Tea Country: From the Hills to the Cup
Japan's tea heartland in half a day — hedgerows above the bay, a cup with Mt. Fuji in front of you, and the shops that sell the good stuff.
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.
- 9:00 Depart Hinode Pier by taxi
The tea starts before you arrive: the climb toward Nihondaira runs past the neat, rounded hedgerows that cover these slopes. About 25 minutes and roughly ¥3,500. Taxis do not wait at the top, so agree a pickup time or book the round trip before you get out.
About 25 min by taxi into the tea hills
- 9:30 Nihondaira Yume Terrace
Stay: about 1 hour
A Kengo Kuma–designed observation deck at 300 m, ringed by tea fields, with Mt. Fuji across Suruga Bay and your own ship at the pier below. Free entry, and a café inside where you can drink local tea with that view in front of you. Mornings give the best odds of a clear summit.
What you will see here →
Photo: 663highland / CC BY-SA 4.0 About 12 min by ropeway down the ridge
- 10:45 Kunozan Toshogu — the shogun behind the tea
Stay: about 1 hour
Ride the ropeway down to the gold-lacquered shrine where Tokugawa Ieyasu is enshrined. He retired to Sunpu — today's Shizuoka City — and it was under Tokugawa rule that these hills grew tea for the ruling class. Note there are stone steps inside the grounds; skip this stop if you'd rather have more time in the city.
Ropeway up, then your taxi down to Shimizu Station (about 25 min)
- 12:15 Train to Shizuoka City
JR from Shimizu to Shizuoka takes about 11 minutes and runs frequently — the easy, cheap leg of the day.
About 11 min by JR
- 12:45 Tea shops, tasting & lunch in the arcades
Stay: about 1.5 hours
This is the buying half. Shizuoka's covered arcades and department-store food halls are full of tea counters where staff will brew you a cup before you commit. Look for fukamushi (deep-steamed) sencha — the local speciality, steamed longer so it brews cloudy and sweet. Ask about tax-free with your passport, and check the harvest date. Eat while you're here.
About 11 min by JR back to Shimizu, then shuttle or taxi to the pier
- 15:00 Back at Hinode Pier
Aboard with a full hour in hand on a 17:00 sailing — carrying tea that is genuinely better, and cheaper, than anything waiting at the airport.
Most passengers here chase the mountain. This is the other Shizuoka — the one in the cup — and it makes a calmer, cheaper day that still gets you the Fuji view on the way through.
The full background, including what’s actually worth buying and the state of Shizuoka tea in 2026, is in Shizuoka tea from the cruise port. Short on time? The two-hour Zen & matcha experience covers the tea with port pickup and no taxi arranging at all.
About this plan
How long does the Tea Country: From the Hills to the Cup plan take?
About 6 hours. Designed for an 8:00–17:00 call. Back on board by 16:00. Taxi-based at the start — agree your pickup before you leave.
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 →
Mt. Fuji View Tour with a Licensed Guide
The pick for people who want to choose: a nationally licensed guide and a car for six hours, with three or four stops you select from a list.
From US$378 per person · max 7 Pickup at the pier 4.9★ · 23 reviews · 6 hours Fits and has seats on 13 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.