Comparison · Japan
Shizuoka vs Nagoya: Which for a First Trip?
Seaside Shizuoka with Mt Fuji views, or big-city Nagoya with its castle, museums and distinctive food? We compare days, budget, weather and sights.
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Shizuoka is the capital of Shizuoka Prefecture, on Suruga Bay. From Miho no Matsubara and Nihondaira you see Mt Fuji over the sea, and you can visit the site of Sunpu Castle, where Tokugawa Ieyasu spent his final years, and Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, where he was first laid to rest. If you want Mt Fuji over the sea and a short, history-focused trip, Shizuoka suits you.
Nagoya is a big city in central Japan between Tokyo and Osaka, with Nagoya Castle and its golden shachihoko, the wooded Atsuta Shrine, and car and railway museums. If you want distinctive food such as hitsumabushi and miso katsu plus a trip out to Inuyama Castle over a longer stay, Nagoya suits you.
Good for: Shizuoka if you want to see snow-capped Mt Fuji in winter, or taste Shizuoka tea and Suruga Bay seafood such as sakura shrimp. Nagoya if you want to visit castles and several museums, or enjoy museums and an aquarium with kids.
From the airport, and getting around
Shizuoka's gateway is Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport. The airport access bus from stop 3 takes the expressway to JR Shizuoka Station in about 50 minutes for JPY 1,200 (adults). Seats are limited but no reservation is needed: take a numbered ticket when you board and pay when you get off. A bus from stop 2 to JR Shimada Station (about 25 minutes, JPY 600) connects with the JR Tokaido Line, but there are only a few buses. A new timetable started on 25 October 2026, so check the official timetable.
Nagoya's gateway is Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO), on an artificial island. An all-reserved-seat limited express train reaches Nagoya Station in about 30 minutes (about JPY 1,200-1,500; a reserved-seat fee applies), and regular express trains without the fee take about 35-50 minutes (about JPY 900-1,000). There is also an airport bus, but city-bound buses run only a few times a day. On departure day it is 30+ minutes by train from Nagoya Station, so leave with time to spare.
Getting around works differently. In Shizuoka, Sunpu Castle Park is about a 15-minute walk from JR Shizuoka Station, Nihondaira Ropeway is about 45 minutes by route bus (JPY 710 one way for adults), and for Shimizu and Miho you combine the JR Tokaido Line with a bus. In Nagoya, most sights, including Nagoya Station, Sakae, Nagoya Castle and Atsuta Shrine, are on the subway, and a day pass can pay off on days with many rides. Transit IC cards work in both cities.
How many days, and what budget
The guides suggest 2 to 3 days for Shizuoka and 3 to 4 days for Nagoya. The Shizuoka guide's plan covers Sunpu Castle Park and Shizuoka Sengen Shrine on day one, then Nihondaira, Kunozan Toshogu and Miho no Matsubara on day two; the Nagoya guide spreads Nagoya Castle and Sakae, Osu, a half-day trip to Inuyama Castle and Atsuta Shrine over four days.
For budget, both guides cite the same Japan Tourism Agency survey (2025) on the same basis: Shizuoka Prefecture for Shizuoka and Aichi Prefecture for Nagoya, so these are prefecture-wide averages, not city figures. Here are the guides' own words.
Each guide lists its other figures differently. The Shizuoka guide gives item prices such as JPY 1,200 for the airport bus, JPY 1,250 for the Nihondaira Ropeway return, JPY 700 for the Kunozan Toshogu shrine and JPY 360 for the Sunpu Castle Park combined ticket, and says to check booking sites for hotels and food. The Nagoya guide gives daily budgets: about 8,000 JPY per day (business hotel, chain restaurants, subway), about 15,000-20,000 JPY per day (city hotel, restaurants, museum entries) and about 35,000 JPY+ per day (upscale hotel, set-course dinners, taxis).
- Shizuoka: According to a Japan Tourism Agency survey (2025), foreign leisure travellers visiting Shizuoka Prefecture spent an average of about ¥44,000 per person per visit (excluding travel between prefectures). This is the average for all of Shizuoka Prefecture, not just this city. Actual costs vary widely with itinerary and accommodation.
- Nagoya: According to a Japan Tourism Agency survey (2025), foreign leisure travellers visiting Aichi Prefecture spent an average of about ¥87,000 per person per visit (excluding travel between prefectures). Actual costs vary widely with itinerary and accommodation.
Shizuoka: Mt Fuji over the sea and Kunozan Toshogu
Miho no Matsubara is a coast lined with about 30,000 pine trees over about 5 km, listed in 2013 as part of the Mt Fuji World Cultural Heritage site. Mt Fuji rises beyond the pines and white waves, and entry is free. From the 307 m high hill of Nihondaira you look over Mt Fuji, Suruga Bay, Miho no Matsubara and the Izu Peninsula, and a ropeway (about 5 minutes) links it to Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, a National Treasure shrine.
Kunozan Toshogu is where Ieyasu, who died in 1616, was first buried; its main hall, ishi-no-ma and worship hall are National Treasures. Climb 1,159 stone steps from the foot of the mountain (about 20 minutes) or take the ropeway; the shrine costs JPY 700. Nihondaira Ropeway is closed for equipment work from 1 to 21 December 2026, and the shrine can still be reached by the stone steps then. In the city, Sunpu Castle Park has the rebuilt Higashi-gomon gate and Tatsumi-yagura.
