Fujieda travel guide

Fujieda, Japan

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Fujieda

Introduction

Fujieda is a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It belongs to the World Health Organization's Alliance for Healthy Cities, a network of municipalities that share a commitment to healthy urban living.

Before you go

Fujieda's local tourist association runs a guide site that is written in Japanese, with machine translation built in, so you can read it in your own language before you arrive. Use it to get a feel for the city and its neighbourhoods ahead of your trip.

Getting there

Shizuoka sits on the Tokaido Main Line and the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka, and on the Tomei Expressway, so most approaches run through the city's main rail station. Hikari trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen stop at Shizuoka roughly once an hour, connecting it with Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka; all-stopping Kodama trains take longer, and a discounted Kodama ticket bought at least a day ahead includes a reserved seat and a drink coupon redeemable at a kiosk in the station. Standard local trains from Tokyo require a change at Atami or Numazu, and Wide View Fujikawa limited express trains link Shizuoka with Kofu on the Chuo Line in cars with larger windows. The Japan Rail Pass covers all of these trains.

By air, Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport lies in Makinohara and Shimada, with Fuji Dream Airlines based there alongside All Nippon Airways and international flights to China, Hong Kong and South Korea; buses connect the airport with Shizuoka station, and there is no train station at the airport itself. Haneda, Narita and Chubu International Airport in Nagoya are the nearest major airports, reachable from Shizuoka by fast train. JR/Shizutetsu Sunpu Liner buses run from Busta Shinjuku in Tokyo to Shizuoka station with a rest stop at the Ashigara Service Area, some Tokyo–Nagoya buses stop only at the expressway interchange on the city's outskirts with local buses continuing to the station, and overnight buses arrive from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. By car, the Tomei Expressway and the Shin-Tomei Expressway serve the city, and national Routes 1, 150 and 52 offer a budget alternative.

Getting around

Fujieda Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line is your anchor for the whole area: it is where you arrive, and it is how you continue toward Shizuoka and Tokyo in one direction or Shimada in the other. Because Fujieda is a stop on the main line rather than a terminus, you can buy a ticket at the station and board the next local or rapid service, and a Japan Rail Pass covers the JR trains that call here. The city has no metro or tram network of its own; the nearest urban rail of that kind is the Shizutetsu line in Shizuoka, running from Shin-Shizuoka station in the Cenova shopping mall to Shin-Shimizu station. Note that no Shizutetsu station is integrated into the JR system, so a journey using both means separate tickets and sometimes walking or a bus between stations.

Buses fill the gaps the rail line leaves. Shizutetsu operates services across the wider Shizuoka area, including a connection from Shizuoka station to the Cenova mall, and local buses are the practical way to reach sights and neighbourhoods beyond Fujieda's station district. Pay your fare on leaving the bus, or on boarding depending on the operator, with coins ready or a rechargeable IC transit card where accepted; if a route is unclear, the staffed information counters at the main railway stations are the most reliable place to ask. Taxis wait at the railway station and are the simplest choice for short trips that do not follow a bus route, for travelling with luggage, or after the last bus, and hotels and restaurants can call one for you. Ride-hailing apps have a limited presence in regional Japan, so treat taxis as your fallback rather than assuming an app-based car will be available. On foot, the compact built-up area around the station is comfortable to explore in spring, autumn and winter, but summer is hot and humid and September is notably wet, so plan on shade, an umbrella, and hopping on a bus or taking a taxi instead; the agricultural land and outlying districts stretch well beyond walking range.

Where to stay

Most of the accommodation listed here clusters around Shizuoka Station, which makes the city a practical base even if your plans reach further afield. For a barebones but reasonable business stay near the station, Shizuoka Orange Hotel offers singles and twins with breakfast available in the ground-floor restaurant. Yasouya-Furyu, a backpacker's hostel in Makigaya in Aoi Ward, sits about 6 km from the city centre and is the budget option if you want to keep costs down.

Mid-range choices within walking distance of the station include Associa Shizuoka Terminal, a minute away and offering non-smoking rooms and discounts for JR Pass holders; Hotel Dorf Shizuoka, a seven-minute walk with in-room LAN and a shuttle bus to the station; Hotel Garden Square Shizuoka, three minutes away with modern, minimal rooms and free in-room internet; and Sun Palace Hotel in Suruga Ward, reached from the station's south exit, with a laundry room. For a splurge, Nippondaira Hotel sits in Nihondaira with views over Shizuoka, Suruga Bay and Mount Fuji, reached by its shuttle bus from Shizuoka or Higashi-Shizuoka stations; note that standard rooms don't face the mountain, and there are no convenience stores nearby, so stock up downtown.

