Mie

Ise Shrine, ninja country and spiny lobster

Mie is home to Ise Jingu, the most sacred shrine in Japan, made up of the Naiku and Geku sanctuaries in the city of Ise. The prefecture is long and narrow, with a Pacific coast south of Nagoya and mountains toward Nara. The coast has the pearl-diving town of Toba and the bays of Ise-Shima. Inland, Iga Ueno is known for its ninja history. In the south the Kumano Kodo Iseji pilgrim route goes over forested passes. The prefecture is too big for one short trip, so it's best to pick one or two areas.

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State/Prefecture in Japan

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$	Cheap
$$	Medium
$$$	Expensive, upscale
$$$+	Very expensive, luxury

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Safety: 8.7

General Safety:	9
Health & medical:	8
Accessibility:	7
Tap water:	10

Read details

2/5

In Mie, most locals speak limited English, especially outside major tourist spots. Travellers will find basic greetings and signs helpful, but relying on translation apps or a bilingual guide is advisable for smooth communication.

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Last update: 20 Oct 2026

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Mie Summary

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Great at blending ancient spirituality with seaside serenity, Mie offers world‑class shrines, pristine coastlines and soothing hot springs. Visitors enjoy fresh seafood, historic towns and mountain trails.

Place score

8.8

Best at:

Religious sites

Pilgrimage

Spotless

Aquariums

Theme parks

Personal score

Suited for

👶 9

Families

🧓 8

Seniors

👩 8

Solo

🛡️ 7

Travel Beginners

Japan – Quick facts

Guide Etiquette Holidays Other

Power Grid:	100 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type A Type A: Read about power adapters
Currency:	Japanese Yen (JPY) £1 ≈ JP¥210
Cashless info:	Rating 4/5 Cashless payments are becoming more common, especially in cities, with some shops still preferring cash. Be prepared for occasional cash-only situations in rural areas. Save with a travel credit card
eSIM providers:	Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison

Tipping:	Tipping is not customary in Japan and can be considered rude. Excellent service is the norm, and tipping is unnecessary in most places.
Public drinking:	Public drinking is legal and commonly accepted, particularly during festivals and events.
Public smoking:	Smoking is prohibited in indoor public places but allowed in designated outdoor areas. Some restaurants may have smoking sections.

New Year (January)	One of the most important holidays, expect crowded temples and high prices. Plan ahead.
Golden Week (April-May)	The busiest travel time, expect high demand for accommodation and transport.
Obon (August)	A time to honour ancestors, many businesses close, and transport can be crowded.

Emergency contact:	Emergency Number: 110 (Police), 119 (Fire & Ambulance)
Taxi apps:	Uber, JapanTaxi, DiDi
Other:	Japan is a country of respect, so understanding local customs and etiquette is important. Public transport is efficient, but can be crowded during peak hours.

Best times to travel

The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.

Background colours of the months:
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Weather symbols:
Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.

Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.

Additional notes:
The grey info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Mie, Japan

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High season:	April - May, Nov.
Shoulder season:	Jan., March, July - Aug., Oct., Dec.
Crowdedness:	7 (Many tourists)

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Climate details

Climate varies within the prefecture: the south coast is milder and rainier, inland Iga mountains are colder in winter

New Year (1 to 3 January): Ise Grand Shrine is extremely crowded with first-visit pilgrims

Don't miss

⛩️ Visit the iconic Ise Grand Shrine at sunrise
🏖️ Relax on Goza Shirahama Beach in Shima and swim in clear waters
🐬 Explore Toba Aquarium and its huge variety of sea life
🥾 Hike the Iseji route of the ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail
🏔️ Enjoy grilled seafood with ama women divers in their seaside hut

You've been here?

Why travel to Mie?

Ise Jingu has two main sanctuaries. The Naiku is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu and the Geku to the deity of food and crops. A visit takes about half a day with the shopping street and the sweet rice cakes called Akafuku. The Ise-Shima coast makes a good second stop. Toba has an aquarium and a pearl island. Ama divers still work this coast and some huts serve their seafood. Ago Bay near Shima is a bay of small islands that you can see from boats and lookouts. Mie also has other trips that don't resemble each other. Iga Ueno has ninja museums and shows. The north has the Suzuka motor racing circuit and leisure parks like Nagashima Spa Land. The Kumano Kodo Iseji is a UNESCO-listed pilgrim path you can walk in sections. Three or four days works well for Ise and the coast plus one of the other areas. Spring and autumn are comfortable for walking. In winter there are illuminations and New Year visits to Ise Jingu. If you only have a day, Ise Jingu from Nagoya or Osaka is the most direct choice.

🏙️Cities & Regions

1 Ise
A shrine city in Mie Prefecture that holds Ise Jingu, Japan's most sacred Shinto site, under two hours by train from Nagoya. Pilgrim lanes, a rebuilt Edo-style market street and thick Ise udon noodles round out a day or two.
2 Suzuka
A city in Mie best known for the racing circuit that hosts the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix. You can drive the track, visit the amusement park beside it and see stencil-dyeing crafts that date back centuries.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Ise Grand Shrine
Ise Grand Shrine is a Shinto shrine complex in Ise, Mie Prefecture, with 125 affiliated shrines. Its two principal sites are the Inner Shrine, dedicated to Amaterasu, and the Outer Shrine, dedicated to Toyouke.

🎡Places for activities

1 Bentendake
Bentendake is a mountain in the Ise area of Mie Prefecture. A small shrine on its summit is dedicated to Benzaiten, a deity associated with water, music, speech, time, and wisdom.

🏞️Natural landmarks

1 Ago Bay
Ago Bay is a deeply indented bay in Shima, Mie Prefecture, with around 60 islands and peninsulas. It is a centre for pearl cultivation, where oyster rafts are visible across the water.

