Port of Shimizu Japan

[resordanis]

Morning all,

For all of you that have been to Japan, can you see Mt Fuiji easily from this Port (subject to weather) or do I need a ships excursion. It is the last day afternoon of our cruise and as we have been to Japan before this is the only interest in this Port. If we can do something on our own for a short time it would be our choice. If we need the tour, so be it!

Thanks

[OzKiwiJJ]

By "see My Fuji" do you mean just see it from a distance or actually go there?

 

If it's the first it is weather dependant but if you're lucky you'll get this view - taken from Diamond Princess in April 2018.

 

I can't recall if there were any last minute tours offered at the port. We just wandered around Shimizu on that trip. If you actually want to go closer to Mt Fuji, i.e. to the Visitor Centre, or even up the mountain to the Kawaguchi-ko Fifth Station as we did on a land tour in 2006, then it's probably best to book an excursion.

 

[MicCanberra]

We were going to do a cruise on the lake at the base of Mt Fuji and then a Tea ceremony. 

Not sure what we will do next year.

[resordanis]

22 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

By "see My Fuji" do you mean just see it from a distance or actually go there?

 

If it's the first it is weather dependant but if you're lucky you'll get this view - taken from Diamond Princess in April 2018.

 

I can't recall if there were any last minute tours offered at the port. We just wandered around Shimizu on that trip. If you actually want to go closer to Mt Fuji, i.e. to the Visitor Centre, or even up the mountain to the Kawaguchi-ko Fifth Station as we did on a land tour in 2006, then it's probably best to book an excursion.

 

No just view Mt Fuji! We do have a ships tour booked but it is just views too! If we can see Mt Fuji from the Port, we will be happy! We missed it last time (weather not great). I will go and see the Destination Expert this afternoon. Thanks all.

 

[resordanis]

Just now, MicCanberra said:

We were going to do a cruise on the lake at the base of Mt Fuji and then a Tea ceremony. 

Not sure what we will do next year.

That’s sounds like a great tour. Cruise going great, you would have loved it! Hong Kong on Friday after 5 sea days, which we have hardly noticed.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 minute ago, resordanis said:

No just view Mt Fuji! We do have a ships tour booked but it is just views too! If we can see Mt Fuji from the Port, we will be happy! We missed it last time (weather not great). I will go and see the Destination Expert this afternoon. Thanks all.

 

It's the luck of the draw with Mt Fuji sightings. If we hadn't known where it was last year we wouldn't have guessed there was a mountain there, it was solid cloud.

 

Fingers crossed you get a good sighting. 😊

[OzKiwiJJ]

35 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

We were going to do a cruise on the lake at the base of Mt Fuji and then a Tea ceremony. 

Not sure what we will do next year.

There were some nice looking restaurants near the port so we'll probably just go ashore and have lunch. 

[MicCanberra]

5 minutes ago, resordanis said:

That’s sounds like a great tour. Cruise going great, you would have loved it! Hong Kong on Friday after 5 sea days, which we have hardly noticed.

Yes, living vicariously via our friends aboard and anyone else reporting on the cruise.

[MicCanberra]

4 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

There were some nice looking restaurants near the port so we'll probably just go ashore and have lunch. 

There are no shorex up yet for any ports past HK, so we will see but we might just go around Shimizu as well. we will be there twice as we are on HALs Noordam after the Diamond.

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

There are no shorex up yet for any ports past HK, so we will see but we might just go around Shimizu as well. we will be there twice as we are on HALs Noordam after the Diamond.

We did an excursion on Regent that took us up to a really interesting Shinto Shrine, up in the hills. We went up by bus but then had to go on a cable car to get down to the shrine. I just can't remember the name of it though but but was worth a visit. Then they took us to the fish market which was very small compared with the one in Kanazawa. However the tour included a sushi lunch which was very nice.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I found it - it's the Kunozan Toshogu Shrine.

 

"This was the first of the Toshogu Shrines, which were built to honor Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo shogunate. Its outstanding architectural techniques won it the title of National Treasure from the Japanese government in 2010".

[resordanis]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It's the luck of the draw with Mt Fuji sightings. If we hadn't known where it was last year we wouldn't have guessed there was a mountain there, it was solid cloud.

 

Fingers crossed you get a good sighting. 😊

Yes, hopefully this time!

[onlyslightlymad]

On 4/17/2024 at 4:16 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

I found it - it's the Kunozan Toshogu Shrine.

 

"This was the first of the Toshogu Shrines, which were built to honor Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo shogunate. Its outstanding architectural techniques won it the title of National Treasure from the Japanese government in 2010".

