hkskyline's 2025/6 SHIZUOKA adventure

[hkskyline]

Japan has seen a tourism boom in recent years thanks to its rock-bottom exchange rate. It's a sign of more significant economic decline that has been ongoing since the late 1980s when their economic bubble bursted. There isn't much the Japanese central bank can do about it, with interest rates kept low amidst low growth.

So with the main cities choked with foreigners and the problems associated with overtourism brewing resentment among locals, I decided to spend most of my vacation out in Shizuoka, an area between Tokyo and Nagoya with Fuji and sea views. There is a train pass specific to this region that made getting around affordable. Japan actually has many regional passes worth buying to explore beyond Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. I've been trying them out for a number of years and these are great alternatives while not compromising the main bullet points like sakura, fall colours, and fresh seafood.

Let's start with Numazu, my main base this trip. It's a small quiet town but Fuji is fully visible from the super cheap observation deck (100 yen only) and the port area was busy!















This region is also a huge green tea producer. So if you find Uji near Kyoto too busy, come here instead.



















You can also watch live auctions at the fish market if you are an early riser. I'm not one of those, so by the time I got here at breakfast time, it was all done for the day.







More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/shizuoka.htm