Day trips and weekend breaks: Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka

Ito

If you only do three things...
Yokikan
Ride the 'mountain train' – actually more like a portaloo on rails – down to the mixed outdoor onsen bath at this ryokan, which is open to the general public from 11am-3pm. Shy types, take note: there are no swimsuits allowed. 2-24 Suehiro-cho, Ito, Shizuoka (0557 36 6488; www.yokikan.co.jp)

Komuroyama Park
As if 10,000 azaleas in full bloom weren't spectacular enough, on a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji in the background. Just be prepared to elbow your way through throngs of flower-loving pensioners if you want to enjoy the view. 1260 Kawana, Ito, Shizuoka. Transport: Kawana Station (Izu Kyuko line) or Tokai Bus from Ito Station, getting off at Komurayama Lift

Suspension bridge by YukiK_, on Flickr Jogasaki Coast
A 9km hiking course snakes through forests and along the rugged, lava-sculpted coastline to the south of Ito – including a 23-metre-high suspension bridge, just for good measure. Transport: Tokai Bus from Ito Station to Kaiyo Koen; return via Izu Kogen Station (Izu Kyuko line)

Where to eat
Unagi no Matoi
There's eel on the menu, and plenty of it. Go for the unaju: eel glazed with soy sauce, served over rice in a lacquered box (1,800 yen). Tue-Sun, 11.30am-8.30pm; closed Mon. 13-6 Higashi-Matsubara-cho, Ito, Shizuoka (0557 37 1768)

Where to stay
K's House
A century-old ryokan that's reinvented itself as a backpacker hostel, with per-person rates from 2,950 yen. The facilities include a kitchen area, lounge and onsen. 12-13 Higashi-Matsubara-cho, Ito, Shizuoka (0557 35 9444; http://kshouse.jp)

How to get there
The regular JR from Tokyo Station to Ito Station via Atami takes 2 1/4 hours (2,210 yen). Take the Tokaido Shinkansen line as far as Atami if you're in a rush (4,400 yen).

Mt Fuji

Fuji, by Yasufumi Nishi/ JNTO If you only do one thing…
Climb Mt Fuji
Since the mountain is covered in snow most of the year, the official climbing season is limited to July and August, although there is transport to the fifth stage from April until November (out of season the trails are open, but facilities are closed). The best time is the middle four weeks of the climbing season; the most crowded time is Obon Week in mid August. The climb is worthwhile but not easy. Most people follow the Yoshidaguchi Trail from the Kawaguchiko side (north), which offers a 7.5-kilometre climb that takes five hours, plus three for the descent. You can also head from the south-west side, starting at one of two new fifth stages, one near Gotemba (6.5 hours up and three down) or another further west (five hours up and 3.5 down). Once you reach the peak, you might be disappointed to find it no longer a place of solitude and contemplation. Restaurants, souvenir shops, vending machines, portaloos, a shrine and several hundred people will be waiting for you; and the spectacle of the sunrise is not necessarily enhanced by loudspeakers blasting dramatic music. But it is still an amazing feeling to be standing atop Japan’s most iconic peak.

Where to eat
Water and food are available on the climb, but are vastly overpriced. We recommend packing your own before you depart.

Where to stay
Some climbers set off at nightfall, timing the ascent to arrive in time for sunrise. More sensible souls climb in daylight and rest in one of the lodges near the peak. With up to 600 people crammed into the huts, arriving and departing constantly, you won’t get a sound sleep but you will appreciate the break. Lodges at the eighth stage on the Kawaguchiko side include Hakuunsou (0555 24 6514, 5,500-7,500 yen per person) and Honhachigo Tomoekan (0555 24 6511, 7,500-9,000 yen). At the seventh stage on the Gotemba side, try Hinodekan (0550 89 2867, 6,000 yen).

How to get there
Take the JR Chuo line from Shinjuku to Otsuki Station (1hr 35 mins, 1,280 yen). From there, take the Fuji-Kyuko line to Kawaguchiko (57mins, 1,110 yen). From Kawaguchiko to the fifth stage by bus takes another hour. If you want to start the climb from Gotemba, there are four direct trains (express Asagiri) daily from Shinjuku on the Odakyu line (1hr 39mins, 2,720 yen). From Gotemba there are three to four buses to the new fifth stage (40mins, 1,080 yen single).