Shizuoka Private Tours, Corporate and Study Groups

Shizuoka sits on the Pacific coast between Tokyo and Nagoya, a prefecture of tea fields, pine beaches and hot-spring valleys that most visitors only glimpse from the window of a Shinkansen. It is also the place where Mount Fuji is at its most photogenic, rising across Suruga Bay in full profile from the coast and the Izu peninsula. A private car changes the equation entirely: the viewpoints, plantations and port markets are spread across a wide area with limited rail coverage, and having a driver means you can chase the clear morning light, stop at a tea factory on a whim and still reach a hot-spring town by evening.

Charter — car and driver

Chartering a car and driver is the simplest way to see Shizuoka on your own terms. You set the pace and the priorities — perhaps a slow morning on the Nihondaira plateau waiting for the mountain to emerge, an unhurried lunch at Shimizu port, then a run out to the tea country — while your driver handles the roads, the parking and the timing. This works particularly well for families with young children, travellers with limited mobility, and anyone carrying luggage between Tokyo and Nagoya who would rather not navigate station transfers. Your driver can also advise on conditions on the day: where the cloud is sitting, which viewpoint is likely to be clearest, and how much time to allow between stops.

Private tour — the route planned too

A private tour goes a step further: as well as the car and driver, the day is planned around you before you arrive. We build the route from your interests — mountain views, tea, food, coast, hot springs — and sequence it so the driving is sensible and the light is right. A typical day might pair the Nihondaira plateau with Miho no Matsubara in the morning, when Fuji is most likely to be out, then move inland to the Makinohara tea plantations and a working tea factory in the afternoon. Guests continuing to the Izu peninsula can have the coast road and Shuzenji woven into a longer itinerary. Because the plan is yours, it can bend: if the mountain hides, we go to the market instead.

What to see

• Nihondaira plateau — the classic viewpoint, looking across Suruga Bay to Mount Fuji, with the coast and city spread out below.
• Miho no Matsubara — the pine beach where the mountain rises across the water, one of the most photographed views in Japan.
• The Makinohara tea plantations — rolling green fields with a visit to a working tea factory to see how the leaf becomes sencha.
• Shimizu port's sushi market — one of the busiest fish markets in Japan, and the place to eat what was landed that morning.
• The Izu peninsula — the coast road, the hot-spring town of Shuzenji and the valleys that surround it, an hour or so south of the city.

What to eat

Shizuoka eats well, and much of it comes straight from the water and the fields around the city. Shimizu's tuna is the headline act, sold and served around one of the busiest sushi markets in Japan; in season, sakura shrimp — the tiny pink prawns for which the coast is known — appear in tempura, rice bowls and croquettes. Inland, green tea is treated as a food as much as a drink: sencha with meals, matcha in sweets, and tea leaves used in cooking. Further west, around Lake Hamana, unagi is the local speciality, grilled over charcoal and served lacquered over rice. A private car makes the food side of the day much easier, since the market, the tea country and the lake are not neighbours.

Getting there and around

Tokyo to Shizuoka is about an hour by Shinkansen, which makes the city an easy stop between Tokyo and Nagoya or a straightforward base for Fuji views and the Izu coast — particularly useful when Hakone is fully booked. From Shizuoka to Nihondaira is roughly 30 minutes by road, and Shizuoka to Shuzenji on the Izu peninsula takes about 90 minutes. Beyond those headline runs, the scattered sights — the pine beach, the tea plantations, the port market, the coast road — are best linked by car, which is where a charter or private tour earns its keep.

When to come

Autumn and winter give the clearest views of Mount Fuji, when the air is dry and the mountain stands out across the bay. Spring is the season for the tea fields, with fresh green growth across Makinohara and mild weather for the coast. Summer is hot and humid, and the mountain is more often veiled in haze and cloud; if you travel then, plan viewpoints for early morning and keep the itinerary flexible.

Frequently asked questions

Is Shizuoka a good day trip from Tokyo?

Yes. Tokyo to Shizuoka is about an hour by Shinkansen, so a private car can meet you at the station and have you on the Nihondaira plateau roughly 30 minutes later. A full day is enough for the main viewpoints, the pine beach and a market lunch, with the tea country added if you start early.

Can we see Mount Fuji without going to Hakone?

That is one of Shizuoka's advantages. The mountain is seen across Suruga Bay from the Nihondaira plateau and from Miho no Matsubara, and the Izu peninsula offers more coastal angles. It is a sensible alternative when Hakone is fully booked, and the views are arguably better from this side.

Is this suitable for elderly travellers or young children?

Very much so. A car and driver removes the walking between stations and the waiting on platforms, and the day can be paced around naps, meals and rest stops. Viewpoints such as Nihondaira involve little walking, and the tea factory visit is indoors. Tell us about mobility needs when planning and we will sequence the route accordingly.

How much time should we allow for the Izu peninsula?

Shizuoka to Shuzenji is about 90 minutes by road, so the peninsula works best as a longer day or an overnight rather than a quick add-on. With a private car you can take the coast road down, stop at viewpoints, and finish in a hot-spring valley before returning or staying the night.

What should we eat while we are there?

Start with tuna and, in season, sakura shrimp at Shimizu port's sushi market. Drink the local sencha and try matcha sweets in the tea country, and if your route heads west towards Lake Hamana, save room for unagi. Your driver can time the day so you reach the market before the best of it is gone.

What if the weather hides Mount Fuji?

