanese tea.

Staff with deep knowledge of Japanese tea select four to five tea varieties to match each dish, and they carefully brew each cup in front of you, adjusting not only the tea brand but also the brewing method and temperature with precision.
For example, they pair shrimp dishes with sencha that highlights richness and umami, and they match fragrant steak with toasty hojicha.
You take a sip of tea, eat a bite of food, and drink tea again.
Each time, the impression of the tea’s flavor shifts, and before you know it, you are completely absorbed.
Many people associate Japanese tea with being “bitter,” but did you know it can become something entirely different depending on how it is brewed?
One method that draws out sweetness particularly well is cold brewing.
It looks like the usual tea, yet you will be surprised by its broth-like umami and mellow sweetness.
The teas used are carefully selected from around the prefecture, including the famed Mizumiiro area.
The combination of seafood from Suruga Bay and ingredients nurtured by Shizuoka’s rich land with refined Japanese tea is truly an experience of tasting Shizuoka itself.
Enjoy a new encounter between Japanese tea and food that you can only experience in Shizuoka.

Marufuku Seicha Tea Roastery handles everything from organic tea fields to its manufacturing facility.
You can see up close how Japanese tea is made, then taste more than 10 types of tea and find the one you like best.
Because tea’s flavor and aroma can vary greatly with the season and weather, Marufuku Seicha Tea Roastery adjusts quality through blending.
On this plan, you can tour every step of the process in person.

The three-story factory has blending and packaging on the first floor, sifting on the second floor, and roasting on the third floor.
A craftsperson who says, “I don’t trust machines 100%,” explains that in the end, they use their own nose to confirm whether the roasting has turned out correctly.
Visual checks are also essential, and it becomes clear that no matter how far technology advances, what supports “delicious Japanese tea” is the artisan’s senses.
After the tour, you choose from more than 10 types of tea leaves and do a tasting.
Along with the tea you made, you can also sample classic sencha, mecha (bud tea), and slightly more unusual teas such as flavored teas, so you are sure to find a favorite you will want to take home.
“Sencha helps develop a palate for enjoying Japanese food,” says President Ito.
Even Japanese tea, often imagined as bitter, can become a delicate flavor that highlights sweetness and umami depending on how it is brewed.
She also says that with cold brewing, hardly any caffeine comes out, so even small children can drink it with peace of mind.
Being able to learn this kind of deep knowledge about Japanese tea is also part of the appeal of this experience.
Because tea easily absorbs scents, you will want to avoid perfume or strongly scented fabric softeners.
To prevent contamination in the factory, remove accessories and avoid long skirts or one-piece dresses as well.

Chojiya is a long-established restaurant that has welcomed travelers since the Edo period in Mariko-juku, one of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido.
Founded in 1596, this restaurant offers an experience where you make their signature tororo-jiru (grated yam soup) from scratch using Shizuoka-grown jinenjo (Japanese mountain yam).
In a historic setting said to have been depicted in ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), this program packs traditional flavors and culture into about one hour.

The experience begins with carefully grating Makinohara-grown jinenjo on a grater.
The head chef and staff gently show you how to hold the yam and how to apply pressure, so there is no need to worry even if it is your first time.
You then make it even smoother in a suribachi (grinding bowl), and combine it with egg, soy sauce made with tuna simmering liquid, house-made miso made from carefully chosen soybeans, and miso soup with katsuo dashi (bonito stock).
When the tororo you lift with a ladle falls in a smooth, unbroken stream-the “tsu-ton-ton” consistency-it is finally done.
Pouring it generously over mugimeshi (barley rice) and slurping it down in big mouthfuls is an exceptional taste-made all the more special because you made it yourself.
What makes this experience appealing is that it does not end with simply cooking.
As you taste ingredients unique to Chojiya-such as jinenjo, white miso, and tuna simmering liquid-you can learn how the aroma and flavor change.
By learning about the farmers’ efforts behind the ingredients and the process of completing the dish, you are sure to have a moment when “food” suddenly feels much closer.
You will also have time to view ukiyo-e drawn more than 180 years ago and to touch travel tools from that era.
As you imagine a time with no cars and no smartphones, it is also fun to picture what travelers felt as they reached for chopsticks for this tororo-jiru.

