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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
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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.