Shizuoka Prefecture stretches along Japan's Pacific coast between Tokyo and Nagoya, framed by the southern slopes of Mount Fuji, the hot-spring resorts of the Izu Peninsula, and the deep waters of Suruga Bay. Home to Japan's largest green tea harvest, its top eel-producing city, and the closest classic views of Mount Fuji outside Yamanashi, Shizuoka pairs UNESCO World Heritage scenery with feudal-era castles and coastal onsen towns across 7,777 square kilometres of the Chubu region.
Cultural orientation
Essential context for travellers.
Shizuoka Prefecture is the heartland of Sunpu, where Tokugawa Ieyasu retired after unifying Japan; Sunpu Castle Park in Shizuoka City honors this legacy and is treated with civic pride
Shizuoka produces roughly 40% of Japan's green tea, so tea is treated as both a daily staple and a point of regional pride; accepting an offered cup of ocha is polite and expected
The Izu Peninsula is one of Japan's great onsen (hot spring) regions; bathing etiquette is taken seriously even at casual day-use facilities, not just luxury ryokan
Bow rather than shake hands when greeting; a slight nod is sufficient for casual interactions, a deeper bow for formal ones
Remove shoes before stepping onto tatami flooring in ryokan, temples, and many restaurants; slippers are usually provided for hallways but not for tatami rooms
Trains are kept quiet; phone calls are not taken on board and conversations are kept low, especially on the Tokaido Shinkansen line that runs through Shizuoka
Many onsen and sento in Shizuoka still refuse entry to visitors with visible tattoos; tattoo-friendly facilities are limited and worth confirming ahead by phone
Slurping tea and noodles is normal and not considered rude; leaving a small amount of rice or food, however, can be seen as wasteful in traditional households
Do's and don'ts
Quick guide to local norms.
Do
- Wash and rinse thoroughly at the shower stations before entering an onsen or sento communal bath
- Bow when greeting shopkeepers, ryokan staff, and strangers offering directions
- Bring a small hand towel when visiting an onsen; many day-use facilities do not provide one automatically
- Try Shizuoka's regional foods: sencha green tea, wasabi from the Amagi mountains, sakura ebi (sakura shrimp) from Suruga Bay, and Hamamatsu-style gyoza
- Queue in an orderly single-file line on train platforms; look for the painted floor markings showing where doors will open
- Carry cash; many smaller tea shops, ryokan, and rural onsen in the Izu Peninsula do not accept credit cards
- Say 'itadakimasu' before eating and 'gochisosama deshita' after finishing a meal
- Take off shoes when entering a Japanese home, temple interior, or any tatami-floored room, positioning them neatly facing the door
Don't
- Don't enter an onsen or communal bath without washing first; the bathwater itself is shared and never used for washing with soap
- Don't bring a large bath towel into the onsen water; a small towel can rest on the head or the side, never submerged
- Don't enter an onsen or sento with a visible tattoo unless the facility is explicitly confirmed tattoo-friendly
- Don't tip at restaurants, taxis, or ryokan; tipping is not customary in Japan and can cause confusion or be politely refused
- Don't eat or drink while walking through train stations or temple grounds; food is generally consumed standing still or seated
- Don't point chopsticks at people or stick them upright in a bowl of rice, which resembles a funeral ritual
- Don't speak loudly on trains or talk on the phone while riding the Tokaido line or local Shizuoka rail services
- Don't assume English will be widely spoken outside central Shizuoka City and Hamamatsu; simple Japanese phrases go a long way in smaller Izu towns
Etiquette by setting
How to navigate everyday situations.
- Greetings
- A bow is the standard greeting; the depth and duration of the bow signal the level of formality, with a slight nod sufficient for shopkeepers and a deeper bow for formal introductions. Business cards (meishi) are exchanged with both hands and studied briefly before being put away
- Dining
- Wait to be seated in most restaurants; say 'itadakimasu' before eating; do not pour your own drink at a shared table, but pour for others and let them return the gesture; napkins are usually the small wet oshibori towel provided at the start of the meal
- Dress
- Casual, neat clothing is fine for most sightseeing; cover shoulders and knees when visiting temples and shrines; onsen require complete nudity in the bathing area itself, which is standard and not considered awkward locally
- Gifts
- Bring a small wrapped gift (omiyage) when visiting someone's home or meeting a business contact; Shizuoka green tea or wasabi products make well-regarded local gifts; gifts are typically not opened immediately in front of the giver
- Business
- Punctuality is important and meetings often start precisely on time; exchange business cards with both hands at the start of a meeting; group harmony and indirect communication are valued over direct confrontation
- Tipping
- Tipping is not practiced in Japan, including in Shizuoka's restaurants, ryokan, and taxis; a service charge, if any, is already included in the bill, and leaving extra cash on a table is usually returned
Useful phrases
A few words go a long way.
Konnichiwa
Hello / Good afternoon
kon-nee-chee-wah
Arigatou gozaimasu
Thank you
ah-ree-gah-toh go-zai-mahs
Sumimasen
Excuse me / Sorry
soo-mee-mah-sen
Onegaishimasu
Please
oh-neh-guy-shee-mahs
Ikura desu ka?
How much does it cost?
ee-koo-rah dess kah
...wa doko desu ka?
Where is...?
wah doh-koh dess kah
Eigo wo hanasemasu ka?
Do you speak English?
ay-goh oh hah-nah-seh-mahs kah
Okaikei onegaishimasu
The bill, please
oh-kai-kay oh-neh-guy-shee-mahs
Oishii
Delicious
oy-shee
Wakarimasen
I don't understand
wah-kah-ree-mah-sen
Religion & spirituality
Understanding faith in Shizuoka.
Main: Shinto and Buddhism coexist as the two main traditions, with most residents observing both without conflict; Christianity and other faiths are present in small minorities
Sites: Kunozan Toshogu Shrine (Shizuoka City), where Tokugawa Ieyasu was first entombed; Sengen Jinja Shrine complex in Shizuoka City; Shuzenji Temple in the Izu onsen town of the same name, one of the oldest Buddhist temples on the peninsula
Holy Days: New Year (Jan 1-3) is the most significant holiday, when shrines and temples fill with visitors making the first prayer of the year (hatsumode); Obon (mid-August) honors ancestors; local matsuri festivals tied to Shinto shrines occur throughout the year, including Shizuoka's Shizuoka Matsuri in early April
Conversations: Religious practice in Japan is generally treated as cultural and communal rather than a topic for debate; visiting a shrine or temple respectfully (a small bow at the torii gate, quiet conduct) is welcomed, but avoid loud or dismissive comments about ritual practices