Rainy Day in Shizuoka: Best Indoor Spots & Activities

Tokai University Marine Science Museum

To another world named the deep sea, which makes you forget the sound of rain.

The Tokai University Marine Science Museum, standing quietly at Shimizu Port, is a marine theme park that Shizuoka boasts, where an aquarium and a science museum are united as one. The greatest highlight is the exhibition of deep-sea fish, which you rarely get to see. The moment the world of the deep sea, brimming with sliminess and silence, spreads before your eyes feels all the more mystical precisely because it is under the dim, rainy sky. Try gazing intently, through the glass, at creatures you had only seen in picture books, such as the anglerfish and the barreleye.

In the marine research exhibition corner, you can observe actual survey instruments and specimens up close, so the charm is that both adults and children can become absorbed. It is a space that stimulates intellectual curiosity, where someone who "vaguely likes the sea" may, before they know it, begin thinking "I want to become a marine researcher."

Hidden point: The early morning hours are relatively uncrowded, letting you savor the exhibits slowly. On rainy weekends it can get crowded with families, so weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon are the best timing. The museum shop inside also stocks unique goods with deep-sea-creature motifs, so searching for souvenirs is one of the pleasures.

Access: After getting off at "Shimizu Station" on the JR Tokaido Main Line, take the "Miho Yamanote Line bus" for about 15 minutes and get off right at the "Marine Park" stop. Walking from the station takes about 30 minutes, so on rainy days using the bus is by far recommended. Parking is also fully available, so car access is convenient too.

Tips for travelers: You can tour the aquarium area and the museum area economically with a common ticket. The inside is often air-conditioned, so even in summer it is reassuring to have a thin layer to throw on.

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Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art

Precisely on rainy days, there is a place where you can quietly face genuine art.

The Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, standing on a verdant hill in the suburbs of Shizuoka City, is a renowned museum known to those in the know, boasting one of the world's leading Rodin sculpture collections. Its centerpiece is, above all, the great work "The Gates of Hell," reaching about 6 meters in height. The sensation of gasping when you stand before this overwhelming work, swirling with human anguish and passion, is something you can experience only with the real thing. In the quiet hall where the sound of rain pours down softly, facing all alone the group of sculptures that Rodin carved his whole life into -- you can spend such a luxurious time here.

Not only the permanent exhibition but also the special exhibitions are substantial, with new discoveries each time you visit. The Rodin Wing adjacent to the museum is designed as a dedicated space, with lighting and traffic flow that magnificently draw out the power of the sculptures to the maximum. Even those who feel "art museums seem difficult" can fully enjoy Rodin's works without any knowledge, because they have a power that seems to speak directly to the emotions.

Hidden point: A vast Japanese garden and lawn plaza spread around the museum, and you can enjoy strolling if it is sunny, but on rainy days there are fewer people and the interior becomes a quieter, calmer atmosphere. Especially on rainy weekdays, you may be able to enjoy the exhibition rooms almost as if you had them all to yourself. At the museum cafe you can enjoy sweets made with local Shizuoka tea, so do not miss a break after viewing.

Access: About 20 minutes by bus bound for the Prefectural Museum of Art from the north exit of "Shizuoka Station" on the JR Tokaido Main Line. Get off right at the "Prefectural Museum of Art" stop. Parking is also available free of charge, so car access is very convenient. Buses run only a few times per hour during the day, so it is reassuring to check the times in advance.

Tips for travelers: Admission fees for the special exhibition and the permanent exhibition may be set separately. Checking the exhibitions currently being held on the official website in advance will make your visit more fulfilling. Whether photography is allowed differs by work, so do not forget to confirm with the staff.

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Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre (Fujinomiya)

A journey to touch its all-too-deep story at the foot of Mount Fuji veiled in rain.

The Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre (South Hall), standing in Fujinomiya City, is itself already a work of art. Its exterior, shaped like an inverted Fuji assembled in a lattice from domestic cypress wood, draws a beautiful silhouette like the real Mount Fuji when reflected in the pond at the front. On rainy days the air becomes moist and clear, and mysteriously this dreamlike appearance stands out all the more.

When you enter the hall, you can feel with your whole body, through video, exhibits, and experiences, how Mount Fuji is not merely a "beautiful mountain" but an existence with deep faith and history. The exhibition layout, tracing Mount Fuji's nature, culture, and faith in chronological order as you climb the spiral slope continuing from the entrance, is an experience as if you are "climbing" Mount Fuji itself. The greatest charm of this center is that you can approach the essence of Mount Fuji whenever you come, regardless of the weather.

Hidden point: The pond at the front of the building is a hidden spot known among photography lovers, because on cloudy or rainy days it is windless and the water surface becomes calm, so you can beautifully capture the reflection of the inverted Fuji. Right after opening first thing in the morning, there are few tourists too, letting you enjoy the exhibits leisurely. Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha is also nearby, and visiting them as a set is the standard local course.

