If you cannot decide on whether to take a day trip to the mountains or the ocean, then here is an easy solution: See both! Two hours south of Tokyo via the Takaido Line is the beautiful city of Numazu. Until Miwa recommended I visit this place it was not even on my list.
What a great surprise. It is a bright, friendly, vibrant city with cool attractions. Since I am a walker, I planned a day of walking to various places of interest. I was actually able to see more than what was on my itinerary.
There is an information center at Numazu station where you can obtain English maps and brochures for a full day excursion. The map had several suggested courses and I chose the B course. It led me to Shengen Shrine and onto Jounji Temple, established in 1580. Walking east I dead-ended at Senbonhama Park, which is in Senbon Matsubara Pine Grove. (Senbon Matsubara means “Forest of One Thousand Pine Trees”) The walk through the forest was interesting with many monuments, statues, and the sweet smelling pine fragrance.
A few blocks from Senbonhama Park is a promenade along the coastline that leads to Minatoguchi Park with even more monuments. The park empties out at the watergate “View O”. It is the largest watergate in Japan and was built to protect the area from Tsunami. Pay 300 yen and ride the elevator up for an excellent 360 view of Mt Fuji, Suruga Bay, the Senbon Pine Grove, and Numazu City.
This was the end of the suggested course, so I mapped out my own heading towards Mt Kanuki Park. Walked across the Minato Bridge and took side streets keeping Mt. Kanuki in sight. Came upon the nice Seseragi Park with a bubbling creek and fountain.
Continued walking until I found a trail that led up to the observation deck with a view of the Mt Fuji, the Southern Alps, and Numazu city. After hiking several trails, I walked back to the port area and Gourmet Street. This is filled with seafood restaurants, specialty shops, and lots of people. Since it was way past lunchtime I had no problem finding a seat and enjoying a tasty tuna sashimi lunch.
My last stop before heading back to the station was the Numazu Port Mall for some window-shopping. Here you can purchase all types of souvenirs to take back home.
There were many other attractions that I missed including two different castle sites, the fish market, Imperial Villa Memorial Park, and much more.
I definitely plan on returning in the near future to continue my exploration of this beautiful area.
