Shimizu, Japan — An easy Saunter kinda Day
- Paul Hallman
- Apr 17
- 7 min read
After the buzz of Osaka, Jan and I looked at the days ahead—five more port stops in Japan—and decided we needed one day that was just ours. No schedule, no must-see list. Shimizu felt like the perfect place for that kind of stopover. The town had a special celebration on the dock to welcome tourists and especially cruise ships to their town. Our Captain and his senior officers attended the red carpet gathering as passengers departed the ship.
Shimizu sits on Suruga Bay and has long been shaped by the sea. Historically, it grew in importance because of its natural harbor and its role as a coastal gateway for trade and travel in this region.
Today the port of Shimizu is part of Shizuoka City, so it belongs to a larger population center, but it still feels like its own place—practical, coastal, and lived-in. It’s a working port town with everyday neighborhoods, shopping streets, and a waterfront identity that hasn’t been polished into something only for visitors. As we walked the streets we passed so many statues but we never found out what they stood for, nor why they have nude statutes in the streets.
One thing we have seen in Japan is the cleanliness of their country and in the cities there are no garbage pails or bins. Everyone has to carry their garbage to their home or return items that are waste, back to the place where they purchased it. In other words if you get a coffee from 7-Eleven, you have to bring the used cup back to the store to dispose of it or take it home and get rid of it. The cities also have many toilets in public places and they are very clean and modern. We never saw any waste on their streets and always had a close place to relieve ourselves it needed.
One other thing that we have notices is retractable fences or gates into properties. They slide across on railway rails and then collapse into a small space when not in use.
For cruise travelers, Shimizu has another huge draw as it’s right beside Mt. Fuji. This was one of the reasons the stop felt so important to us. The ship arrived at 7:00 a.m., but we weren’t up early enough to watch the sail-in. We heard there was some visibility around 5:00 a.m., but the clouds moved in quickly. By the time we looked out, all we could see was a rising hill covered in cloud—Fuji completely hiding its famous shape. This is the photo I took at 7 am and what we were missing, tucked up into the clouds. I outlined in red where it should be visible.
I did manage to get a photo from a photographer he took at 5 am and it showed much more than we saw ourselves, but still not the peak.
And yes, I also bought a postcard—so in all honesty, I did take a picture of Mt. Fuji while I was in Japan… with a little trick photography.
Once we stepped off the ship, we eased into the day the way we wanted by wandering. Right outside the port we found a small local market, and Jan tried on some Japanese kimonos. She ended up buying a beautiful top—one of those perfect travel purchases that instantly becomes tied to a specific place and day.
Jan decided to go with the shorter one although the others were beautiful
We walked into town and started noticing the small, everyday details that make a place feel real. We passed a car dealership full of compact vehicles—cute, much smaller than what we’re used to in North America, and surprisingly inexpensive. It was the kind of moment that makes you pause and think about how different daily life can be, even in something as ordinary as the cars on the road. The smaller white sports car was $35,000 and the blue square type cars were $30,000 and those prices were Canadian dollars.
Of course, we also made a stop that’s quickly become a Japan tradition for us - a 7‑Eleven. Jan went straight for the egg sandwich again and “so good” is an understatement. I tried a rice chicken burger—mostly out of curiosity—and it turned out to be genuinely tasty, especially with the mayo sauce on top. It was quick, simple and exactly what we needed before continuing our walk.
During our travels in Asia we have seen so many 7-Eleven stores and never once gave it at thought as to why. The sign at this store said 7 and I Holdings and that kinda confused us. We did some research and found that the company is Japanese, was founded in 1927 and has over 86,000 locations in 19 countries with 21,000 in Japan alone. They showed the world just how convenient shopping could be and were the first to have coffee in to-go cups, 24/7 hours, self serve soda fountains, Slurpee and Big Gulp drinks to name a few. That explained everything to us and solved our mystery, plus I am sure that you didn't know that either.
At the 7-Eleven Jan had the egg sandwich but I tried a rice burger with chicken and it was actually very good especially with the "Special Sauce" they had used.
On our walk we passed over a river where we went through a smaller section of the city where we could see more residential places and the homes along the way. On our way we came upon a bridge that had a sign and i wondered if it said we could not walk over it because there were no sidewalks. After translation I found out it said nothing of the kind.
We followed the crowd and walked over the bridge because we didn't see any floods
After our 7 Eleven stop we had a mission to find a supermarket so we could try making our own egg sandwiches back on the ship. We actually found the soft milk bread at a local supermarket, which felt like a small victory.
While we were at the supermarket, I took time to photograph different foods and prices so we could compare them to what we pay at home. I couldn't compare everything because the meats were small quantities but this is what I could figure out and how it compares to what it is in Canadian dollars:
An iPhone 15 - $869 in Canada and $781 in Japan
1/2 pound of bacon in Japan was $4.00 Canadian
1 lb. of chicken legs were $3.75 Canadian
1 liter of Milk was $1.87 Canadian
4 x 300 grams of Yogurt was $1.19 Canadian for the pack
1 dozen white eggs (medium) was $2.37 Canadian
4 small cobs of corn was $2.00 Canadian
1 case of 24 Kirin Beer was $27.37 Canadian
For your info 1000 Japanese Yen is equal to $8.59 in Canadian funds. We have found that eating out is not very expensive unless you go to high end restaurants with expensive beef.
Most every place takes credit and debit cards in Japan.
As we kept walking, we discovered something else Shimizu is known for: the Shimizu S‑Pulse soccer team. They are a prominent Japanese club , founded in 1991 who recently won the 2024 J2 League Championship. They have also won many other major titles over the years and average 18,000 people to attend their home games.
Their presence isn’t just a logo here—it feels like local pride on full display. We passed their museum store in the mall and also walked by their main headquarters in town. They’re so popular that the streets themselves celebrate them: soccer balls along the roadside and “Hollywood-style” handprints set into the pavement like a walk of fame for local soccer heroes. It was one of those unexpected details that made the town feel even more distinctive.
We also stumbled across a strange little mystery: a mailbox specifically for sending mail to the USA. It was tucked into a corner, almost hidden, and we couldn’t figure out how long it had been there—or whether anyone still uses it. It was such a small thing, but it stuck with us, the way odd little discoveries often do when you’re wandering without a plan. Across from the US post box was a British Telephone booth - with someone peeking out.
At the local mall and market they had a children play area as well as a carousel and fun rides for children. There was a small aquarium for the kids to watch the colourful fish.
We went into a Hobby Toy store and they had a large book section. All the books were paperbacks and in typical Japanese format with text in a different layout from what we are used to reading. When we were on public transportation many locals would be reading books.
Eventually we made our way back to the ship, and that’s when we realized our “easy day” still added up to about 15,000 steps. Onboard, we ran into Chris and Scott and made plans to meet later for a drink at Crooners. That evening, they asked if we’d join them the next day—they’d hired a private car and driver to head into Tokyo. We agreed, set a plan and arranged to meet at 7:15 a.m. for an early start.
Jan and Chris making plans for a trip into Tokyo tomorrow.
So Shimizu ended up being exactly what we hoped for: a slower day, full of small moments—shopping, snacks, local pride, and a Mt. Fuji that stayed mostly hidden behind the clouds.
Tomorrow, we trade calm coastal streets for the biggest stage of all. Our ship docks in Yokohama, about 25 miles from Tokyo, and we’re heading toward the most populated metropolitan area in the world—around 41 million people. We’ll soon find out what it’s like to drive into a city that size.
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