It happens, most often in summer. Autumn and winter offer the clearest views, and mornings are generally better than afternoons. Because the itinerary is private, a cloudy day simply shifts the emphasis — the tea factory, the market, the coast road and Shuzenji all stand on their own without the mountain.

Charter, private tour, and the other wordings

Charter is the vehicle and driver, with your own stops. Private tour adds a guide and a planned route. When guests ask for a private tour, luxury private tour or bespoke private tour of Shizuoka, the difference is the vehicle class, the hotel tier and the pace — not a different itinerary. Tailor-made, custom and made-to-measure all mean the route is built from your dates and party size. A travel butler or trip concierge is one person holding the bookings, restaurants and changes while you travel. A licensed private guide or English-speaking guide can be added to any route.

How much does a private tour in Shizuoka cost?

A private tour in Shizuoka is quoted by days, party size and vehicle class. The fee is built from the vehicle and driver, the licensed guide, and the hotel nights inside the itinerary. Flights, visas and personal spending sit outside it. Because the vehicle and guide are shared across the group, the per-person figure falls as the party grows.

Shizuoka private car charter cost

Charter — vehicle and driver only, your own stops — is quoted separately from a guided tour. It is the cheaper of the two when you already know where you want to go and do not need commentary. The price moves with the number of days, the vehicle size, and whether the driver waits overnight in a remote area.

Guide cost: private guide versus driver

A driver handles the road; a licensed private guide handles the explanation, the tickets and the timing. Most routes in Shizuoka can be run either way, and the difference in fee is the guide day. If the itinerary is mostly scenery and free time, a driver alone is enough. If it involves temples, museums, history or a language barrier, the guide is what makes the day work.

Do you need a private guide in Shizuoka?

Not always — but on a first trip the guide usually pays for itself in time saved and in the places you would otherwise miss. Ask us and we will tell you honestly which days on your route need one and which do not.

Shizuoka incentive travel: private tours for company reward trips

Incentive travel is the trip a company gives its staff, dealers or partners as a reward. We run it as a private tour rather than a seat-in-coach package: the whole group travels on one itinerary, approved by the company before anyone books, and the same driver and guide stay with the group from the first pick-up to the last drop-off.

Four things work differently from an ordinary private tour. Procurement runs to the company's process — a written quotation first, then an invoice the finance team can book, with the trip name and cost centre on the paperwork. Departures can be split into batches: the same route can run over several weeks so not every team travels at once, with the same standard of vehicle and guide each time. Activities are built around a company moment — a welcome dinner, a prize presentation, a half-day meeting — and the driving plan is ordered around it rather than fitted in afterwards. And the budget is agreed per head before the route is fixed, so the itinerary is designed to the number instead of adjusted after it.

We do not publish incentive prices, because they depend on the number of travellers, the days, the vehicle class and the activities arranged. Tell us the headcount, the dates or the month, and what the company wants to happen on the trip, and we will quote the route section by section.

Shizuoka corporate group tours

Companies book Shizuoka with us for department trips, management offsites and client hosting. The structure is the same as a private tour but built around the business purpose: one vehicle per team so groups can split, a fixed daily schedule that leaves room for a meeting or a factory visit, and a single invoice covering transport, guide and hotels. We run the whole group on one itinerary so nobody is waiting for a coach to fill.

Shizuoka incentive travel

Incentive trips reward a team that hit a target, so the itinerary has to feel earned: better hotels than the standard route, one signature dinner, and an activity the group will talk about afterwards. We plan these around the award night rather than around sightseeing, and we keep the budget lines separate so the company can see what each element costs.

Shizuoka family private tours

Families with children or grandparents need a slower rhythm than a standard route: shorter drives, a hotel with rooms that connect, meal times that fit, and the freedom to drop a stop when someone is tired. Because the vehicle and guide are exclusive to your party, nothing is fixed to a group schedule — the day can be shortened or reordered on the spot.

Shizuoka hotels: city hotels, five-star and onsen ryokan

Where you sleep decides how the day works, so we pick the base first and build the route around it. In Shizuoka we usually work with three tiers: a city hotel in the middle of the transport hub for short stops, a five-star hotel where the trip is a reward or a client-facing one, and an onsen ryokan for at least one night when the route passes a hot-spring town such as Ito, Shuzenji, Atami.

City hotels in Shizuoka

Best when the itinerary moves every day: walkable to dinner, close to the station we leave from in the morning, and no time lost to transfers.

Five-star hotels in Shizuoka

Chosen for room size, service and a view worth paying for — usually one or two nights on a longer route rather than every night, which keeps the budget where it matters.

Onsen ryokan in Shizuoka

A ryokan is not just a room: dinner is served in the building, the bath is the point of the stay, and the pace slows deliberately. We book the ones that accept one-night stays and can cater for dietary requirements, and we tell you honestly when a ryokan is not worth the detour.

Hotel links: compare Shizuoka hotels on Trip.com · Japan hotel and onsen guide · or send us your dates and we will quote hotels inside the tour price.

Shizuoka hotels: city hotels, five-star hotels and hot-spring hotels

City hotels

Central, walkable to dinner, close to the station we leave from in the morning — the right base when the itinerary moves every day.

Five-star hotels

Room size, service and a view worth paying for. On longer routes we use one or two nights rather than every night, so the budget stays with the experiences.

Hot-spring hotels

Where the water is the point: dinner served in the building, the bath as the centre of the stay, and a deliberately slower pace. We book the ones that accept a single night and can handle dietary requirements.

Compare Shizuoka hotels on Trip.com · or send your dates and we quote hotels inside the tour price.