Shizuoka Road Tripping with kids

I have written in the past how we rarely did road trips when my kids were small. But there were a couple of exceptions. We did several mini road trips to / in Shizuoka prefecture, and Kanagawa, even when the kids were babies. The main reason being, my husband and I were quite familiar with both Shizuoka and Kanagawa and felt very comfortable doing it. 

I found Shizuoka Prefecture to be particularly suited to a road trip with children because of the attractions for them in the prefecture. For example, we would include Atami on the east coast of the Izu Peninsula for them to have time in the sea, Shuzenji for nature, Numazu city for aquariums and easy access to Izunokuni, where among other things, there is a cable car. From there it's just a 45-minute drive to Gotemba, always to the excellent Tokinosumika that is fun galore for young children. 

Hakone is only about a 40-minute drive from Gotemba, and on to Odawara is doable too. But if we wanted to be on an easier route home we would go east to Atsugi. The options are endless. But in my experience, Shizuoka Prefecture is a good location for road tripping with kids.