SURUGA FOR TWO: ROMANTIC RETREATS, DATE IDEAS and BFF GETAWAYS IN JAPAN’S TEA COUNTRY

Imagine this: you and your special someone, surrounded by endless green tea fields with Mount Fuji watching over you like a gentle giant. The air smells like fresh leaves and earth. The pace is slow, the moments are intimate, and everything feels like it was made just for the two of you. Welcome to Suruga. Tucked away in Shizuoka Prefecture, Suruga is Japan’s number one tea-producing region. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a place where time slows down, where centuries-old traditions meet warm hospitality, and where couples can truly connect away from the crowds of Tokyo and Kyoto. This might not sound like much of a couple’s plan to you, but believe me, the best moments as a couple are those in which you do and learn things together, so whether you’re planning a honeymoon, celebrating an anniversary, or just craving a romantic escape, Suruga is calling your name. Let’s explore the most dreamy date ideas this hidden gem has to offer!

Sip, Savor, and Fall in Love with Tea

You can’t talk about Suruga without talking about tea. It’s everywhere, in the fields, in the food, in the art, and even in the cocktails!

Tea Farm Visits

Imagine walking hand-in-hand through rows of perfectly manicured tea bushes, with Mount Fuji peeking over the horizon. The tea terraces here are absolutely breathtaking, where you can enjoy amazing tea while taking in views that will make your heart skip a beat. 

Step into the boots of a tea farmer for a morning. Feel the soft leaves brushing against your fingers as you pick the youngest shoots together. Learn the sacred rhythms of cultivation that have been passed down through the ages. And then, the best part, you’ll sit down on a wooden terrace overlooking the valley, where a steaming cup of the freshest green tea is poured just for you. As you lift the cup to your lips, the aroma of roasted chestnuts and fresh greens fills the air. One sip, and you’ll understand why this place has stolen so many hearts.

Local farmers have been doing this for generations, and they love sharing their passion with visitors. You can join in on tea-picking, learn about the farming process, and taste some of the best green tea you’ve ever had.

Tea Ceremony

For a truly traditional experience, you can participate in an authentic tea ceremony, where a tea ceremony master dressed in kimono will guide you through every graceful movement: the folding of the cloth, the precise whisking of the matcha, the quiet placement of the bowl. The room is filled with the subtle scent of tatami and incense. It’s a beautiful way to slow down, be present with each other, and experience the harmony and tranquility that define Japanese tea culture. 

You’ll be served the finest gyokuro (shade-grown green tea) alongside delicate seasonal sweets. Every gesture is an invitation to be present. In a world that constantly rushes, this is your shared moment of stillness. You‘ll look across the table at each other, and in the quiet steam rising from your bowls, you’ll find a connection that needs no words.

Matcha Calligraphy

Here’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Instead of using ink, you use matcha to write beautiful Japanese characters! It’s romantic, creative, and totally Instagram-worthy. This experience is run by Shoran, a Japanese calligraphy instructor who will guide you through the delicate strokes with endless patience and warmth. She doesn’t just teach technique; she shares the philosophy of each character, turning your writing into a mindful meditation. 

Imagine the two of you, standing side by side at a low wooden table, brushes in hand, playfully competing to see whose character looks more authentic. The room fills with the fresh, grassy scent of matcha. At the end, you’ll exchange your creations: a permanent, green-hued keepsake of your time in Suruga. This is not just an activity; it’s a memory you’ll frame forever.

Lacquer Chopsticks

Tucked away in a sunlit atelier, this craft is a calming meditation for two. Before you lie unfinished lacquered chopsticks, their beauty hidden beneath layers of dark lacquer and tiny, iridescent shell fragments. With fine sandpaper and soft cloth, you polish side by side, rubbing in slow, gentle circles. As the layers thin, magic emerges: shimmering pearls, abalone, and seashells reveal themselves in sparkles of pink, deep sapphire, and emerald green. You can choose the base colour and length that fits your hand perfectly. You’ll laugh, compare progress, and quietly reach over to help each other with stubborn spots. 

This is probably the most authentic Japanese omiyage (souvenir) you could ever bring home. These chopsticks will grace your table for a lifetime; every meal, every bite, a gentle reminder of this quiet afternoon in Suruga.

