Satoshi Nihonyanagi
Welcome to my blog, Green Tea Club !
I'll show you all the beauties and goodies in Shizuoka through this blog.
If you have any inquiry, please feel free to post your messages on it.
Hope to see you around in Shizuoka !
Main content starts here.
03/13/2012 [Tue]
Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium [Numazu]
A newly established aquarium, “Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium” in Numazu Port offers the opportunity to see varieties of deep-sea fish around Suruga Bay, the deepest ocean in Japan ! I, as a fish lover, visited it to see what it was like. Deep-sea is the world of mystery or I would say, the treasure of mysteries. Now let’s get in ! ＾＾
The first thing I found was something really curious. It looks like a sow bug but it lives in the sea of 200 – 2500m deep ! See the pic anyway.
What surprised me most was its size ! Huge, actually. About 50cm ! Creepy but intriguing, isn’t it ? They said all customers stopped in front of this creature to gaze into it, which often made a line to the entrance gate. They surely would !
I made my way down the aisle, looking into enigmatic creatures, and stepped into a large room with a huge fish tank. It was really lucky for me to be there because it was just the moment when a new fish caught only an hour before was let in the tank, which was absolutely one of the most unusual fish of the world.
Ever heard of “Rabuka”, Frilled Shark ? It lives about 1000m deep and, according to the director, it’s almost never seen alive in the aquarium even through the world. He looked really exited then. How long can I let him stay alive, why is he swimming with his head down, question after question, he was talking to himself. However, the next day, it died. All his efforts finished in vain. Anyway, I was one of the few witnesses. Very sorry, though.
I went on to the next room, which is the highlight of Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium. Already extinct, maybe we never doubt it. But discovered in 1938. It lives unchanged since 350 million years ago. Can you imagine what I’m talking about ? Yes, Coelacanth, the living fossil ! The real stuffed specimen and cryopreservation can be seen only at Numazu Deep Sea Museum in Japan. They possess 5 of them.
Why do they have such long fins ? To walk on the sea bottom ? Why haven’t they been evolved for hundreds of millions of years ? Mysteries still left undetected.
By the way, you can also experience the taste of deep-sea fish at the restaurants around the aquarium. I was really stupid then to have finished lunch at other sushi restaurant, not knowing deep-sea fish menu. So maybe you try it and let me know by all means !
Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium
Access ： 15 minutes by bus from JR Numazu Station
Admission ： ￥1600／adult, ￥800／child
Open Hours ： 10:00 – 18:00 (– 19:00 in July and August ) Open 7 days a week
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Posted by Satoshi Nihonyanagi at 18:10 Permanent Link Trackback ( 0 ) Comments ( 0 )
03/09/2012 [Fri]
Grinpa ３ ― Other attractions in/around Grinpa [Susono]
Here is another hot attraction in Grinpa. “Picasso no Tamago” ( The egg of Picasso ) is kind of Athletic ( obstacle ) course which you have to proceed thinking or imagining how you can get through it. It opened in July, 2010. I actually tried some of them and had a great fun. And you know what ? We are worse than children in this kind of activities. Sense of balance, imagination and intuition. Even easy-looking labyrinth puzzled me much then. 21 courses are available in Picasso no Tamago. Go for it to beat all clogs！♪
Yeti stands 5 minutes away from Grinpa. As I mentioned it in the last report, Yeti is one of the few ski spots in Shizuoka and lots of ski enthusiasts visit it this season every year. Five courses, from beginners to experts, are available and you can enjoy all-night skiing on weekend. I, by the way, have ever played skiing only once in my life when I stayed in Vancouver, Canada. I went to Blackcomb near Whistler in mid-summer and rode the lift around one hour to reach the top of the mountain. It was an awful experience to me. Steep and not well arranged. They told me the course was for pros or experts. Anyway, since then, I never try skiing to this day. But……I think I can try once more as I can do it such a good place as Yeti.＾＾ Anyone join me ?♪ You can enjoy skiing at Yeti until April 8. Open 7 days a week. For further information, please see the official Website in English.
