The city and Mount Fuji can also be seen from the observation corridor at Nihondaira Yume Terrace. The paid observation building is in the background, in Shizuoka’s Shimizu Ward, on Oct. 3, 2026. (Mainichi/Daiki Sugiyama)
SHIZUOKA — The observation point at Nihondaira Yume Terrace, located atop Nihondaira (Mount Udo) at an elevation of about 300 meters and offering panoramic views of Mount Fuji, Suruga Bay and the city of Shizuoka, began charging admission this month.
Adults are now required to pay 100 yen (about 60 cents), while children of junior high age and younger are charged 50 yen (about 30 cents). A garden and observation corridor remain free of charge. The Shizuoka Prefectural Government, which manages the tourist spot in the city of Shizuka’s Shimizu Ward, hopes the admission fees will help fund future large-scale maintenance and repairs. However, a visit to the site suggests that several challenges remain.
On Oct. 3, the first weekend after the new admission policy took effect, the area was bustling with families and tourists shortly after noon. Although Mount Fuji was hidden by clouds, many visitors were seen strolling around with smartphones and cameras, taking pictures of Suruga Bay and the cityscape of Shizuoka.
Yet watching the flow of visitors, fewer than half entered the paid terrace. Some people noticed the admission fee and turned back near the entrance. Many others headed directly to the free observation corridor next to it.
How do visitors view the introduction of fees?
Miyuki Kazama, 67, who was visiting from Nagano Prefecture, was positive about the charge, saying, “With a wooden lookout, I think repairs will cost money, so 100 yen seems reasonable.”
Mitsuaki Koyama, a 61-year-old company worker from Tokyo who said he stopped by on his way back from work, suggested that at the current price range, “It might be all right to extend it to the entire complex.”
Yet neither visitor entered the paid area that day.
Both said that the free observation corridor already provided ample opportunities to enjoy the scenery, and they did not feel the need to go up to the observation building.
The city can be seen from the paid observation deck in Shizuoka’s Shimizu Ward, on Oct. 3, 2026. (Mainichi/Daiki Sugiyama)
The facility consists of an exhibition area on the first floor introducing the history of Nihondaira and other topics, a cafe on the second floor and an observation deck on the third floor.
Much of the “value worth paying for” lies in the view from the observation deck. While the lookout offers a head-on view of Mount Fuji, similar scenery can also be enjoyed from the free observation corridor and garden areas. Whether visitors get a spectacular view also depends on the weather.
The prefectural government itself expects that charging admission will sharply reduce the number of visitors to the observation building. While approximately 451,000 people visited it in fiscal 2025, officials estimate that the number of visitors could fall to around 350,000.
How to create a sense of value that justifies the admission charge is likely to become the key challenge in maintaining visitor numbers in the years ahead.
Designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, Nihondaira Yume Terrace opened in November 2018 at a construction cost of roughly 1.7 billion yen (approx. $10.77 million). The nighttime view from Nihondaira has also been recognized as part of the Night View Heritage of Japan.
(Japanese original by Daiki Sugiyama, Shizuoka Bureau)
AloJapan.com