In 3 days travelling around Ise in Mie, Japan, I only saw a handful of western tourists. This location is easy to reach form Nagoya and Osaka with limited express trains that get you there in under 2 hours. It’s got epic shirines, good infrastructure of buses, traditional ryokans historic streets, the sea and even a Pirate ship!
How I did it staying in Iseshi
Day 1:
Arrived at 10:30ish – Visited Ise outer and inner shrines and walked along the shopping street,
Day 2:
AM: Train to Ago bay where I got a Pirate ship cruise
LUNCH: Headed to Futaminoura via Iseshi station (Total train time
55minutes) You need to change to the JR line.
EARLY AFTERNOON: Marraige rocks shrine and second shrine
LATE AFTERNOON (4pm) Back to the Shopping street but things close areound 5pm so watch out!
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13 Comments
Nice 🎉
Looks like a great place to visit! 😊
The happy catjin at the end made my day 😄
This trip was so much fun! Have you ever been?
I also had to do an emergency hat purchase, but fortunately I was in Hiroshima so there was a Uniqlo close by. Great video.
😍 This is my new favourite video of yours.
This is my idea of Japan. I love the pirate ships. I did them in Hakone a few years ago. It was so much fun. Might need to explore the area a bit more next time. Thanks for another fantastic video Nathan ❤🐸
Nice video! Is the "twin rocks on the sea" (forgive this approximation) 😅 doable , together with the main temples area (without taking pirate ship or lollygagging too much) , in a day-trip from Osaka?
Really enjoyed this video, this place has a lot to offer ! It's easy to relax as you travel especially no crowds
The Mie Prefecture coastline is pretty … but if you like pearls just go to Toba. For Japan Summer I think it is best to use an umbrella and てぬぐい … sadly I am being dragged back to Japan in August … ww! if you are not Shinto it is interesting that you visit shrines ! (^_^)
Visiting Ise on my next trip to Japan in October/November…so perfect video for me, Nathan. I didn't know about the pearl industry there! Gah! Feverishly tries to devise a way to visit all the places shown in one day trip from Nagoya…Is it doable, I wonder?
On my bucket list! The pirate ship reminds me of my fave anime One Piece 🎉
Great introduction to Ise-Shima Mie Nathan. Over my 10 trips to Japan this is absolutely the best area of Japan I've stayed in. Ise-Shima is a national park, Ise the northern section, Shima the southern. I stayed for 9 days in May.
I took the Shimakaze luxury train from Osaka to Ugata station (amazing train). There's an information centre at Ugata station, e-bike hire and Orix car rental where I picked up a car for all of my stay. There is a scattering of railway stations across part of the area, and a limited bus service, but to see everything it's really worth hiring a car, even if only for 2-3 days of your stay.
The area comprises 3 main centres. Ise, Toba, and Ugata.
Ise is inland and is the largest center with the wonderful Okage Yokocho which I think is the best traditional shopping street in Japan. Nathan covered that area pretty well across his videos
Toba's waterfront is scenic, bay cruises, aquarium with its sea otters, castle ruins lookout, and the Mikimoto pearl museum showcasing the birthplace of the world's first cultured pearls. The Toba Seafolk museum is fantastic !
Ugata sits as the center of the beautiful Shima area, where the locals come to holiday staying in the surrounding hotels and resorts around the bay and beaches.
I stayed in a small private waterside house on Ago Bay 10mins drive to/from Ugata with its supermarkets, restaurants, etc.
This is an area that requires some time to explore all that's on offer.
The world heritage women Ama free-divers are a major tourist drawcard in Shima, with Ama museums, cook-and-eat Ama huts, these experiences are 'a must do' to truly appreciate Shima.
There's beautiful coves and surfing beaches, with various lookouts over the 70+ islands of Ago Bay, the views are stunning.
An alternative to the Esperanza tourist ship on Ago Bay is the local Kashikojima/Wagu ferry which stops at Masaki island once a thriving pearl processing centre where you can explore a quiet local's island within the bay !
All-you-can-eat BBQ oyster shacks, fishing trips, roadside tourist stations, sea kayak tours, unique roadside cafes, seafood markets, bike routes, local pearl processing experiences, stunning mountain drives, rivers and waterfalls, the place is amazing but you gotta do it well.
Phew … I didn't expect to write this much and I could keep on writing. There is so much to explore in the area I absolutely recommend researching and planning a trip.
❤️ Ise-Shima Mie