Shizuoka City accommodations

We'll be visiting Shizuoka prefecture during an upcoming trip to Japan. We'd like to see Miho no Matsubara and Nihondaira which seem to be around the Shimizu area.

Where do people normally stay when visiting these places, Shizuoka City or Shimizu? Can anyone recommend specific places? Thank you.

. . . in both Shimizu and Shizuoka, but Shimizu is so close, you can easily travel back to Shizuoka to spend the night. I presume you've checked out the JNTO site of what to see in the area. The site below also goes in depth:

http://www.shizuoka-guide.com/english/area_guide/rec.asp?a3_...


In Shimizu, there is also a shopping mall (Pulse Plaza) with a sushi museum (which is just a group of restaurants). It's supposed to be first one in Japan. I had no problem walking from Shimizu train station. There is not a lot at Miho Matsubara except a dinosaur museum and I think a pine grove. I've stayed at the Tokiwa Hotel in Shimizu ($62). It had all the basic creature comforts for me.

There is a cheap Welcome Inn in Shizuoka called Kagetsu Ryokan. 10,000 yen gets you the deluxe meals. I haven't had the chance to stay there yet. The owner speaks a little English 054-281-0034. Otherwise there are a lot of hotels which you can probably book via JapanHotel.net.

At Nihondaira Plateau, you should also visit the museum and shrine to Ieyasu Tokugawa; the small museum houses his personal swords, which must be worth a mint. Be sure to try the red ebi lunch set at Nihondaira Plateau; a much better deal than the train station (the area is known for small red shrimp that is fried tempura style, as well as strawberries). If you want to eat on the cheap, Shizuoka City is also one of the top five obento cities in my book (check out the train station area).

Off the beaten path, visit Cape Omaezaki. There is a picturesque lighthouse there and of course a couple of fishmarkets. One has gift shops and a restaurant.

Keep in mind this area should NOT be tops on your list if you've only been to Japan a few times. There are better areas to concentrate on. I visit here when I don't want to stray too far from Tokyo on 3-day weekends. I still haven't hit the zoo yet . . .

Thanks for the helpful response. We'll be visiting some friends in Kakegawa (by car) so we're looking for some nearby places to visit. Cape Omaezaki sounds nice. We're also planning a ride on the Oigawa Railway one of the days.