Shimoda

Top Things to do

• Roadside Station Kaikoku Shimoda Minato

  3.5

  116 Reviews

  Shizuoka Shimoda-shi Soto Ke Oka 1-1

  A roadside station located along National Route 135 in Shimoda City, Shizuoka Prefecture. There is a fishery association direct sales store, where you can buy Japanese lobster, turban shell, and abalone, and a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, where you can taste fresh seafood. In addition, it features a harbor museum, souvenir shops, and a tourist information office, so many tourists stop by for a visit.

• Kannon Principle (day-use hot spring)

  4.0

  148 Reviews

  Shizuoka Shimoda-shi Yokokawa 1092-1

  This hot spring day-trip hotel was opened by Kannon Onsen Inn, nestled in the mountains of Shimoda City in Shizuoka Prefecture in 2010. The Kannon Onsen hot spring source was discovered by the founder due to a divine message from a Boshisattva and it is well-known as a good quality spring in Izu. The running hot spring water is highly alkaline with a pH of 9.5. Relax, enjoy and feel the breath of Mother Nature in the large, all-Japanese-cypress indoor bath and the open outdoor rotemburo bath that looks out onto the Amagi Mountain Range.

• Shirahama Shrine

  4.0

  56 Reviews

  Shizuoka Pref. Shimodashi Shirahama 2740

  This is Izu’s oldest shrine located in Shimoda City, Shizuoka Prefecture. As the temple grounds sit on a hillside on the Shirahama coast “Hidachiyama” (Mt. Hitachi), it is called Shirahama Shrine but its official issued name is Ikonahime no Mikoto Shrine. The god of matchmaking, Ikonahime no Mikoto is enshrined in the main shrine. The Chinese parasol tree forest is one of Japan’s Natural Treasure, while the 2000-year-old juniper tree forest has been designated by Shizuoka Prefecture as a Natural Treasure.

• Shimoda Aquarium

  Shimoda-shi, Shizuoka prefecture 3-22-31

  An aquarium located in Shimoda City, Shizuoka Prefecture built on the water using a natural bay. In the Perry aqua dome situated in the middle of the bay, visitors can view large aquarium tanks recreating the ocean off Izu. There are also bottlenose dolphin shows held on the aquarium’s “marine stage.” Meanwhile, Pacific white-sided dolphin and sea lion shows are held in the aquarium’s marine stadium. Exhibiting some 250 species and 1,500 individual marine creatures, facilities such as a penguin pool, earless seal hall, and sea turtle pond have made the aquarium a top destination for visitors to Shimoda.

• Hofuku-ji Temple

  3.5

  41 Reviews

  Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture 1-18-26

  This temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect in Shizuoka Prefecture’s Shimoda City was the Shimoda magistrate’s office at the end of the Edo Shogunate, and served as lodgings for the Shogunate government officials during Japan-U.S. negotiations then. It is famous as a temple where Kaishu Katsu gave an audience to Yodo Yamauchi, the feudal lord of Tosa, and had him pardon Ryoma Sakamoto’s crime of becoming a lordless samurai. The room where this happened has been left as it was at the time. On the premises is the grave of the geisha Okichi, who met an unnatural death after serving the American consul Townsend Harris, and there is also the Tojin Okichi Memorial Hall which displays photos and mementos of Okichi.

• Shirahama Beach

  Shizuoka Pref. Shimodashi Shirahama

  This is a beach in Shizuoka Prefecture which boasts of the beauty of its white sand and crystal clear waters. A feature of this beach is that it has three beaches which are each distinct. “Shirahama Ohama Beach” is an 800-meter-long beach which brims with a feeling of openness. The beach is a Mecca for surfers and wind surfers and gets crowded with young people. “Shirahama Central Beach” is on the northern side of the Shirahama Ohama Beach and besides its sandy beach, it has a rocky area where you can gather shellfish on the seashore. The waves are calm in the cove section and there are also many people bathing with their families. “Itado Coast” is a district which imparts a sense of a quiet and relaxing fishing village which has remained unchanged. There are numerous ways you can enjoy this place such as snorkeling and fishing.

• Ryugu Sea Cave

  Shizuoka Pref. Shimodashi Touji

  This sea cave with a mystical 50 meter-wide skylight was formed by the erosion of the earth's surface by the waves. Visitors can stand under the skylight by passing through the cave's entrance, which is located on the side of the road. Viewed from above, the cave looks like a heart, make it especially popular with couples.

• Ryosenji Treasure Museum

  3.5

  26 Reviews

  3-12-12 Shigenogawa-cho, Shimoda-shi, Shizuoka prefecture

  This is a treasure museum located adjacent to Ryosen-ji Temple grounds and is designated as a National Historic Site as the place where the Japan-US Treaty of Peace and Amity was concluded. The museum differs from general historical archives as it doesn’t just have materials related to the opening of Japan to the world and original documents, it also has video displays. There are collections on display with the theme of Perry, Blackships, the Nanban period and Intercultural exchange, and also a collection on display with the theme of “gender and religion”. The museum is located 10 minutes by foot from Izukyu-line Shimoda Station.

• Mt. Nesugata (Shimoda Ropeway)

  4.0

  24 Reviews

  Shizuoka Shimoda-shi Higashihongo 1-3-2

  This is a mountain in Shimoda City. The mountain got its name from the ridge line at the crest which looks like the outline of a woman sleeping on her back. An aerial tramway near the IzukyuShimoda Station connects passengers to the peak of the mountain from which a panoramic view of downtown Izu, Mt. Amagi, and the seven islands of Izucan been seen.