Which tour to choose in Shimizu ?

We have our cruise ship (Celebrity Millennium) stop in Shimizu from 7:00 am until 3:00 Pm. As time is very limited - we opted for the cruise tour, but still hesitating which one to select (see below). Any recommendation/advise ?

1. Best of Shimizu (Spend a day exploring Shimizu's unforgettable medieval castle ruins, world-heritage-listed ancient pine grove, exquisite traditional gardens, and more)

2. Shizuoka City Highlights Half Day

3. Mt Fuji and Hakone National Park

4. Shiraito Waterfalls and Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine

5. Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi

Cannot answer your questions re tours but we were in Shimizu last year on the Millie and here is my info.

It is very much a working dock, yes there are stores set up on the dock area to purchase things.

We had a great send off when the ship left the port with bands and fireworks.

If you aren't having extra time before or post cruise then I would without a doubt choose Mt Fuji and Lake Ashi.

Remember though there is no guarantee you will get to see fuji due to clouds but lake Ashi is very enjoyable anyway.

We did an excursion that didn't fit exactly in any of what was listed, but one stop was at the beach where we could barely make out Mt. Fuji. We went to the park also, but could not see Fuji from there.

Best time to see Fuji is early morning.

Thank you all for your reply !

If you have not been to the Mt. Fuji area, I would take option 3 to see Mt. Fuji and Hakone National Park. Most of the land tours of Japan (Tokyo to Kyoto) stop at Hakone National Park and take the boat ride across the lake. This is one of the site you will want to see, but there is no guarantee that you will see Mt. Fuji because of the clouds.

Exactly what Loeb said. Stunning though...

We have our cruise ship (Celebrity Millennium) stop in Shimizu from 7:00 am until 3:00 Pm. As time is very limited - we opted for the cruise tour, but still hesitating which one to select (see below). Any recommendation/advise ?

 

1. Best of Shimizu (Spend a day exploring Shimizu's unforgettable medieval castle ruins, world-heritage-listed ancient pine grove, exquisite traditional gardens, and more)

 

2. Shizuoka City Highlights Half Day

 

3. Mt Fuji and Hakone National Park

 

4. Shiraito Waterfalls and Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine

 

5. Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi

Hi, we are doing the same trip in April 2019. We are there from 12-8PM. What did you end up doing?

I was just in Shimizu last month, and I am also a Odawara Hakone Goodwill Guide that covers Mt. Fuji - Lake Ashi - Hakone area. You will spend a lot of transit time if you go all the way to Lake Ashi/Hakone area, and it really is a roll of the dice as to if/when you can see Mt. Fuji. I think if it were me, I would do the "Best of Shimizu". You'll be able to see Mt. Fuji from there too and spend more time seeing things and less time riding on a bus.