Kinomiya Shrine Atami: The 2,000-Year-Old Great Camphor
Kinomiya Shrine, Atami: the 2,000-year-old great camphor, the walk-around-the-trunk ritual, free entry, nightly light-up, tea by the tree, and access.
Hidden Japan GemsFIELD NOTES — JAPAN
Shizuoka
Shizuoka travel guides: Mt. Fuji’s southern side, green tea country, the Izu Peninsula coast, and hot springs between the mountains and the sea.
Kashiho Mase: An Izu Wagashi Shop in Atami (Since 1872)
Kashiho Mase, a 150-year-old wagashi shop on the Atami coast of Izu — the Izu no Odoriko sweet, seasonal citrus daifuku, its branches, and what to buy through the year.
Kintaro Soba: Mountain-Yam Noodles at the Foot of Mt Fuji (Gotemba)
Gotemba's old mikuriya soba is bound with mountain yam, not water. Kintaro, a farmhouse soba house minutes from Mt Fuji, serves it with a shrimp-tempura rice box.
Mt. Fuji from the Shinkansen: Which Seat Both Directions (2026)
Tokaido Shinkansen seat for Mt. Fuji view: Seat E both directions in standard cars, Seat D in Green Cars. The seat letter is fixed to the train, so the same seat sees the same mountain whether you are going Tokyo to Osaka or Osaka to Tokyo. Full 2026 guide with timing, train type, and photography tips.
Japan Sea Sparkle 2026: Where the Bioluminescent Waves Glowed (Itō, Numazu, Enoshima, Gamagori)
Sea sparkle (noctiluca / 夜光虫) bloomed along Japan's Pacific coast in late May 2026. Largest Kamakura event since 2017 (Yuigahama peaked ~22:00). Plus Suruga Bay, Mikawa Bay, Shōnan, Miura. Verified beach list, conditions, photography notes.
Yamaju Masuda Shoten 2026: Inside a 130-Year-Old Katsuobushi Workshop in Yaizu Shizuoka
Shizuoka · Yaizu · Craft A small family workshop in Yaizu still smoking bonito over open fire. Most katsuobushi is now made in large factories. A craftsman at one of the workshop’s steaming stations. The company has made katsuobushi since…
Michi-no-Eki Fujioyama: The Roadside Station Where Locals Eat Lunch With Mt. Fuji
Shizuoka · Roadside Station · Field Report Michi-no-Eki Fujioyama is not pretty from the outside. It’s a low concrete box wedged against a logistics yard in Shizuoka. I walked in on a Tuesday, sat by the glass wall, and looked…
Mt. Fuji Hut Reservations 2026: All 42 Huts, Booked in English
![Mt. Fuji Huts 2026: Rooms, Meals & Booking Rules [7 Photos]](https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/top2-768x308.webp)
Season over: the 2026 climbing season ended on 10 September and the summit trails are closed until next summer; the 2027 rules and booking dates have not been announced yet. In 2026, on every trail you could not start up…
Climbing Mt Fuji in Winter: A Rescuer’s Urgent Warning
Do not climb Mt. Fuji outside official season Mt. Fuji’s official climbing season is early July to early September. Outside this window every summit route is closed, the huts on those routes are shut, no resident rescue team is on…
Kawazu Sakura Festival Guide: Access, Illuminations and a Full Day
While most of Japan awaits the arrival of cherry blossoms in late March, the town of Kawazu in the Izu Peninsula offers a delightful preview of spring nearly a month earlier. The Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival (河津桜まつり, Kawazu-zakura Matsuri) celebrates…