Special rates and specified lunch for the Groups are also available. They even do lessons for skating and skiing for groups. BBQ available in Grinpa. Please feel free to inquire us or Grinpa through the website. From late April, Bandi, the golf course at the foot of Mt. Fuji, is going to open. 18 courses, par 72. Tee Shot toward Mt. Fuji sounds really exciting ! Wonderful, isn’t it ?♪
Anyway, you can enjoy activities around Mt. Fuji through the year. Please think about it and visit ”Grinpa”, “Yeti” or “Bandi” with your friends or family.＾＾
For Japanese (486KB)
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03/07/2012 [Wed]
Grinpa ２ ― “ M78 Ultraman Park ” and “ Sylvanian Village ” [Susono]
Grinpa is not only for snow-playing. There are mainly 2 character zones in which kids and even their parents can enjoy.
“M78 Ultraman Park” is the amusement park especially for kids. You know Ultraman, by the way ? It’s a kind of Japan’s leading hero show that started from 40 years ago and regarded now as one of the greatest TV show that would never pass away. You can find in the park lots of cute Ultraman figures, and varieties of Ultraman goods are available in “SHOT M78” gift shop. Some are purchasable only in Grinpa. Find them for your friends ! ＾＾
©TSUBURAYA PROD．
There also is a wonderful restaurant ”M78 Planet Dining” where you can find Ultraman curry or noodle. I, without question, stepped into it but, because too many kids had been sitting at the table or still standing in line awaiting being served, I changed my plan to go to another place for lunch.＾＾； By the way, though I basically avoid attraction rides in the play-lands because I really feel scared about them, I dared then take a Ferris Wheel to see the fantastic view ! You know why ? This stands at the highest point in Japan ! You can see, not to mention Mt. Fuji, even Suruga Bay if weather permits. That day was not for the Suruga Bay, though……＾＾；
“Sylvanian Village” is mostly for girls. I knew it only by name, because you know, I was a boy, but “Sylvanian Family” is really popular among girls in Japan and this area is themed on it with dolls and doll-houses. I for the first time in my life see it closest and found all characters really adorable, which made me almost buy one of them.＾＾； Anyway, I stepped into the restaurant of Sylvanian Village “Mori no Kitchen” ( Kitchen in the forest ).
And this is what I got for lunch. Girls would shout with joy ! These dishes were really good for an amusement park. On the rice is drawn a cat, maybe, with curry sauce. Cute, isn’t it ? ＾＾
©2012 EPOCH CO.,LTD
After having lunch enough, I dropped at “Mori-no Pan-ya-san” ( A bakery in the woods ) to buy some souvenirs and got into the Sylvanian Family Shop, “Mori-no Market” ( A market in the woods ) to buy Miss Milk Rabbit, nope, I didn’t ! ＞＜ In the Sylvanian Village, other than shops and restaurants, you can find lots of life-size Sylvanian characters, houses and a school which definitely would take you to the world of Fantasy ! In spring, varieties of flowers will bloom abound. Please enjoy steeping yourself in the dreamy world with Mt. Fuji, flowers, and Sylvanian friends ! ＾＾
For Japanese (720KB)
Grimpa
Access ：
Winter-limited direct bus available from JR Shizuoka Station
JR Shizuoka 7:30 ⇒ Grinpa 10:30 ／ Grinpa 16:00 ⇒ JR Shizuoka 18:30
Bus Fare & Admission Ticket ￥3900／adult ・ ￥3200／child
（ Available until Mar 31／Booking Required ）
Route bus available from JR Mishima, Gotemba, and Fuji Station（ Please inquire for the operation day and departure time ）
Route Bus & Addmision Ticket ￥3600／adult ・ ￥2350／child
Open Hours ： 9:30 – 16:00 ( 17:00) See details from here ※ Basically closed on Wednesdays
※Sledding Area and Yuki Picasso may be closed without prior notice in bad weather conditions. Please be advised to inquire Grinpa beforehand.
