The Afternoon Plan (13:00 Arrival Special)
Docking after lunch? Here is the four-hour version of Shimizu — no wasted minute.
How the day runs
Clock times assume you are off the ship at the first time shown. If your ship is late, everything shifts; the order does not.
- 13:30 Depart Hinode Pier
Afternoon calls compress everything, so skip anything with a mountain road. This plan stays within 20 minutes of the ship at all times.
About 25 min by Water Bus (¥1,000) via Ejiri — still faster than the road loop
- 13:50 Miho no Matsubara Pine Grove
Stay: about 1.5 hours
A World Heritage pine grove on a black-sand spit, tied to the celestial-robe legend of Hagoromo. On a clear afternoon Mt. Fuji rises across the bay; even without the mountain, the 30,000-tree grove and the God's Road approach are worth the crossing. The Mihoshirube visitor center has excellent English exhibits.
What you will see here →
Photo: Suicasmo / CC BY-SA 4.0 About 20 min by Water Bus back to Hinode
- 15:50 Sushi Yokocho at Dream Plaza
Stay: about 1 hour
An early dinner counter-side: Suruga Bay specialties like sakura shrimp and fresh shirasu that you will not see at home. Order the local set, not the safe set.
About 10 min on foot
- 17:30 Bayfront sunset walk, then back at Hinode Pier
The harbor faces west toward the Fuji foothills — on a clear evening this is the best free view of the call. You are steps from the gangway with 90 minutes of margin.
Most guides pretend every ship docks at 7 a.m. Yours might not. This is a four-hour plan for afternoon arrivals — built around the Water Bus, which beats every road option at this hour.
About this plan
How long does the The Afternoon Plan (13:00 Arrival Special) plan take?
About 4 hours. Designed for a 13:00–20:00 call (a common Diamond Princess pattern). Back on board by 19:00.
Can I do this in Shimizu without a ship’s tour?
Yes — this is a self-guided plan for independent cruise passengers, with transport and timings laid out step by step so you get back on board with margin.
Prefer this day guided?
The same ground, with an English-speaking driver-guide and a pickup at the pier.
Private Shimizu Highlights by Jumbo Taxi
The one I'd book for a first call with 5–6 hours: Nihondaira, Kunozan and Miho — all three of Shimizu's big sights — in four hours, with the ropeway and the driving handled.
US$350 per person for 2 · US$699 per vehicle Meets at the pier 4.9★ · 156 reviews · 4 hours Fits and has seats on 12 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
All-About Mt. Fuji: The Short Tour with a Sweet Twist
The best short tour at this port: Mt. Fuji viewpoints plus making your own Fuji-shaped wagashi sweet, and you are back at the ship with hours to spare.
From US$129 per person · max 8 Meets at the pier 5.0★ · 23 reviews · 4 hours Fits and has seats on 4 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →Tours are booked through our partners Viator (a Tripadvisor company) and GetYourGuide. If you book, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it never decides what we recommend.