Shimoda
下田34°41′ N 138°57′ EPortPop. 20,499Izu and Fuji
Shimoda suits riders and food lovers who want the far end of Izu and the country's biggest kinmedai port, and it sits two and a half hours from Tokyo even on the fastest train.
Photo 663highland · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay a night in Shimoda to eat kinmedai at the source and ride the southern coast and the Amagi road without a dash for the last train.
Eat in Shimoda
Shimoda is the port at the southern tip of Izu. In the Edo period ships sheltered here waiting for wind on the run between Edo and Osaka, and the old Shimoda Kaido ran down the middle of the peninsula from Mishima to end in town. The farm ministry calls Shimoda the port that lands the most kinmedai in Japan, and October to late March is when the fish carries the most fat.
The city tourism office puts Shimoda about two and a half hours from Tokyo on the Odoriko or Saphir Odoriko, or about an hour and a half on the Izukyu line from Atami. That makes it a long day trip and a better overnight. Kurofune Hotel rents bikes at ¥1,100 for two hours and tandems at ¥2,750.
Shimoda Tokyu Hotel closes from 18 to 23 October 2026 and again from 18 to 21 January 2027, so check dates if you plan a winter stay there.
Quick answers about Shimodaよくある質問
Is Shimoda a good place to stay?
Stay a night in Shimoda to eat kinmedai at the source and ride the southern coast and the Amagi road without a dash for the last train.
Within 12 km
Places to stay nearby宿
Within 12 km
Places to eat and drink nearby食
Within 12 km