Access: About a 10-minute walk from "Fujinomiya Station" on the JR Minobu Line. It is a distance you can fully walk from the station, so even in rain there is no problem with an umbrella. By car, about 30 minutes from "Fuji IC" on the Tomei Expressway. You can use the paid parking lots around the center.

Tips for travelers: The hall is relatively compact, but if you become absorbed in the video exhibits your stay will extend. Secure 1 to 2 hours with some leeway. Visiting around the time of Mount Fuji's first snowcap (typically around October) makes the emotion all the deeper, as you can overlay the exhibition content with the actual figure of Mount Fuji.

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Toro Museum

The lives of Japanese people 2,000 years ago revive in the stillness of a rainy day.

The Toro Ruins, spreading in the southern part of Shizuoka City, are designated a Special Historic Site of the nation as a Yayoi-period ruin representative of Japan. The Toro Museum standing next to them is a curious museum you cannot quite experience elsewhere, realistically recreating the lives of Japanese people around the time they began rice cultivation.

In the hall, Yayoi-period farm tools, earthenware, clothing, and the like are carefully exhibited, and "that era you saw in textbooks" suddenly feels close. Especially impressive is the model exhibit of the restored dwellings and paddy fields, faithfully recreating the farming village settlement of the time. "So they lived in houses like this," "So they made rice with tools like these" -- you feel a sensation as if you have time-slipped. On rainy days it is indeed difficult to move to the outdoor restored-building area, but the indoor exhibits alone are well worth seeing and can be enjoyed taking plenty of time.

Hidden point: On Saturdays and Sundays, hands-on programs such as magatama-making and earthenware-making are sometimes held, so even on rainy days everyone from children to adults can become absorbed (confirmation in advance required). Also, the ruins park spreading around the museum takes on a dreamlike atmosphere when mist hangs over it after rain. Walking outside a little when the rain lets up gives an experience as if the scenery of 2,000 years ago floats up within the haze.

Access: About 15 to 20 minutes by local bus from "Shizuoka Station" on the JR Tokaido Main Line, get off right at the "Toro Iseki" stop. Using a taxi takes about 10 minutes. Free parking is also fully available, so car access is comfortable too.

Tips for travelers: Admission is reasonable, and in some cases a common discount ticket with other facilities in Shizuoka City can be used. The viewing estimate is about 60 to 90 minutes. Of course for those with children and history lovers, it is also perfect for a grown-up solo trip as a place where your affection for the region deepens with the thought "so Shizuoka has such an old history."

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MoBS Black Ship Museum

In the port town of Shimoda where Perry landed, reflect on that day when Japan's destiny changed.

At the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula, the port town of Shimoda embraced in a calm bay. Did you know that this small town was once the stage that greatly moved Japanese history? The MoBS Black Ship Museum is a spot indispensable to Shimoda sightseeing, where you can systematically learn the history of Perry's 1853 arrival and the opening of the country through abundant materials and easy-to-understand exhibits.

In the hall, many precious materials are exhibited, such as models of the black ships, negotiation records of the time, and items said to have been used by Perry. The struggles and intentions of each side -- the shogunate, the local residents, and the foreigners -- behind the great decision of opening the country: here you can fully feel the "depth" of history that is told in a single phrase in textbooks. In quiet Shimoda on a rainy day, viewing this exhibition while gazing at the port outside the window, the emotion that those black ships floated on this very sea 170 years ago gradually spreads in your chest.

Hidden point: While Shimoda has high recognition as a tourist destination, on winter days and rainy weekdays the number of people drops considerably. After savoring the museum slowly, if you stroll to Ryosenji (the temple where the Japan-US Shimoda Treaty was concluded) within walking distance and the old streetscape around Shimoda Port, it becomes a luxurious day where you can experience the entire stage of history.

Access: About a 10-minute walk from "Izukyu Shimoda Station" on the Izukyu Line. It is just the right distance to enjoy the atmosphere of Shimoda's port town while walking leisurely from the station. From the Tokyo direction, using the limited express "Odoriko" you arrive in about 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours. It is a bit far, but it has plenty of value as a destination for an Izu journey.

Tips for travelers: Shimoda is an overall compact tourist destination, so a plan touring the surrounding spots in half a day to one day centered on the MoBS Black Ship Museum is recommended. On rainy days the cobblestone roads become slippery, so come in easy-to-walk shoes. Also, Shimoda is rich in seafood gourmet, so do incorporate into your itinerary time to savor local fisherman's cuisine for lunch or dinner.

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Access Information

To the Tokai University Marine Science Museum, about 15 minutes by bus from "Shimizu Station" on the JR Tokaido Main Line is convenient. On rainy days we recommend using a bus or taxi rather than walking (about 30 minutes).

The Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art is about 20 minutes by bus bound for the Prefectural Museum of Art from the north exit of JR "Shizuoka Station." The bus