Toba

Town is within walking distance of the dock.

A printable map to take with you.

At Ise Bay’s southern entrance, Toba is a popular tourist destination best known as the birthplace of cultured pearls.

Ferries link Toba with several nearby islands. Toshijima and Sugashima are the two larger ones, while Kamishima is smaller and more remote.

Unlimited travel throughout Ise, Futami and Toba is available on the CAN Bus. A 1 day pass costs adults 1000 Yen and children 500 Yen; a 2 day pass is 1600 Yen and 800 Yen.

When boarding a taxi, let the driver remotely open and close the left rear door rather than doing so yourself. Do not tip taxi drivers either, because service is included in the price.

If you cannot speak Japanese or are heading somewhere not well known, give the driver its precise address on paper or, better still, indicate it on a map. Japan’s address system can confuse even local taxi drivers.

By Kintetsu train, Ise is about one and half hours from Nagoya and just under two hours from Osaka. Ise Jingu Shrine is the focus of sightseeing.

Jingu means God's Palace. Across Japan are large numbers of jinja shrines; those with historical and honorable origins received the Jingu name, and only several exist. Saying "Jingu" without a proper name refers to Ise Jingu, which is in a class of its own. Its 125 shrines include Toyouke Daijingu (usually called Geku), Kotai Jingu (usually called Naiku) and Betsugu. Ancient custom dictates visiting Geku first when touring Ise Jingu.

Oharai-machi / Okage-yokocho: Oharai-machi prospered as Naiku’s cathedral town. Oharai Dori Street follows the Isuzu River for 800 meters from Uji Bridge, lined with souvenir shops, established confectioneries, restaurants and inns that attract visitors year-round.

Futami: the Fatamiga-ura place name comes from a myth in which Yamatohime-no-mikoto turned her head twice to see the breathtakingly beautiful landscape. "Futami" literally means looking twice. Meotoiwa rocks form its landmark, with an even coastline visible westward. Futami flourished as a town where visitors stayed and purified themselves before visiting Jingu.

Toba Aquarium ranks among the world’s largest and is divided into 12 different zones, each based on the kinds of environments its creatures inhabit. Visitors can now see 850 kinds of aquatic lives on display. Its various successful breeding programs include a baby Indian porpoise born here for the first time in captivity. Nautiluses are also bred, while a second generation sea otter was born in captivity for the first time in Japan. The aquarium has also bred a pair of dugong, a world first. At the performance studio, you can watch a sea lion show and will be surprised to learn what…

Mikimoto Pearl Island is a theme park explaining every aspect of the pearling industry. Here, Kokichi Mikimoto created the world’s first successful cultured pearl in 1893. The Pearl Museum shows how cultured pearls and jewelry are produced, while Mikimoto Kokichi Memorial Hall presents the life of this cultured-pearl legend. Pearl Plaza offers food and shopping. Demonstrations feature "ama," female pearl diver who were crucial to pearl culture’s success.

Japan uses the yen. Coins are ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100 and ¥500; notes are ¥1,000, ¥5,000 and ¥10,000.

Japanese ATMs are becoming more useful, and most allow withdrawals from overseas accounts; post offices also have them. Major credit cards work at most large-city stores and restaurants, but carry enough cash for rural visits. Japan remains very much a cash society, and some stores, hotels and restaurants refuse cards regardless of location.

Tipping is considered rude, so do not do it!

Across the country, more cafes are offering customers free WiFi. Costs vary: some coffee shops provide free Wi-Fi, while others charge cable-enabled PC use by the hour.

Japanese shops and department stores generally open daily, national holidays included except New Year's, from 10:00 or 10:30am until 7:30 or 8:00pm. Some specialty shops close on Sundays and national holidays. Department stores occasionally close one irregular day each week, but different closing days mean shoppers can always find an open store.

Japan’s Public Holidays.