Ise City, Mie, Japan
On one of the days, I headed out of Nagoya for a day trip to Mie Prefecture. My first stop was Ise City, which is home to the revered Ise Grand Shrine. After half a day of exploration and reflection, I made my way to Toba City where the evening promised a different kind of delight: feasting on the local specialty of Japanese spiny lobster.
---
JPN: Ise City and Toba City <YOU ARE HERE!>
JPN: Ise Shrine
JPN: Flight of Dreams
JPN: Chubu Centrair International Airport
JPN: All Nippon Airways NH494 (Economy)
JPN: All Nippon Airways NH833 (Business)
VIE: Le Saigon Hotel
VIE: Tan Son Nhat International Airport
VIE: Le Saigonnais Business Lounge
SIN: Singapore Airlines SQ177 (Business)
I had a pretty comfortable train ride from Nagoya to Ise-shi station, which took less than two hours.
 |
| Crossing into a new prefecture and feeling that instant thrill! |
 |
| The city was once known as Ujiyamada. |
I'd planned to visit both sections of the Ise Grand Shrine, which shall be the topic of the next post. Geku (lit. Outer Shrine) is conveniently located about 500 m from Ise station, while Naiku (lit. Inner Shrine) is approximately 6 km away.
 |
| A light drizzle fell while I was there, but thankfully, it never turned into a downpour. |
 |
| That's the path that leads up to Geku. |
After exploring Geku, I stumbled upon Akane Shrine, which is commonly called Akone-san.
 |
| It must be a shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto deity of rice and prosperity. |
 |
| The shrine has got hundreds of ceramic fox figurines. |
Instead of taking a bus, I enjoyed a long walk from Geku to Naiku, letting the sights and sounds of the streets guide me along the way.
 |
| If only I could experience what it’s like to be a primary school student in Japan... |
 |
| Japan, where even the longkang (lit. drain) looks cleaner than my desk at work! |
 |
| A panda looking left and right... But it looks like conjoined twins. |
I made a quick stop at Sarutahiko Shrine.
 |
| Sarutahiko is the Shinto deity of guidance. |
 |
| Sshrines have shuzokeishinkai (lit. brewery reverence committee) that works out how much rice wine is required for festivals and ceremonies. |
From there, it was a short walk of less than 10 minutes to reach Okage Yokocho, a bustling shopping street near Naiku.
 |
| Beef innards, anyone? |
Okage Yokocho first opened to the public in the summer of 1993, recreating the charm of the Edo period.
 |
| Snip, snip... Back to old-school cool! |
 |
| Rain? What rain? The shopping spirit burned bright! |
 |
| Snoopy once said, "Keep looking up... That's the secret of life..." |
 |
| Sleeping so soundly~ |
Here’s a little challenge: can you name this spot where I had lunch?
After lunch and a peaceful stroll through Naiku, I went back to Okage Yokocho. The shift in mood was striking - from the serene, sacred grounds of the shrine to the bustling lanes filled with shops, food stalls and the warm chatter of visitors.
 |
| I miss uiro, a kind of steamed cake made of glutinous rice flour. |
 |
| Have you had the chance to ride on a pulled rickshaw? |
Who else here loves Sumikko Gurashi?
 |
| I love Shirakuma, the shy polar bear, the most. |
 |
| Adorable vibes, inevitable bites? |
I decided to join the queue for a famous sweet treat that's been a favourite for generations.
 |
| Akafuku is a reverse mochi: soft, chewy rice cake enveloped with red bean paste. |
I wandered over to the quieter side of the shopping alley.
 |
| Stone lanterns were traditionally used only in Buddhist temples to line and illuminate pathways. |
 |
| At first glance, I thought it was a flying pig. |
Before leaving Okage Yokocho, I couldn't resist having deep-fried breaded oysters.
From there, I walked to Isuzugawa station to catch the train eastward to Toba City. The journey took around 20 minutes.
Toba City, Mie, Japan
Little did I know that the mascot of Toba City is Mijumaru, which is also known as Oshawott, from the fifth generation of the Pokémon series!
 |
| Toba City even has a Mijumaru Park, which just opened its doors in July 2025. |
With a dinner reservation waiting in Oaki Higashimachi, I caught a bus from the train station to get there.
 |
| Nothing like more walking to work up the perfect appetite for dinner! |
 |
| I reached the dinner spot, a cozy place tucked away in a quiet residential area, within 10 minutes. |
After dinner, one of the restaurant staff kindly gave us a ride back to Toba station. From there, I caught the train back to Nagoya, wrapping up my day trip to Mie Prefecture.
 |
| There’s a shop at the station filled with all sorts of Mijumaru merchandise.. |
 |
| I recall the train ride costing me above ¥2,000 (~S$17.35). |
Don't forget to have a look at both food blog posts for more details:
Comments
Post a Comment