In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Kikugawa
菊川市
Skip as a base: Kikugawa is a tea-farm town with one JR station, no Shinkansen stop and little to see. Use it as a half-day from Kakegawa, or skip it.
Kikugawa is a small Shizuoka city on the JR Tokaido line, known for green tea and little else. It has no Shinkansen station, no major sight and only a handful of business hotels. Travellers who come here are usually visiting tea fields, picking fruit in season or using it as a cheap bed near Kakegawa. Treat it as a half-day, not a destination.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 菊川市
- Best months
- Apr–May (tea picking), Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid), Golden Week
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥6,000–10,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥10,000–16,000 excl. bed · High ¥16,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119 · Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English) 050-3816-2787
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a café | ¥400–700 |
| Ramen or noodle soup | ¥800–1,200 |
| Hamburger steak set at Sawayaka | ¥1,000–1,600 |
| JR Kikugawa → Shizuoka | ¥720 |
| JR Kikugawa → Kakegawa | ¥190 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥2,000–4,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FSZ · Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport
- About 40 min by car or bus to Kikugawa; check current bus times.
- NGO · Chubu Centrair (Nagoya)
- Entetsu E-Wing bus to Kakegawa, about 2 h, then 5 min by train.
- NRT · Narita (Tokyo)
- About 6 h by car or bus; the train via Tokyo and Kakegawa is usually easier.
Typical fares
- Kikugawa → Kakegawa, JR
- ¥190, about 5 min
- Kikugawa → Shizuoka, JR
- ¥720, about 40 min
- Community bus, one journey
- ¥200; no Saturday, Sunday or holiday service
Get around
JR Tokaido line stops at Kikugawa station; Kakegawa (Shinkansen, Kodama only) is 5 min and ¥190 away. Local buses are limited: the community bus is ¥200 but does not run weekends, holidays or New Year. A rental car is the practical way to reach tea fields, farms and Hitsurugi.
See and do
Known for
- Green tea fields and tea shops
- Fruit picking (blueberries, melons)
- Hitsurugi mountain lookout and roller slide
- Quiet rural Shizuoka base
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kakegawa | JR Tokaido line, 5 min, ¥190 | About 15 min |
| Shizuoka | JR Tokaido line, about 40 min, ¥720 | About 1 h |
| Hamamatsu | JR Tokaido line west, about 40–50 min | About 1 h |
| Iwata | JR Tokaido line west, about 30 min | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Kikugawa Station area
- Two-minute walk to Business Hotel Tachibana; the only cluster of beds in town.
- Kikugawa Inter area
- Route Inn with a large public bath; needs a car or taxi from the station.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
| Green tea, please | 緑茶をくださいryokucha o kudasai |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- The community bus does not run on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays or over New Year: plan around it.
- Only Kodama Shinkansen trains stop at Kakegawa, roughly once an hour.
- Most sights, farms and restaurants are spread out and need a car or taxi.
- Small shops and farms may take cash only; carry yen.
Quiet and low-crime, like most of rural Shizuoka. The real issues are summer heat, narrow roads if you drive, and limited buses at weekends: check the last train and bus before you go out.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kikugawa yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Green tea fields and tea shops
- Fruit picking (blueberries, melons)
- Hitsurugi mountain lookout and roller slide
- Quiet rural Shizuoka base
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Kikugawa tourism association (Japanese, machine translation): kikugawakanko.com/
- JR Central (Tokaido line and Shinkansen): global.jr-central.co.jp/en/
- Entetsu (E-Wing airport bus): www.entetsu.co.jp/
- Wikivoyage: Kikugawa, revision 5038371 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5038371
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kikugawa菊川市
ここまでお願いします
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police110
- Fire and ambulance119
- Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English)050-3816-2787
No embassies in Kikugawa; the US consulate is in Nagoya and most embassies are in Tokyo.
Carry some cash: small farms and shops may not take cards.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kikugawa). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.