The truest everyday Japan lives in places no guidebook covers. So our editorial team built a tour around one: a two-hour guided visit to the supermarkets where Shimizu locals actually shop. And it’s not a walk-and-look tour. Based on a short questionnaire you answer when booking, your guide prepares a personal shopping list made just for you — five to seven recommendations matched to your tastes — and hands it to you at the pier.
🇯🇵 日本語版はこちら: 日本語で読む
| Duration | 2 hours |
|---|---|
| Price | ¥6,000 per person (tax included) |
| Group size | Max 8 (small-group; minimum 4 to run) |
| Language | Sessions in Japanese and in English |
| Meeting point | Hinode Pier, Shimizu Port (right in front of the cruise berth) |
A Region’s Real Daily Life Is on Its Supermarket Shelves
Shizuoka is, quietly, one of Japan’s most competitive supermarket regions, and its shelves hold a food culture you won’t meet anywhere else: kurohanpen (the local dark fish cake), sakura shrimp and shirasu from Suruga Bay, an astonishing wall of dashi flakes, real wasabi, and deep-steamed green tea — all at neighborhood prices, not souvenir-shop prices.
The first half of the tour is a guided walk through those aisles with a local guide. Why is the dashi section in Shizuoka so enormous? Why is kurohanpen dark? Every shelf has a story, and you’ll hear them.
- Dashi flakes and stock — a window into the depth of Japanese broth culture
- Kurohanpen and fish cakes — Shizuoka’s soul food
- Deep-steamed tea — how tea actually lives in local daily life
- Real wasabi and local seasonings — Shizuoka’s “usual flavors”
- Sakura shrimp and shirasu — Suruga Bay’s gifts, steps from where they land
The Heart of the Tour: Your Personal Shopping List
After booking, you’ll receive a three-minute questionnaire. Your guide uses it to build your own shopping list of five to seven recommendations, ready and waiting when you arrive.
The second half is personal shopping time with that list in hand. Your guide acts as a private food concierge: “given what you like, this one suits you better,” plus advice on shelf life, packing, whether an item can fly home with you, and help at the register.
How the Two Hours Flow
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 10 min | Meet at Hinode Pier; receive your personal shopping list and the day’s plan |
| 50 min | Guided aisle tour: tea, dashi, kurohanpen, wasabi, and Suruga Bay seafood |
| 40 min | Personal shopping time with your list (purchases at your own expense; most guests spend ¥2,000–3,000) |
| 20 min | “How to eat it” session — followed later by a recipe and serving-guide PDF sent to you |
Price
¥6,000 per person, tax included, covering your guide, the personal shopping list, and the recipe PDF. Purchases and transport to the meeting point are not included.
Private option: ¥24,000 per group (1–4 people) — for couples and families who want the aisles at their own pace. Private bookings can also adjust timing around your ship’s departure.
For Cruise Passengers
The meeting point is directly in front of the cruise berth at Hinode Pier — you walk off the ship and you’re there. This tour was designed precisely for a port call: a way to reach Shizuoka’s daily life within your hours ashore, and to carry its flavors back aboard. Mt. Fuji and the pine grove are one face of this port town; this is the other.
If your ship skips the port, you receive a full refund.
Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Meeting point | Hinode Pier, Shimizu Port. The store we visit is announced the day before |
| Schedule | Mainly weekday mornings, with Japanese-language and English-language sessions |
| Group size | 8 max, 4 minimum (below minimum: reschedule or switch to a private booking) |
| What to bring | A reusable shopping bag (also purchasable on-site) |
| Please note | We visit stores during normal business hours; photography is limited to outside the store and the port area |
| Cancellation | Free anytime before the tour starts, with last-minute bookings and changes welcome. No-shows are charged 100%. Runs rain or shine (we’re mostly indoors) |
Booking
Book your spot via our booking request form. After you book, you’ll receive the three-minute questionnaire, and your personal shopping list will be waiting for you at the pier.
See you in Shizuoka’s kitchen!
*Last updated: August 2026. This tour is planned and operated by our editorial team. Dates, prices, and contents may change; check this page for the latest information.*