22219 ／ しもだし
Shizuoka PrefectureThe port that opened Japan, with nine swimming beaches.
Shimoda, the Black Ships' port01 ／ Opening of Japan
In 1854 the US Navy under Commodore Perry arrived in the Black Ships. The Black Ship Festival (黒船祭), honouring the opening of the port, began in 1934 and reached its 87th edition in 2026. The US Navy holds a memorial service, and bands of the US Seventh Fleet and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force play in the parade.
02 ／ Sea
The city has nine swimming beaches. Shirahama Ohama (白浜大浜) has 700 m of sand, and Kisami Ohama (吉佐美大浜) 770 m. The tourism association says every beach is rated AA, the top grade, in the Ministry of the Environment's water quality survey.
03 ／ Flowers
Shimoda Park, overlooking the port and the town, holds a hydrangea festival for the whole of June each year. About three million blooms of more than 100 varieties, from wild lacecap hydrangeas to Western cultivars, line the slopes you walk through.
Living here
The Limited Express Odoriko (including the Saphir Odoriko) reaches Tokyo in about 2 hours 40 minutes with no change. From Atami it is about 1 hour 30 minutes on the JR Ito Line and the Izukyu Line. The town is the terminus of the Izukyu Line.
−11.9% since 2015
29,103 → 20,183
25.31km² of it habitable
2024
2.1 people per household
2020
National average 60,630 yen
2023
10.4 per 10,000 people
2023
These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.
ACCESS
Travel times follow 市公式「交通・宿泊情報」に載っている値（ダイヤ改正の時点の記載なし） (checked 2026-09-24). They vary by time of day.
Shape
North to south
22.4km
If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.
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