For those who don’t know me, I really love IPA beers. These days, there are many micro breweries in Japan, even giant companies are selling IPA or craft beers at convenience stores. Whenever I visit local places, I get their local beers and stock up my fridge. This Golden Week, my wife and I decided to go to a brewery tour in Shizuoka, where I’ve been wanting to visit for years. The name of the brewery is West Coast Brewing. Of course, you can get some of them in Tokyo or some big cities, but nothing beats drinking at the brewery, right? Today, I’m going to share not only the tour but also the charm of Shizuoka. It might be a good example of the itinerary for a short trip from Tokyo to Shizuoka. Let’s get started!
Day 1
Arrive at 8:30 AM at Tokyo Station
*During Golden Week, most tickets were sold out. As we were going to get on 9:03 Hikari Shinkansen with non-reserved seats, we arrived at Tokyo station around 8:30 AM. It takes just an hour ride to get to Shizuoka Station. Actually, we underestimated the crowds of this season because most Shinkansen leave from here, so we thought we could get on board by waiting for a while. I was shocked how many people on the platform wanted to ride with non-reserved seats. I was afraid that we wouldn’t be able to get on board. My wife seemed unfazed by the crowds though. Luckily, we got on board and were packed like sardines for an hour. We should’ve arrived there earlier.
Arrive at 10:30 AM at Mochimune (用宗) Station
*You’d be surprised how quiet and laid-back the area is. It just takes around an hour to get there from Tokyo. It’s a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, isn’t it?
Before exploring the brewery, we’re going to refuel on sweets.
At 10:40 AM at A Mom and Pop Shop
*Kintsuba (きんつば) is a pancake filling with red bean paste. It’s not that sweet, and it tastes tender and sweet. Also you can eat oden (おでん) there. A gentleman runs the store. Cash only, please.
While eating Kintsuba, we’re heading to a scenic spot.
At 10:50 AM at the Tsunami Evacuation Tower
*After the sweet shop, we’re going to a scenic spot, which is called the Tsunami evacuation tower (津波避難タワー). Not only for tsunami evacuation, it’s also used as an observation deck for everyone. You might take a perfect photo of Mt. Fuji on a sunny day. Since we already booked the brewery tour at 11:30 AM, we’re going to take a walk around here for a while.
*No photos allowed in the brewery. You have to focus on what amazing beer they make.
West Coast Brewing—A guy who came from Seattle in the U.S. started selling imported beers in Shizuoka. Locals really liked it. He had an epiphany and opened his brewery at this port city, Mochimune (用宗), in 2019. He’s also an architect, so he remodeled by himself a warehouse that used to be used for cutting tuna. The rest is history. I really like his design and the coloring for the warehouse, bars, and a hotel room. The tour guide, she was really fun and enthusiastically explained to us how they brew their beer. They are particular about the hops that they use. Most of them are imported from the U.S. and New Zealand. Malt, hops, and yeast, these three elements decide what the amazing taste is going to be. Sometimes it tastes bitter and has subtle juicy flavors like mango or pineapple. If you age stout in a barrel of wine, it tastes like wine. The tour lasted for an hour and a half. I really enjoyed it. If you like IPA, this tour is right up your alley. It’s worth visiting. After the tour, a fresh craft beer from the tap awaits you.
*They run the hotel, too. Die-hard fans stay here across the street from the brewery. One of the perks of staying here is that each room has a beer tap that you can drink 10 liters of beer from at most.
*The designer of the label is an English guy. The iconic green character is called Hop Dude.
*Actually, I ordered two beers more after finishing up my first one. Now, I am one of Hop Dudes.
*Shirasu (しらす), which is whitebait, is in season now. If you wanted to 生しらす(nama-Shirasu), which is raw whitebait, you have to arrive there earlier. When you arrive at afternoon like us, don’t worry about that, there is still a boiled one, which is called 釜揚げ(kamaage). It would be better for beginners, not the raw ones.
After eating a boiled one, I still couldn’t give up having a raw one. I finally found the restaurant just a three-minute walk from here!
*This restaurant serves nama shirasu-don (生しらす丼) even in the afternoon. I recommend 2色丼 ( ni-shoku-don), a two-color rice bowl. Two-color means raw whitebait and boiled one. Frankly speaking, I’m not good at too much raw food but this one was so fresh. The raw shirasu looks a bit gross but let’s take the plunge and give it a shot. It tastes rich and slightly sweet. Also, I recommend some tempura too. You’d better arrive here before 2:30 at least because it will close at 3:00.
We left Mochimune, and heading to Shizuoka Station by the JR line.
At 4:30 PM at Shizuoka Sengen Jinjya (静岡浅間神社)
*We decided to walk to the shrine. It took around 34 minutes to get there. It’s a good exercise before appreciating another beer, huh?
*This is 赤鳥居(aka-trii), which is the Red Gate. When you enter and exit through the gate in shrines, please don’t walk on the road of the center. It is believed to be so disrespectful to God. You can walk on either side of the road. This shrine has a history of 2100 years. There are seven shrines in the same area. If you have time, you might visit them all. You might have good luck.
