Yui is a small fishing town in Shizuoka City, and it is not so far from Shimizu Port by taxi. On this tour, we will mainly follow the footsteps of Hiroshige, a renowned ukiyo-e artist from the early 19th century, through the old, narrow streets of Yui.
JR Shizuoka Station or Shimizu Port (your choice)
JR Shizuoka Station or Shimizu Port (your choice)
・The Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum exhibits a number of ukiyo-e artworks of Hiroshige, and is where you can not only appreciate these works, but also learn about how ukiyo-e is made.
・Miyuki-tei is a charming Japanese-style tea house, where you can enjoy a cup of local green tea while gazing at two beautiful Japanese gardens.
・Strolling through the old streets of Kurasawa area is in itself a highlight of the tour, as the atmosphere of the historical Tokaido Road is relatively well preserved there, although some of the old houses have been replaced with new modern-style ones in recent years.
・On a clear day from Satta Pass, you can see a magnificent view of Mt. Fuji with the Pacific Ocean in the foreground, which is the exact view depicted in Hiroshige's famous work called "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido." Even when the weather is bad and Mt. Fuji can't been seen, it is worth visiting this place, because at least you are still able to enjoy viewing the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean, with some main transportation arteries of Japan running below you.
・If we still have time, we might be able to visit Seikenji Buddhist Temple, which is famous for its 500 rakans (small Buddhist statues) in the garden. Or we also might have a chance to eat sakura shrimp, a famous local specialty, or buy some products that use it.
Guide fee, tour guide's transportation fees
1. Taxi fare (we mainly use taxis for transportation. I'll contact you via text message with an approximate price).
2. The following facilities require admission fees (but of course, you don't have to visit all of them):
The Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum: 510 yen per person (closed on Mondays),
The Miyuki-tei tea house: 150 yen person (closed on Mondays).
3. Food or drink you might buy along the way.
Please refrain from resorting to the "direct booking." I hope you will book after we reach an agreement over the total price (including the taxi fare) through the exchange of text messages.
1. Some of the facilities, shops, or attractions included in this tour are closed on Mondays. So please let me know beforehand if the date of your visit falls on a Monday.
2. This tour has a 4-guest maximum capacity. But, if you are a group of 5 or 6 and are interested in this itinerary, please contact me anyway and I will see if it's possible.
3. Please refrain from resorting to the "direct booking." I hope you'll book after we reach an agreement over the itinerary and the total price (including the taxi fare) through the exchange of text messages.
If you visit the Miyuki-tei tea house, you are kindly requested to take off your shoes before you go inside.
Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum is very wheelchair-friendly, but Miyuki-tei tea house has some steps at the entrance. Both of the facilities don't charge handicapped persons (and their accompanying persons) if they show proof of disability.
Thank you for taking me on the Ukiyo-e Tour of Kanbara, Yui and up Satta Toge. I was especially pleased we saw Fuji-san clearly. I appreciated your guiding style. I found you organised, considerate and knowledgeable. I enjoyed the experience and your company. The tour is a highlight of my 3 week vacation in Japan. I would recommend it to people with an interest in the Edo period and Hiroshige's "53 Stations on the Tokaido" ukiyo-e.
Dear Neville-san, Many thanks for your warm comment! I also thank you for telling me a lot of interesting things during the tour. I thought that your idea of following Hiroshige's footsteps though the small towns of Yui and Kanbara was very interesting, and it actually rekindled my interest in the historical Tokaido Road. Well, of the 53 shuku (old post stations), you have visited two so far. How about exploring other interesting shuku sites next time? I will continue to study, and by the time you revisit Japan, I should be ready.
very accommodating and understanding. knowledgeable and well organized. easy to get along with. highly recommend.
Dear Larry, Many thanks for your review! It was good that the weather was fine, and I also enjoyed the time with you two. Please take care, and send my regard to cheryl. Thank you very much!
Koji was very knowledgeable on the area. He arranged a private driver for us which was very reasonable . He was prompt, courteous and flexible to our needs. He answered all our questions with more than expected . The time together went very quickly. I would highly recommend him and when I return will use him again.
Dear Rosanne, What an honor to me to receive such a good comment from you! It was a joy for us to welcome you two in this best season of the year. I hope that you can go back to your home country safe and sound and look forward to seeing you again.
We had a great day with Koji and Tetsu. Koji was extremely well organized and ensured that we saw a number of beautiful sites in the area. Tetsu is an excellent driver, communicated well with us and contributed greatly to our very positive day. Koji speaks very good English, had many relevant and important pieces of information and history to share with us and willingly answered all of our questions. He had a microphone in the van which was extremely helpful and appreciated. Our day was made more special by Mt.Fuji appearing and staying in clear view all day! Thank you Koji and Tetsu for giving us such a wonderful day and for ensuring that Mt.Fuji was so visible.????
Dear Marc, Many thanks for taking my tour today and writing the wonderful review! We also enjoyed spending time with you four. Thank you for asking us a lot of questions and giving us your feedback about the places you visited in Japan. Please enjoy the visit to Tokyo tomorrow. (I will convey your words to Tetsu the driver. He'll be glad.)