If anyone is watching the new adaptation of Shogun atm, this is the historical figure that the main character of Toronaga is based one

[MicCanberra]

5 minutes ago, onlyslightlymad said:

If anyone is watching the new adaptation of Shogun atm, this is the historical figure that the main character of Toronaga is based one

I enjoyed the series. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, onlyslightlymad said:

If anyone is watching the new adaptation of Shogun atm, this is the historical figure that the main character of Toronaga is based one

I enjoyed the book.

[MicCanberra]

7 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I enjoyed the book.

I did as well and several of the movies.

[Tigerlily75]

We had amazing weather in February on Westerdam, and the captain announced at around 7am that Mt Fuji could be seen. Lots of excited people up on deck in PJ's, lots of excited crew coming out and taking pics. It's a great view from the ship and almost anywhere in port.  

[LittleFish1976]

On 4/17/2024 at 11:55 AM, MicCanberra said:

Yes, living vicariously via our friends aboard and anyone else reporting on the cruise.

Is this Diamond Princess?

 

I'll be on board Queen Elizabeth next week for 18 nights around Japan so I'd be happy to check in with you folks if you want some vicarious travel!

Edited April 19 by LittleFish1976

[LittleFish1976]

On 4/17/2024 at 2:12 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

We did an excursion on Regent that took us up to a really interesting Shinto Shrine, up in the hills. We went up by bus but then had to go on a cable car to get down to the shrine. I just can't remember the name of it though but but was worth a visit. Then they took us to the fish market which was very small compared with the one in Kanazawa. However the tour included a sushi lunch which was very nice.

I've booked a tour which includes the cable car - it looks terrifying for those of us with a fear of heights. Then down to the lake for a look at Fuji from a boat (hopefully).

[MicCanberra]

26 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Is this Diamond Princess?

 

I'll be on board Queen Elizabeth next week for 18 nights around Japan so I'd be happy to check in with you folks if you want some vicarious travel!

Sounds great. If you do a post or thread, I will appreciate that.

Our friends are on the Royal Princess, it is in Hong Kong today, but are heading to Japan.

[MicCanberra]

24 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

I've booked a tour which includes the cable car - it looks terrifying for those of us with a fear of heights. Then down to the lake for a look at Fuji from a boat (hopefully).

I think that may be similar to what we had booked.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Is this Diamond Princess?

 

I'll be on board Queen Elizabeth next week for 18 nights around Japan so I'd be happy to check in with you folks if you want some vicarious travel!

Go away! I'm jealous!

 

No, just kidding. 🤣

 

What ports are you going to?

[LittleFish1976]

1 minute ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Go away! I'm jealous!

 

No, just kidding. 🤣

 

What ports are you going to?

 

I'm doing a B2B so it's Tokyo, Aomori, Akita, Busan, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Tokyo, Busan, Sasebo, Beppo, Shimizu. I'll have a couple of days in Tokyo pre and post-cruise.

 

Hoping to find the cherry blossom still intact when we get to Aomori where it will still be quite a lot cooler than Tokyo. I've been to Japan once before and loved it but not cruised there before.

[OzKiwiJJ]

9 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

I'm doing a B2B so it's Tokyo, Aomori, Akita, Busan, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Tokyo, Busan, Sasebo, Beppo, Shimizu. I'll have a couple of days in Tokyo pre and post-cruise.

 

Hoping to find the cherry blossom still intact when we get to Aomori where it will still be quite a lot cooler than Tokyo. I've been to Japan once before and loved it but not cruised there before.

We went to a lovely Buddhist temple on Aomori, home of a giant buddha. It was a very beautiful and peaceful place tucked into the hills. Dress warmly, it was cold there even though it had been warmer at sea level. 

 

If you're doing a tour in Busan I hope you get Sunny as your tour guide. She was lovely. We had an amazing lunch on our tour. It was a place where they take a lot of tours with separate room fot the various tour groups and a buffet section in the middle. Such a variety of cuisines, all in different sections, it was incredible. We just had the Korean specialities which were so yummy.

 

If you like using chopsticks there is a shop in Asakusa that has the most beautiful selection of chopsticks, many of which are dishwasher safe. About midway along the main "street", on the right going towards the temple. 

[resordanis]

2 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

I'm doing a B2B so it's Tokyo, Aomori, Akita, Busan, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Tokyo, Busan, Sasebo, Beppo, Shimizu. I'll have a couple of days in Tokyo pre and post-cruise.

 

Hoping to find the cherry blossom still intact when we get to Aomori where it will still be quite a lot cooler than Tokyo. I've been to Japan once before and loved it but not cruised there before.

We have friends who have posted photos today of Mt. Fuji and Cherry blossoms. Absolutely amazing.Just hope to see half of what they posted.