Food & drink

Seafood is the anchor of eating here: near the port you can find fresh fish, including sushi, and Yaizu-kō Minami is a specialty restaurant for tuna that is rarely without a line in front of it. For something distinctively Shizuoka, try tororo-jiru, the mountain yam soup served at Taigetsuro, a restaurant in business since the Taisho era and set in the historic Mariko area, a former station along the Tokaido Road; dinner there requires a reservation. Unaji specializes in Shizuoka's famous eel dishes, while Steppin' Cafe is a popular burger joint with a signature Steppin Burger and more than fifteen other burgers, among them avocado, teriyaki and Shizuoka maguro burgers.

For drinks, look for Shizuoka Cola, a locally made tea-flavored cola that uses the region's famous tea. Freakyshow Bar, near the Gohuku-cho area, is one of the finest local places to drink downtown, with local live entertainment on weekends and limited seating, so arrive early; its menu leans toward an eclectic mix of Western and European fare rather than typical izakaya food, and the Godzilla Burger and White Russian come recommended. Hippy Shake, a short walk from JR Shimizu or Shin-Shimizu, has a great atmosphere and an inventive menu of original cocktails.

What to see and do

Fujieda is best known for the remains of Tanaka Castle, built by the Imagawa clan in the 1537 and demolished in the Meiji era. What survives today is a set of moats and stonework, along with a large yagura reconstructed in the 1990s that now serves as a local history museum. If you want to understand the town's feudal past, this is the place to start. Beyond the castle, the wider Shizuoka area offers plenty to fill your time. On a clear day you can take in views of Mount Fuji from the pine-lined coast at Miho no Matsubara or from the hill at Nihondaira, which also looks out over the Izu Peninsula and Shimizu Bay. History buffs should make the trip to Kunōzan Tōshō-gū, the actual burial place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, with most of its structures dating to the 1600s, and to Sunpu Castle, where the restored guard house and a lifelike statue of Ieyasu reward a couple of hours of exploring. Art lovers can choose between the Tokaido Hiroshige Museum, devoted to the ukiyo-e master's prints of the Tōkaidō road, and the Shizuoka City Museum of Art with its rotating special exhibits. For something more active, Abe Falls is counted among Japan's top waterfalls, and the Fujiyoshi Onsen offers a rotenburo in coastal surroundings for those willing to try a unisex communal bath.

When to go

Fujieda has a humid subtropical climate, so your timing should revolve around heat and moisture rather than cold. Summers are hot and humid, with temperatures peaking on average in August. Expect sticky, energy-sapping conditions and pack accordingly — plan around the heat and moisture rather than against them, and build in shade and rest breaks.

September is the wettest month of the year, so rain is a defining feature of a visit then; keep rain gear close at hand and leave flexibility in your plans. Winters are relatively mild, with January the coolest month on average. It is a quieter, cooler stretch rather than a harsh one, so outdoor sightseeing remains comfortable with ordinary cold-weather layers.

Three days in Fujieda

Day one: Base yourself in Fujieda, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture on Japan's main island, and use the Tokaido Main Line to settle in and get your bearings. The Tokaido Shinkansen also serves the wider corridor, with Hikari and Kodama services connecting Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka, so Fujieda fits easily into a longer rail journey. If you are arriving by air, Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport, serving Makinohara and Shimada, handles Fuji Dream Airlines and All Nippon Airways, with links onward from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Haneda, Narita and Chubu International Airport.

Day two: Take a rail excursion along the Tokaido corridor. Atami and Numazu are stops on the line, and the Wide View Fujikawa service runs toward Kofu, where the Chuo Line continues the network. By road, the Tomei Expressway parallels the rail route. Fujieda has been recognised in the World Health Organization's Alliance of Healthy Cities, so expect a compact, walkable Japanese city centre rather than a sprawling metropolis.

Day three: Keep the final day local and unhurried, exploring Fujieda on foot before your onward connection. Check connections back to the Tokaido Main Line or the Tokaido Shinkansen for Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto or Shin-Osaka, or head to Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport for flights with Fuji Dream Airlines or All Nippon Airways. The Japan Rail Pass is worth checking before you travel if you plan several rail legs.

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