At Seishintei Tea Room in Shimizu Funakoshi-zutsumi Park, you can experience authentic tea ceremony in a traditional Japanese room with Mt. Fuji directly in front of you.
From yukata dressing to temae (tea ceremony), a moment to enjoy wagashi (Japanese sweets), and a park walk, this plan packs Shizuoka scenery and the appeal of Japanese culture into about two hours.

It begins with a welcome drink of Japanese tea brewed from Shizuoka-grown temomi-cha (hand-rolled tea).
After a walk through the garden, you choose a yukata or kimono from several options and have it put on over your clothes, and then it is finally time to enter the tea room.
Each step of etiquette is taught carefully, one by one, so even first-timers can feel at ease.
As you enjoy Shizuoka-produced matcha and wagashi while spending time in the quiet tea room, you will naturally feel your breathing grow deeper.
Because it is a bare, undecorated space, the sound of the wind, the flicker of light, and the aroma of tea reach straight to the heart.
After the tea ceremony, you relax more comfortably, gaze at Mt. Fuji, and enjoy conversation.
When you are nicely loosened up, the host guides you through Shimizu Funakoshi-zutsumi Park.
From the park you can look out over Orito Bay, and travelers who arrived on a cruise from overseas may find it interesting that they can see the ship they came on.
On clear days, it is also popular as a photo spot where you can capture Mt. Fuji and the ship together.
To close the experience, you also receive an original gelato made with Shizuoka Japanese tea, letting you savor “Shizuoka-ness” to the very end.
For anyone who wants to experience authentic Japanese culture in a short time, or spend a special moment with breathtaking Mt. Fuji views, this plan is truly a perfect fit.
It is also appealing that it is beginner-friendly, and chairs are available for those who are not comfortable sitting seiza-style, so anyone can join casually.
Even if you stop by between other parts of your trip, you are sure to spend a memorable moment that leaves your mind feeling quietly purified.

“Ishigaki Ichigo” (stone-terrace) strawberries have been passed down in Shizuoka City’s Kuno area for more than 120 years.
Yamauchiya, located right next to Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, has carried on a unique strawberry-growing method found only here in Japan, planting seedlings in stone walls stacked along the mountain slope.
The stones absorb plenty of the sun’s heat and act as a natural greenhouse, creating Ishigaki Ichigo strawberries with rich sweetness and aroma that you can only taste here.

The more you learn-about the old-fashioned watering method that uses natural water pressure, and how they carefully grow the strawberries without fossil fuels, relying only on the sun, wind, and human hands-the more surprises and discoveries you will find.

When you stand in the strawberry fields with great views, calm Suruga Bay spreads out below you.
A single berry you bite into while feeling the sea breeze tastes so extraordinary that it is hard to believe it is the same kind of strawberry.
Because you taste it after learning about the handwork Yamauchiya has carefully carried on and the feelings poured into its revival, each berry is sure to feel even more special.
When you visit the Kuno area, this is a one-of-a-kind strawberry experience you will want to encounter.
You will want to savor this sweet moment found only here, nurtured by Shizuoka’s rich nature and people’s work.

Hibare Farm offers an open, spacious strawberry-picking experience you can enjoy very close to the World Heritage site Miho no Matsubara.
It is easy for cruise travelers stopping at Shimizu Port and visitors to the Miho area to use, and the appeal is that you can access it while touring scenic spots by water bus, E-bike, taxi, and more.

You are guided to a large tourist farm where rows of strawberries grown with hydroponics line up.
With high ceilings and wide paths, it is comfortable and safe for everyone from adults to children, without feeling crowded.
You can enjoy popular varieties such as “Benihoppe,” known for Shizuoka’s signature balance of sweetness and acidity, and “Akihime,” with a texture that seems to melt the moment it hits your mouth.
The moment you pick ripe strawberries right there and bite into them is a luxury unique to strawberry picking.
What makes it even more special is that the farm is right beside the World Heritage site Miho no Matsubara.
The clear blue Suruga Bay and Mt. Fuji spreading beyond the pine grove-strawberry picking you can enjoy together with such spectacular views is hard to find anywhere in Japan.
It is a Miho-area experience perfect for travelers who want to enjoy both sightseeing and food.
While feeling the pleasant sea breeze, you will want to savor Shizuoka’s sweet, juicy bounty.