Suruga Bay is gaining recognition as the deepest bay in Japan. Numazu Port, which faces Suruga Bay, boasts the second largest yield of fish in the prefecture after Yaizu Port, with mackerel, horse mackerel, sardines, bonito and many other fish unloaded here.
Around the port, there are many restaurants to enjoy local delicacies in addition to the popular Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium, making it one of the most popular destinations in Numazu for visitors from inside and outside of the prefecture.
At Numazu Fish Market INO, you can see the bustling auction house from the second-floor viewing corridor (free of charge). Wake up early and take a tour!
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”Deep sea gourmet” in Numazu Port?!
While it is nice to enjoy seafood at the port, why not try a different deep sea gourmet experience in relation to the deep waters of Suruga Bay?
Numazu Deep Sea Pudding Studio
The “Deep Sea pudding” amazes everyone that sees it with its appearance. A bright blue layer of ramune soda flavored jelly tops the pudding that enhances the mellow pudding flavor. It gradually gets darker as it goes down, which gives a nifty deep sea effect!
Each pudding is handmade in the studio by pudding artisans using carefully selected domestic ingredients to bring out the flavor. In addition to the “Numazu Pudding” (plain, salted caramel and green tea), “Asahi Pudding”, “Deep Sea Day Pudding,” and other limited products, as well as the soft-serve ice cream “Deep Sea Soft” are also available.
Nearby is their second cafe, “Ao To Pudding To Gelato To,” with a deep sea and blue theme. Here you can enjoy limited edition puddings, cream sodas and gelatos.
Deep Sea monaka sweets specialty store, Shirakansu Café Numazu Port Store
The cafe known for its coelacanth-shaped “Deep Sea pancakes” opened its second store in Numazu Port in 2020. Here you can taste the “Deep Sea monaka” . The outer skin of the monaka is made to resemble a coelacanth, which is said to bring happiness and longevity, and the inside is filled with a sweetened red bean paste.
They use premium domestic mochi rice and azuki beans from Hokkaido and use no preservatives with natural coloring.
We also recommend the “Deep Sea Monaka Soft Serve Ice Cream”. This colourful treat is a combination of thick milk-flavored soft serve ice cream made with local ingredients – milk from Tanna, Kannami and Beni Hoppe strawberries from Nirayama.
“View-O”, one of Japan’s largest water gates, is a must-see spot when lit up at night!
Numazu Port Water Gate Observation Deck “View-O”
“View-O,” which was built to prevent tsunamis from entering Numazu Port, is one of the largest water gates in Japan. The door body stands 40 meters wide, 9.3 meters high and weighs over 406 tons to block incoming tsunami waves.
At a height of about 30 meters above the ground, there is an observatory facility that provides a 360-degree panoramic view of Suruga Bay, Senbon Matsubara and Mt. Fuji during the daytime. It is also lit up at night, so why not enjoy a night view of the port?
Enjoy cruising Suruga Bay from aboard a ship
Chidori Kanko Kisen sightseeing cruise
We recommend a cruise around Suruga Bay from the open sea as another way to enjoy Numazu Port.
The Numazu Port excursion course (approx. 30 minutes) departs from Numazu Port and offers a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji and the Numazu Imperial Villa Memorial Park with Mt. Ashitaka in the foreground. The boat passes through the large ” View-O” and towards Suruga Bay for you to enjoy the scenery from a different point of view.
The sightseeing cruise ships depart every hour from 11:00 to 15:00, therefore you can easily board the ship without any reservations.
Experience firsthand the lives of the members of the Imperial family in the Numazu Imperial Villa Memorial Park
Numazu Imperial Villa Memorial Park
Located not far from the port is the Numazu Imperial Villa Park. The main residence, which was built in 1893 as a retreat for Emperor Taisho, was destroyed by fire during the bombing of Numazu in 1945. However, the annexed residences on the east and west sides were used as Imperial residences until 1969.
Since 1970, the park has been open to the public as Numazu Imperial Villa Memorial Park. Come and experience the life of the Imperial family at that time by touching the building, which is nationally valuable for its historical value as a court building.
The park also has a cafe and a soba noodle restaurant where visitors can relax with a garden view. In Novemeber, the park hosts the annual “Chrysanthemum exhibition” with 700 pots of chrysanthemums decorated and put on display, as well as the “Shorai no Utage” event. Additionally, you can enjoy the Imperial Villa at night when it is beautifully lit up.
How did you enjoy the “deep” tour of Numazu Port? Besides the port, the coastal town offers many sightseeing spots that can be enjoyed throughout the year. The highlights include Senbonhama Beach, the popular swimming spot “La La La Sun Beach” , the Numazu Summer Festival, the Kano River fireworks display and the Heda Port Festival.
Learn more about Numazu here.
