Page 99 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Tokyo

BEY OND T OK Y O  97

8 Mount Fuji and
the Fuji Five Lakes
See pp98–9.
9 Shizuoka
Shizuoka
Shizuoka & Yamanashi prefecture.
* 713,000. £ n in JR stn (054)
252-4247. ∑ pref.shizuoka.jp/a_
foreign/english/index.html
_ Shizuoka Festival (1st w/e Apr).
Settlement in this area stretches
back to AD 200–300. Later a stop
on the old Tokaido road, and the
A statue of The Izu Dancer by a waterfall near Kawazu, Izu Peninsula retire ment home of Tokugawa
Ieyasu (see p103), Shizuoka is
sometimes the ropeway or 7 Izu Peninsula today a sprawling urban center,
sections of this area are closed Izu Peninsula
the city at greatest risk of a
to visitors due to safety concerns. major earthquake in Japan.
The ropeway continues to Shizuoka prefecture. £ n Atami, As a result it is probably the
Lake Ashi, where replicas of Ito, and Shuzenji stns. _ Fireworks only place that is fully prepared.
historical Western-style boats Festival (Jul 22–3, Atagawa), Anjin The Toro Ruins near the port
run to Hakone-machi and Festival (Aug 8–10, Ito). have well-explained reconstruc-
Moto-Hakone. In clear weather tions of ancient buildings and an
there are breath- A picturesque, hilly peninsula excellent interactive museum. The
taking views with a benign climate, Izu is view from Nihondaira plateau,
of Mount Fuji. At popular for its numerous hot in the east of the city, to Mount
Hakone-machi springs. A place of exile in the Fuji and Izu, is superb. Nearby
is an interesting Middle Ages, in the early 17th is Kunozan Tosho-gu, one of
re construction century it was home to the the three top Tosho-gu shrines.
of the Seki-sho shipwrecked English man
Yosegi-zaiku box, Barrier Gate, a William Adams, whose story T Toro Ruins
Hatajuku historic check- was the basis of the James Museum: Tel (0542) 85-0476.
point that used Clavell novel Shogun. Shimoda, Open Tue–Sun. Closed the day
to control the passage of on the southern tip, became a after public hols.. &
people and guns on the Edo- coaling station for foreign ships
period Tokaido road between in 1854, then opened to US Environs
Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto. traders. Today Shimoda has West of Shizuoka, Kanaya
From Hakone-machi it is a little of interest besides has one of Japan’s largest
short walk to Moto-Hakone. In a pretty gray-and-white walls, tea plantations. Fields and
prominent position on a hilltop reinforced against typhoons processing plants can be visited,
overlooking Lake Ashi, Narukawa with crisscross plasterwork. and the elegant Ocha no Sato
Art Museum exhibits 1,500 Izu’s east coast is quite devel- museum portrays tea lore.
artworks by modern Japanese oped, but the west has charm- Nearby, the Oigawa steam
masters, and has spectacular ing coves and fishing villages, railroad takes you right into
views of the surrounding such as Toi and Heda, offer ing the untamed South Alps.
mountains. Over a pass beyond delicious long-legged crabs P Ocha no Sato
Moto-Hakone is the Amazake- and other seafood. The center Tel (0547) 46-5588. Open daily.
chaya tea house, and Hatajuku is also relatively unspoiled, with Closed Tue. &
village, known for yosegi-zaiku, a wooded mountains and rustic
form of decorative marquetry. hot springs, including Shuzenji
onsen and a chain of villages
P Hakone Open-Air Museum from Amagi Yugashima to
Tel (0460) 82-1161. Open daily. & Kawazu. The latter were the
setting for Yasunari Kawabata’s
P Hakone Art Museum
Tel (0460) 82-2623. Open Fri–Wed. & short story The Izu Dancer,
commemorated
Seki-sho Barrier Gate across Izu. Two-day
Tel (0460) 83-6635. Open daily. & transportation passes
P Narukawa Art Museum cover parts of the
Tel (0460) 83-6828. Open daily. & peninsula. A reconstructed dwelling at the Toro site, Shizuoka

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