Shimizu. Feb 22, 2026

After sailing all night and into the next morning, we finally docked in Shimizu Harbor about 2:00 PM. We met our tour guide near the port entrance. The area had several small curio shops where one could buy high-priced trinkets right out of the gate. We were reluctant to buy anything large since we would have to carry it around town all day.

There was a mix-up while messaging our guide, but after everything was straightened out, we altered his planned destinations a bit. We scratched going to more temples and pagodas or seeing additional shrines and Buddhas. Instead, we drove up a local mountain to an observation deck. It was a beautiful and popular spot. The deck was huge and very well done. We had a few photo opportunities with Mount Fuji in the background. It had been peeking out of the clouds all morning but revealed itself a little more as the day progressed. Leaving the mountain, our guide wanted to take us to a beautiful Japanese garden. It just so happened that there was a temple there as well. The visit was well worth it. The Japanese garden surrounding the grounds was beautifully maintained and home to many amazing plants. One strange-looking tree, for instance, was said to be over a thousand years old.

From there, our guide decided to show us one of his favorite places, a spot mostly known to locals. Tourists were rarely brought here because the locals preferred to keep it to themselves. The off-road drive to this secret location followed a rocky, narrow dirt road winding through a forested area. Eventually it opened into a clearing where we saw a dozen or more cars parked facing what looked like a river, with Mount Fuji rising in the distance. We spent a few minutes taking photos and group pictures. It was indeed a peaceful place to be late in the day. One sight in particular that we had not seen up close since starting this trip was the beach. Our guide took us to a place where we walked along a pathway through amazing old-growth trees. Many were irregular in shape and dramatically leaning away from the ocean. He explained that the prevailing winds had pushed them into that direction over the years.

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