My wife and I took a trip down to Tago Bay in Fuji City this past January. The winter air in Shizuoka was freezing and crystal clear, which made for the absolute best conditions to view Mount Fuji across the coastline.

Tago Bay near Ejiri on the Tōkaidō

The print that inspired our trip is officially titled "Tago Bay near Ejiri on the Tōkaidō" (Tōkaidō Ejiri Tago-no-ura ryaku zu), which stands as Plate No. 28 in Katsushika Hokusai’s monumental masterwork series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku Sanjūrokkei). Created around 1830-1832 during the late Edo period when Hokusai was in his seventies, this iconic ukiyo-e woodblock print captures the majestic, snow-covered peak of Mount Fuji framing the industrious coastal life of Suruga Bay.