Tripping through Shizuoka

A friend of mine from Nagoya moved to Shizuoka prefecture (Japan) a few months ago. I waited until she had gotten settled in before heading over for a visit. I took several local trains, changing here and there to Shimizu city; the total travel time was about 3 hours.

The university in which my friend works, is very close to a recently declared World Heritage site -- Miho no Matsubara -- famous for its pine trees and view of Mount Fuji.

Sloping stairs leading down from the pine forest and beach: 

Inside the pine forest. 

According to the tourist office, there are over 54,000 pine trees here:

Miho no Matsubara attracts all the tourists, but it was this shore-hugging road, along Miho beach, which should be explored. To find it, at the Miho no Matsubara pine tree, go out onto the beach and turn right. Walk along the beach until you see the road emerge on your right.

The Miho beach road, completely uninhabited...even on a Saturday! 

Near the end of the trail, I spotted this tall, white lighthouse:

There were lots of bilingual signs and something which surprised me: 15.6k Pacific Coast Bicycle Route map! Apparently, you can rent bicycles and enjoy cycling all along the coastline. We saw several people peddling around with rental bikes; I am not sure if they were free or not...

Maps showing the route and current location:

Between Miho no Matsubara and the Pacific Coast Bike Route, we came across a hotel, which had an 足湯 [ashi - yu = hot spring for your feet]. It was free, so we joined some locals and dipped our feet in the warm water. 

Cats can get their feet wet! 

We hopped on a local bus back to town and while walking near the station, I spotted the cutest post box ever -- a London bus! I want this:

Unfortunately, our time in Miho no Matsubara did not produce the famous view of Mount Fuji depicted in Hiroshige's famous woodblock print (HERE). However, travelers are still highly encouraged to visit this remote area of Japan. If you are in the Hakone/Mt. Fuji area, it's not far by train. I hope you'll visit Shizuoka prefecture! ^_^

~ Information ~ 

Miho no Matsubara is located close to Shimuzu city, in Shizuoka prefecture. 

Access from Shinjuku: 
Odakyu line to Odawara. Change to JR going to Atami. Change again going to Numazu. Get off at Shizuoka city or Shimizu. Total travel time: 4 hours by local train. You can get there faster via the Romance Car from Shinjuku, or shinkansen from Tokyo station, but it's over $60 one way. By taking local trains, you can get there for about $20 one way. 

There is a bus from Shimizu station to Miho no Mastubara (Maps and information in English can be found at the station). You can walk along the beach trail or through the pine forest for free. 
The Wiki page is HERE. Tourist information is HERE.

Interested in cycling around Japan? THIS website and THIS ONE should help. Enjoy! ^_^