ExperienceTokyo.Net - Mt. Fuji - Katsushika Hokusai - Tago Bay near Ejiri on the Tōkaidō

Wanna see Hokusai's Tago Bay near Ejiri on the Tokaido? Lets GO!

Ukiyoe masterpieces are something I have admired over the years, but with a busy life I have not had the chance to research if I can visit these spots in todays Japan. So here is one of my first trips to locate them. The print that inspired my trip to Tagonoura Bay is the Plate Number 28 is officially titled "Tago Bay near Ejiri on the Tokaido" (Tokaido Ejiri Tago-no-ura ryaku zu). Katsushika Hokusai's brilliant masterwork me and my wife took a trip down to Tago Bay in Fuji City this January (2026). Shizuoka was freezing but the weather also was crystal clear, which made for the absolute best conditions to view Mount Fuji across the coastline. Consider checking my article on Mount Fuji visibility to define the right time to visit.

The Ukiyoe Tokaido Ejiri Tago-no-ura ryaku zu

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku Sanjurokkei). What always blows my mind is that Hokusai wasin his 70s when he created these masterpieces capturing the Mount Fuji in very everyday situations. Number 28 pate captures the majestic, snow-covered peak of Mount Fuji framing the industrious coastal life of Suruga Bay. Tagonoura was a vital economic hub for fishing and salt production. See those small depictions of people on the shore (not the ones on the ship), Hokusai cleverly captured this duality by contrasting the eternal, stillness of Fuji with the dynamic, daily toil of common laborers. This plate captures the salt-gatherers alongside seafarers in traditional wood-plank junks navigating the choppy coastal tides.

Does this place still exist and is it easily reachable?

YES YES YES

Reaching the Tago Bay near Ejiri

We had to reach the Shin Fuji Station, so no we did not take the Nozomi Shinkansen. Take the Hikari Shinkansen and get down at Shin Fuji Station. To get to Tagonoura spot of the Ukiyoe (Fujinokuni Tagonoura Minato Park) from Shin-Fuji Station, you have two choices, a cab quick and convenient, yes and it takes only 5 to 10 minutes ( 2.5 to 3.5 km) and costing roughly 1200 to 1600 yen. BUT and this is important, my personal experience was that walking was a great choice we took and I highly recommended if you enjoy local exploration and street photography. Not only can you catch some AWESOME views of Mount Fuji from endless angles but the walk is also a straightforward, mostly flat 30-40 min walk heading south toward Suruga Bay. Just set Fujinokuni Tagonoura Minato Park on Google maps and you are done. The walk down is an exploration, as Fuji City had a variety of decorative manhole and drain covers, depicting Mount Fuji set against waves, local pine trees, and also some which highlight the paper-making industry of that town.

Akiya in Shin Fuji?

A slight deviation. At one point I had nearly decided to buy an Akiya (vacant houses, yeah those Youtubers who recommend you buy one in Japan) in Shin Fuji , but a Japanese colleague warned me that the Fuji city sometimes smells bad due to the paper making industry output and the property appreciation stands low due to it. I am confused if that is true. I did not have any such experience on that day, so who knows, some day, I might reconsider. Who would not want to stay here where everyday AEON visit also will become experiential. I think I can tolerate something for this view!

Todays Tago no Ura (Tago Bay)

Reached the Tago Bay after a 30 min walk. I was like "what a contrast of the old days and today". What Hokusai captured in his ukiyo-e and standing at the same location on the shore looking at the mountain, I could finally connect the image I had seen so many times in paper prints with the actual place that inspired it. I know that coastline has changed, the boats have changed, and the paper making comapnies have replaced the salt making units, but the essential relationship between the sea, the land and Fuji IS INTACT. For a split second this was no longer a tourist spot but more of an experience of standing inside a piece of Japanese art history by the master.

Inserting myself into that piece of history

Superimposition of Ukiyoe and Mount FUji

Yes please make sure that you do not miss this experience. A couple years back, at Tago no Ura I stumbled on a rather interesting way of meeting the master Hokusai himself.

A "half" panel displaying his ukiyo-e has been placed at the viewpoint by the Shin Fuji City positioned so that you can look through it and line up the Fuji in the artwork with the real Mount Fuji behind it.

YES! Standing there, trying to get the ukiyoe panel and the mountain to align perfectly together, I realised I was doing something wonderfully simple, I was looking at the same mountain through Hokusai's eyes, and then through my iPhone 14 lens (these are the times I wish i bought the latest iPhone).

Of course, getting the alignment right for the photograph took a few attempts, see the below result - convincing? interesting?.

So thsi spot is not just visiting Hokusai's location, but trying to attempt a 50% digital artist version of him :)

Love this experience. But I was not satified with this. I wanted to make the original Hokusai be a living art. Read on....

www.flickr.com/photos/suzumenonamida/55494116831

Bringing the Woodblock to Life.

Hokusai never intended his world to feel frozen. His prints were meant to capture the activity or the daily life. Taking the archival master print of the Tago Bay view, I used Gen AI (very immature approach) to animate the living environment while keeping Hokusai original line art. Adobe Firefly & Google VEO

Prompt wise I did the below.

1. The Sea & Boats: Coastal waters carry a subtle, rolling wave cycle, traditional boats gently sway with the tide.
2. Fishermen: Small, rhythmic motions bring figures back to work, pulling lines and steering through the surf.
3. Mount Fuji: Towering, completely motionless, serving as the anchor to the moving world beneath it.