To eat: Shizuoka oden simmered in a dark broth (Aoba Oden-gai), sakura shrimp landed only in Suruga Bay, shirasu you can try raw here at the source, tororo-jiru from the old Mariko post station, and Abekawa mochi coated in soybean flour. The area produces more green tea than anywhere else in Japan, so Shizuoka tea belongs on the list too.
Nagoya: castle, shrine, museums and Osu Kannon
Nagoya Castle is famous for the golden shachihoko ornaments on its roof, and the lord's Honmaru Palace has been lavishly restored. Check official information on whether the main keep is open. Atsuta Shrine is one of Japan's most important shrines, set in a wooded compound and great for a morning walk, and the Osu shopping street and Osu Kannon pair an old district of about 1,200 shops and facilities with a red temple.
There are plenty of museums: SCMaglev and Railway Park with real shinkansen and maglev trains, a museum that shows Japan's industrial history from looms to cars with real machines, and the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium with orcas and dolphins. In the evening there is the Sakae night view, and for a half-day trip, Inuyama Castle (day trip) keeps its original keep on a riverside hill.
To eat: hitsumabushi, chopped grilled eel on rice eaten three ways (about 3,000-6,000 JPY), miso katsu with a rich miso sauce, tebasaki fried chicken wings, miso nikomi udon and kishimen, and the cafe morning set, where toast or an egg comes with your morning drink.
Weather month by month
The guides pick different good times. The Shizuoka guide describes December-February as mild with less rain, and official sources describe winter as the season when snow-capped Mt Fuji looks beautiful over Suruga Bay. The Nagoya guide names late March to April (cherry blossoms) and October to November as the most pleasant.
The figures below are Japan Meteorological Agency 1991–2020 normals, from Shizuoka station for Shizuoka and Nagoya station for Nagoya: average high / average low / monthly rainfall.
Shizuoka gets more rain than Nagoya in all 12 months. December-February gets less rain in both cities, but average lows of 2-5°C in Shizuoka and 1-3°C in Nagoya make mornings and evenings chilly, and the Nagoya guide calls winter mostly clear but cold. In July-August, average highs are 30-31°C in Shizuoka and 31-33°C in Nagoya.
The Nagoya guide describes June as the rainy season and July-August as very hot and humid, and says typhoons in August-September can stop trains and other transport. The Shizuoka guide describes March-October as rainy (about 185-300 mm a month), and November as having an average high of about 19°C and about 134 mm of rain.
- January: Shizuoka 12°C / 2°C / 80 mm · Nagoya 9°C / 1°C / 51 mm
- April: Shizuoka 20°C / 11°C / 222 mm · Nagoya 20°C / 10°C / 128 mm
- July: Shizuoka 30°C / 23°C / 297 mm · Nagoya 31°C / 24°C / 211 mm
- August: Shizuoka 31°C / 24°C / 187 mm · Nagoya 33°C / 25°C / 140 mm
- October: Shizuoka 24°C / 16°C / 250 mm · Nagoya 23°C / 15°C / 165 mm
- November: Shizuoka 19°C / 10°C / 134 mm · Nagoya 17°C / 9°C / 79 mm
- December: Shizuoka 14°C / 5°C / 81 mm · Nagoya 12°C / 3°C / 57 mm
How to choose, and what to check before you go
Choose Shizuoka for Mt Fuji over the sea and Ieyasu's sites on a short trip, and Nagoya for castles, shrines, museums and distinctive food over several days. The Shizuoka guide places Shizuoka between Tokyo and Nagoya, but this article does not cover travel between the two cities, so check the rail operators' official information for how to get there and how long it takes.
For the airport-to-city transfer and a 2-day route in each city, see the separate articles below.
- Entry to Japan: check official Japanese government information before you travel
- Nihondaira Ropeway: closed from 1 to 21 December 2026 (Kunozan Toshogu can still be reached by the stone steps)
- Bus from Shizuoka Station to the airport: seats are limited, and you cannot board when it is full
- Nagoya museums: many close on Mondays, so check closing days
- Small restaurants and shops in Nagoya: some are cash-only, so carry some yen
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FAQ
How many days do Shizuoka and Nagoya need?
The guides suggest 2 to 3 days for Shizuoka and 3 to 4 days for Nagoya. The Nagoya guide's plan also includes a half-day trip to Inuyama Castle.
Which costs more?
According to the Japan Tourism Agency survey (2025) cited by both guides, foreign leisure travellers spent an average of about ¥44,000 per person per visit in Shizuoka Prefecture and about ¥87,000 in Aichi Prefecture (excluding travel between prefectures). These are prefecture-wide averages, and actual costs vary widely with itinerary and accommodation.
When should I go?
The Shizuoka guide picks December-February, which is mild with less rain, and official sources describe winter as the season when snow-capped Mt Fuji looks beautiful. The Nagoya guide picks late March to April (cherry blossoms) and October to November.
Can I visit both on one trip?
The Shizuoka guide places Shizuoka between Tokyo and Nagoya. This article does not cover travel between the two cities, so check the rail operators' official information for how to get there and how long it takes.
Related reading
ⓘ Photo credits
- Miho no Matsubara and Mt Fuji · Suicasmo / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Nagoya Castle and the Nagoya Station skyline · なごやか / CC0