*It takes about 15 minutes to walk. There is Aoba Oden Street (青葉おでん街). Oden is a traditional Japanese hot pot dish where various ingredients are slowly simmered. Oden is one of the local specialties in Shizuoka. The feature is the soup stock is based on beef, and the soup color is thick. Garnishing with dried bonito flakes powder and seaweed powder makes them special. This street is gathering many small izakayas. Most of them offer oden. You can’t go wrong with ordering it. Well, don’t eat it too much here. There are more of the places we should go tonight.
*Hitoyado-cho, they are coping with revitalizing the city. This wall art is an example.
At 7:30 Culminating with Amazing IPA
*West Coast Brewing, we visited the brewery at noon. They also have restaurant bars in Shizuoka. Tonight we went to 12-Twelve. Luckily, we didn’t RSVP, but we got to the table after waiting a couple of minutes. You should book the table beforehand.
*Left: Endgame magic Right: Blazing buds
*Silent dissent—It looks like wine but it’s a stout beer. It’s not a common stout, aging with whisky barrels. The taste is bitter chocolate, vanilla and caramel. It’s suitable for a dessert.
Well, let’s call it a day today. We’re staying at Shizuoka Station. I was surprised to check my footsteps. It was 23,000 steps. My feet are killing me.
Day2
At 9:10 at Nihondaira Yume Terrace (日本平夢テラス)
*It takes around an hour bus ride to Nihondaira Yume Terrace. Sometimes it’s a nice change for me to ride the bus. You can enjoy watching the scenery.
*You can learn about the Nihiondaira here and appreciate the incredible panoramic views.
*From Nihondaira Yume Terrace to Kunozan Toshogu shrine, it takes around ten minutes by cable car. From the window, you can see the beautiful Suruga Bay across the forest.
*Ieyasu Tokugawa is enshrined here. The architecture is unique and the wooden-relief was a must-see.
*It is said “金のなる木 (kane no naru ki). It means these trees make you wealthy.
*This is a handprint of Ieyasu Tokunaga. Let’s compare with your’s!
*From the top of the shrine we are going down the stairs which are 1159 steps. It’s not easy to walk but it’s rewarding to see widespread beautiful scenery which you get a glimpse of from the stairs.
*To get to the Miho-no-Matsubara, it takes around an hour and a half by bus. Before you get on the bus, you should check the time schedule on Google Maps.
At 12:50 PM at Miho no Matsubara (三保の松原)
Miho no Matsubara is a grove of pine trees over a 5km-long coastline. Matsu (松) means pine trees and, bara (原) means fields. In Japan, pine trees are seen as a symbol of good fortune because pine trees stay evergreen even in a harsh winter. We use them for New Year’s Decorations and decorations of the garden*. Matsu (松) is ingrained in Japanese culture.
*Despite this place being the best spot that you can take a photo of Mt. Fuji, matsu, and the sea, it’s not going to be easy. Unfortunately, it’s cloudy today. Sometimes, it happens. Let’s go to the next place!
*Garcia Brewing is another purpose of this trip. From Miho no Matsubara, it takes 15 minutes to walk to the brewery.
*On the way to the brewery, you can walk “Kami no Michi (神の道), which means the Road of God. The street leads to Miho shrine, that’s why it is called the Road of God. The pine trees’ ages are around 200 to 400 hundred years old. You can refresh while walking this street.
*It takes an hour by bus and JR train. Thanks to Google Maps and punctual public transportation in Japan, it’s comfortable to travel.
At 3:30 PM at Garcia Beer Stand
*It just pre-opened a beer stand today, on the 2nd of May. It is located close to the Shizuoka Station. Just around five minutes to walk. The staff was a bit awkward, they were really nice and friendly. I felt an authentic atmosphere.
*Left: インカ帝国IPA (Inca empire IPA), Right: Sol Naciente
Garcia Brewing— Peruvian brothers immigrated to Shizuoka, Japan in search of a better life almost two decades ago. After working hard, one day they came across a craft beer at the bar, and the color, the scent, and the taste all hit home. Then they decided to start their own brewery. While saving funds, they learned how to brew beer. Finally they started their own brewery in 2019.
*They offer their home-cooked cheese. It goes well with beers. Also their food features are Peruvian cuisine. There is a high reputation for local people.
*Stout 姉さん (“姉さん” means an older sister or an young girl). You can’t finish without drinking a stout.
Unfortunately it’s time to get home. Since opening day, they couldn’t sell the can of beer but the staff kindly told me where I can get the beer.
*It looks like a common Seven Eleven in Japan but they are selling local beers and rare beers from overseas. This is because the convenience store is a franchised chain system and the owners have the rights to be able to purchase items to a certain degree. This Convini is one of the best I’ve ever visited.
After buying beers as my souvenir, we bought the tickets for non-reserved seats. It wasn’t that crowded because it was the middle of Golden Week.
Lastly
When it comes to Shizuoka, Mt. Fuji and tea came to my mind before this trip. However, that was a big mistake. Shizuoka has a lot of benefits from nature, and the water is suitable for brewing. Plus, from Suruga Bay, there is fresh seafood. This time, thanks to my eagerness to IPA, I was able to relearned how amazing Shizuoka is. I’d like to go back sometime soon. If you are in Tokyo and are a hop geek, you shouldn’t miss it. Thanks for taking your time to read my article to the end. See you next in my article.
I worked at a trading company for many years. I live in Tokyo with my wife. Love skiing, traveling, IPAs, wine , X-treme sports, fashion, and learning English and Chinese.
HTJ has a YouTube page! Check it out