Admission：
￥1000（One-day Pass ￥3200）／Adult ・ ￥ 700（One-day Pass ￥2400）／child
Direct bus from Tokyo also available now. Please contact us for more information.
Join us in Twitter φ(・ω・ )
“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾
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Posted by Satoshi Nihonyanagi at 11:37 Permanent Link Trackback ( 0 ) Comments ( 2 )
03/05/2012 [Mon]
Event Information in March [Event Information]
Here is the event Information in March in Shizuoka Prefecture. Please go on to the next URL to find wonderful festivals that tells the coming of Spring !＾＾
Event Information In March
And be sure to feel free to contact us, or post your message in case you need further information.
Have a good day !＾＾♪
Join us in Twitter φ(・ω・ )
“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾
Posted by Satoshi Nihonyanagi at 11:06 Permanent Link Trackback ( 0 ) Comments ( 0 )
03/01/2012 [Thu]
Grinpa １ ― Let’s play in the snow in Shizuoka ! [Susono]
Shizuoka is often known as a city of mild climate through the year but you know what ? We have some wonderful places where you can play in the snow ! As you know, we have Mt. Fuji in our city and there are some leisure facilities around it that people of all ages can enjoy with snow. First comes “Grinpa”. It’s been capturing lots of kids and parents for sledding or skating. I also had been intrigued as much as I visited there to find how it was like.
At 10:00 am, I stood in front of Grinpa on that day. Lots of tour buses were already there and I saw quite a few children and parents getting out of them and proceeding toward the gate with sleds. Here we go !
A few minutes later, I got to a snow-covered hill.
So, this is it ! Children sledding and yelping with pleasure. Parents also seemed joyful in the snow ♪ And for me, no exception because this is my first time to touch snow this year. Actually, for us living in Shizuoka, snowing is such an unusual phenomenon that TV would broadcast widely on the day.
Unfortunately, the sky was not clear enough then to see Mt. Fuji but here is a picture that you may see if you are lucky. Yes, right at the food of Mt. Fuji ! For those who like to ski, there is “Yeti” 5 minutes away from Grinpa. I’ll introduce it another day.＾ ＾
Next comes “Yuki Picasso” in Grimpa. This is the winter athletic area for kids with 6 attractions. The most catching one is “Go Go Tubing”, which you ride on a tire and slide on the hill. I gave it a try to feel the gentle winter wind but it goes too fast, and that made me a little bit scary…..because I’d gained weight too much ? ＾＾；
For Japanese (552KB)
By the way, I had had something in my mind when I saw the snow covered field. I finally set it into action at Yuki Picasso. Snowman ! I grabbed some simmering snow tightly into a ball and made it up with some felts. Adorable, isn’t it ? ＾＾
At Grinpa, you can have fun with sledding until April 1 and Yuki Picasso until Mar 20. Please enjoy the last days of this winter anyway !
Grinpa
Access ：
Winter-limited direct bus available from JR Shizuoka Station （ by way of Fujikawa Rakuza and JR Fujinomiya Station ）
JR Shizuoka 7:30 ⇒ Grinpa 10:30 ／ Grinpa 16:00 ⇒ JR Shizuoka 18:30
Bus Fare & Admission Ticket ￥3900／adult ・ ￥3200／child
（ Available until Mar 31／Booking Required ）
Route bus available from JR Mishima, Gotemba, and Fuji Station（ Please inquire for the operation day and departure time ）
Route Bus & Addmision Ticket ￥3600／adult ・ ￥2350／child
Open Hours ： 9:30 – 16:00 ( 17:00) See details from here ※ Basically closed on Wednesdays
※Sledding field and Yuki Picasso may be closed without prior notice in bad weather conditions. Please be advised to inquire Grinpa beforehand.
Admission：
￥1000（One-day Pass ￥3200）／Adult ・ ￥ 700（One-day Pass ￥2400）／child
Direct bus from Tokyo also available now. Please contact us for more information.
Join us in Twitter φ(・ω・ )
“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾
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