Japan's Heartland

SHIZUOKA PREFECTURE

Shizuoka Prefecture is blessed with a lot of beautiful scenery including Japan's highest and most famous mountain, Mt. Fuji, the Pacific Ocean, mountains, rivers and lakes. Taking advantage of its mild climate, tea production and related industries are prosperous in this area. There are many hot spring resorts, historical sites and public facilities for visitors to enjoy.



	Broiled Eel (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture) A local speciality from Lake Hamana that uses only fresh eel naturally cultivated in Shizuoka's mild climate.

	Green Tea (Shizuoka Prefecture) Shizuoka green tea is known for its mild flavor and aroma. A variety of teas originate from this area - mild green tea (sencha), high quality green tea (ryokucha) and the highest quality of green tea known as gyokuro.



	Enshu Kawara (Onihide)(Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture) (Designated as an important Prefectural Craftwork) Using local clay, roof tiles are produced almost completely by hand.

	Suruga Kites (Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture) This tradition is said to go back around 400 years to a time when vassals floated kites to celebrate their lord's (Yoshimoto Imagawa) victory in battle.