Hello, this is Hiro!

On August 29th, I had the pleasure of guiding a wonderful family of seven from the United States and Puerto Rico around Shizuoka.

During our 7 hour tour, we visited Miho no Matsubara, Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, Nihondaira Yume Terrace, and enjoyed a shopping stroll through Shizuoka City Center.

At our first stop, Miho no Matsubara, it started to rain and after that, we had some light rain on and off during the day.

Because it was mostly cloudy, it was not too hot, so the weather was actually quite comfortable for sightseeing.
Our driver was also very helpful. Whenever it rained, he picked us up and dropped us off at the best possible places so that everyone could stay as dry as possible. Thanks to him, the family was able to enjoy all the sightseeing spots without getting very wet.

Next stop, Kunozan Toshogu Shrine!
Since we left Shimizu Port a little before 8:00 a.m., the ropeway was not crowded with tourists and everything went very smoothly.
On the ropeway, everyone soaked in the beautiful views of Suruga Bay and the powerful cliffs and valleys created by nature.

At Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, they were very impressed by the beautiful and detailed carvings, which were created by highly skilled craftsmen hundreds of years ago!

As we walked around the shrine, I also shared some interesting stories and meanings hidden in the carvings and decorations, as well as stories about Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Tokugawa Shogunate.
The family listened with great interest and seemed to enjoy discovering the deeper meaning behind this historic place.

At Nihondaira Yume Terrace, unfortunately, Mount Fuji was hidden by the clouds.
However, we could still see Shimizu Port and even the cruise ship that the family were traveling on.

During our drive, we had many fun conversations about the places they had visited on their cruise, Japanese food, bamboo shoots, and other topics.

By the time we arrived at Shizuoka City Center, the rain had stopped and we even saw some blue sky.
Sengen Shopping Street is an old-fashioned local shopping street, which is not as busy as it used to be, but local people still come here to shop daily.
The family had some free time to walk around and enjoy shopping.

The men enjoyed walking slowly through the street and stopped for a cold beer, and the women found a traditional Japanese pottery shop and bought Japanese-style teacups and chopsticks for guests at home.
I also enjoyed walking with them and feeling the warm and nostalgic atmosphere of the area.

Next, we drove about five minutes to Gofukucho Shopping Street, one of the most lively shopping areas in central Shizuoka.

The mother and daughter found some of their favorite lotions and creams at LUSH.

After that, we all visited a traditional-style Japanese candy shop where we found so many different kinds of Japanese snacks that even I was surprised!
The family told me that they have some similar snacks in the United States and Puerto Rico.
They carefully looked at many different sweets and finally chose jelly candies, rice crackers, lollipops, and other snacks.
They even bought some unusual wasabi-flavored rice crackers!
I was a little worried that they might be too spicy, but they told me they enjoy spicy food and were excited to try them!

For our final stop, we visited Nanaya for the gelato everyone had been looking forward to.
Nanaya is run by a Japanese tea company, and it is famous for its Matcha gelato, where visitors can choose the strength of the Matcha from Level 1 to Level 7.
They also have many other kinds of gelato, so everyone chose their favorite flavor and enjoyed a relaxing sweet break together.

Seeing their happy faces made me very happy too.

It was their first time visiting Shizuoka, and I was so glad that they were able to enjoy many different sides of our city—from beautiful nature and historic places to local shopping streets, Japanese snacks, and green tea gelato.
We ended the day with big smiles, and it became a wonderful memory for me as well.

Thank you very much for spending the day with me!
There are still many more wonderful places in Shizuoka that I would love to show you.

I sincerely hope to welcome you back to Shizuoka again someday! 

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