Twenty minutes' walk or so east of Shizuoka station, Kiyomizuyama Park is a pleasant place to escape the bustle of the city, wilder and less busy than the central Sunpu Park.
Most of the park is a thickly forested hill, with rough paths and steps leading up to a clearing that offers a nice view of the city; if you want to see more scenery, the clearing also marks the start of the Yatsuyama hiking trail.
The park is also home to a venerable temple called Kiyomizu-dera, not to be confused with its namesake in Kyoto, and there's an impressive rocky cascade, which you can admire from the base of the hill or from a platform looking directly down onto it.
Peter Sidell @peter.sidell
I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.