Green Tea Cocktails

As night falls over Suruga, we lead you to a secret, dimly lit bar that few tourists ever find, but we have reserved the best seats for you.

Here, a masterful bartender awaits. Masamichi Itani was once a chef, but his true calling was mixing drinks, and he became the very first person in the region to create cocktails based on tea. He believes that tea is medicine for the soul, and he treats every drink like a work of art.

Sit at the wooden counter, just the two of you. Watch his hands move with precision and grace as he shakes a cocktail infused with smoky sencha, or stirs a martini kissed by sweet matcha. The ice clinks. The candle flickers. He pairs each drink with a tiny bite of local cheese or fresh seafood. He doesn‘t just serve you a drink; he tells you the story behind each ingredient. You’ll sip something you‘ve never tasted before, perhaps a gin and tonic with a green-tea foam, or a whiskey highball with a hint of roasted hojicha. The flavors are complex, surprising, and utterly romantic. As the evening deepens, the bar becomes your own little world, just the three of you, the clink of glasses, and the quiet buzz of a night that feels stolen from a film. Ready to dive into Itani’s story? Hit play on our Heroes of Suruga video right now! 

Our YouTube: https://youtu.be/_J0jSpouub8?si=R4a-mJSE2e2vcd7S

A Tea-Infused Teppanyaki

Founded in 1967, this legendary teppanyaki restaurant is where fire meets tea, and romance sizzles on the iron griddle. Le Monde Fujigaya Chef Yoshihiro Shiratori has spent over fifty years perfecting his craft. He cooks slowly, patiently, with the quiet confidence of a man who treats every ingredient with reverence. But what makes this place truly magical is its heart: tea. He infuses Shizuoka green tea into sauces, pasta dough, and soups. And he has created the “Welcome to Shizuoka Tea Course”, a symphony of courses where each dish is paired with a different local tea. Imagine fresh seafood, marbled wagyu, and seasonal vegetables, all grilled before your eyes, while tea sommeliers guide you through perfect pairings: crisp sencha with fish, roasted hojicha with beef, vibrant matcha to cleanse the palate. Sit at the counter, hold hands, and watch your dinner become a performance, firelight flickering, aromas rising, and the two of you sharing a meal that tastes like Suruga itself.

All these dreamy moments, the tea fields, the matcha calligraphy, the hidden bar, the chopstick polishing, and even more experiences can be yours. And we’ve made it easy.

For the couple who wants it all: Our Luxurious Suruga experience is a 2-day, 1-night immersive journey into the finest that Suruga has to offer. Think private tea farm visits, exclusive artisan workshops, coastal dining, and a stay that redefines understated luxury. This is for those who value refinement over crowds and depth over spectacle.

For the couple with a little more time to fall in love: Our Multiday Itinerary gives you the choice of a 3-day, 2-night adventure or a 2-day, 1-night trip. It’s the perfect blend of tea farms, artisans, historical sites, nature, and culinary delights, all at a pace that lets you breathe.

Both itineraries are fully customizable. Whether you’re celebrating a honeymoon, an anniversary, or simply the joy of being together, we’ll craft the perfect Suruga story for you.

Suruga doesn’t just give you a holiday. It gives you each other, wrapped in the warmth of tea. It’s in the steam rising from a cup you share in the middle of a green sea of leaves. It’s laughter as you paint love letters with matcha, side by side. It’s in the chopsticks you polished together, now a promise for every meal you’ll share. It’s in the clink of tea-infused cocktails at a hidden bar that becomes your own private world. 

This is not a place you visit. This is a place where your love story unfolds: slowly, beautifully, sip by sip. And when you leave, you’ll carry Suruga home in your hearts. Not in photos, but in the tea you blended together. In the memories you steeped like leaves in hot water. In the quiet knowing that some places are made for two, and Suruga is one of them.

Featured Photo Credit: sippakorn

Ready to trade the crowded tourist routes for a romantic, tea-infused getaway under Mount Fuji? Craft your private couple’s escape through our Luxurious Suruga Experience or explore our flexible Suruga Multi-day Itinerary.