🍽️Eat & Drink

1 Matsuzaka-niku Ganso Wada Kin
Sukiyaki and shabu-shabu, Japanese beef hot-pot dishes, at this luxury restaurant in a traditional merchant house. Staff serve Matsusaka beef and the restaurant has operated for more than 100 years. It is a 10-minute walk from Matsusaka Station.
2 Fukusuke
Ise udon, thick and soft wheat noodles in a sweet soy-sauce broth, at this noodle restaurant on Okage Yokocho. Cooks make the mild broth from dried bonito and kombu, a sea kelp. Pilgrims to Ise long ate it.
3 Yokocho Soba Shouseiko
Ramen in a soup stock made from Matsusaka beef and simmered for up to a week. The ramen shop is on a small side street in the middle of Okage Yokocho, the food street in Ise.
4 Isshobin Honten
Yakiniku, Japanese grilled meat, with Matsusaka beef grilled over charcoal. Staff run the original shop of a local yakiniku name in the city of Matsusaka in Mie. It is about a 15-minute walk from Matsusaka Station.
5 Takeya Gyuuniku-ten
Yakiniku, Japanese grilled meat, from this restaurant in Tsu that buys whole Matsusaka beef selected under strict standards. It also offers takeaway orders. The nearest train station, JR Takachaya, is about a 15-minute walk away.
6 Unafuji
Eel on rice, called unadon, at this restaurant in Tsu city, where eating eel every day is part of the local food culture. It serves lunch only. It is in Takanoo, a neighbourhood of Tsu.
7 Matsusaka Gyu OKUYAMA
Amiyaki, beef grilled on a wire net, at this speciality restaurant in Yokkaichi that serves only Matsusaka beef. The restaurant serves dinner only and closes two days a week. It is a 5-minute walk from Kintetsu Yokkaichi Station.

Explore on map

Open map view

Knowledge before you go

Pilgrims traditionally visit Geku first and Naiku second.
The Shimakaze train needs a reservation and has no service one weekday each week, depending on the route.
Mie is long from north to south, so pick one or two areas rather than the whole prefecture.
Ise Jingu rebuilds its main sanctuary every 20 years in a ritual called Shikinen Sengu, so the wood always looks fresh.

How to travel to Mie

Trains from Nagoya are the easiest way into Mie. Kintetsu limited express services run from Kintetsu-Nagoya to Ise and Toba. Ise, Tsu and Matsusaka are about 1.5 to 2 hours from Nagoya. From Osaka and Kyoto it takes about 2.5 hours. Tokyo travellers take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya in under 2 hours and change there. The Shimakaze sightseeing train runs from Osaka-Namba to Kashikojima in about 2 hours 20 minutes, with stops at Ise and Toba. Reserve seats ahead. It doesn't run on one day each week and the day depends on the route. From Nagoya it takes about 2 hours and from Kyoto about 2 hours 45 minutes. Chubu Centrair Airport (NGO) near Nagoya has buses and high-speed ferries to points in Mie. Driving from Nagoya or Osaka is easy on the expressways, including the Ise Expressway to Ise and the Meishin Expressway for Iga Ueno.

Access summary

From Kansai Intl (KIX): Shinkansen to Nagoya (50 min), local train to Tsu (30 min) – about 1 h 20 min.
From Osaka Itami (ITM): Limited Express Kuroshio to Tsu (1 h 15 min).
From Tokyo Narita (NRT): Shinkansen to Nagoya (2 h), local train to Tsu (30 min) – about 2 h 30 min.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Mie

Most visitors stay in Ise or on the coast near Toba and Shima. Ise suits a shrine trip and puts you close to Naiku and Geku with a mix of business hotels and ryokan. Toba and Shima have larger resort hotels and seafood ryokan, many with onsen baths. These work well for a night or two by the sea. Other areas have their own bases. Iga Ueno has small inns and a few hotels near its castle town. In the north, hotels near Nagashima Spa Land and Suzuka are busy during the racing and leisure seasons. The Kumano Kodo area has simple guesthouses and fewer rooms, so book early for spring and autumn. If you want to keep luggage in one place, Nagoya or Osaka are workable bases for a single day at Ise. Staying overnight in Ise gives you the quiet morning hours at the shrine before tour groups arrive.

Hotel recommendations

*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.

Mitsui Garden Hotel Nagoya Premier

9.0

Vessel Inn Sakae Station

9.2

Lake Biwa Otsu Prince Hotel

8.7

Dormy Inn Premium Nagoya Sakae Natural Hot Spring

Nishitetsu Hotel Croom Nagoya

9.1

Onyado Nono Nara Natural Hot Springs

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Mie

Mie is long and narrow with its main corridor along the coast from Nagoya through Tsu and Matsusaka to Ise and Toba. Trains do most of the work along it, while a car helps for the areas away from the main stations.

Trains:
Kintetsu runs from Nagoya through Tsu and Matsusaka to Ise and Toba and on to Kashikojima. JR lines serve the same coast while separate Kintetsu and Iga lines go inland to Iga Ueno. Kintetsu rail passes cover the line but you still pay the limited express charge for fast trains.

Buses:
Within Ise a local bus connects the stations with Naiku in about 15 minutes. Toba and the Ise-Shima coast can be reached by train and local bus, but services get thin once you move away from the main stations.

Car:
A car is useful for the bays of Ise-Shima, the Kumano Kodo area and the countryside around Iga. Naiku is about 5 minutes from the nearest Ise Expressway interchange. If you stay within Ise and Toba a car isn't needed.

Food in Mie

Food in Mie is mostly about seafood from the coast and good beef. Restaurants cluster near the stations and shrine streets. Many close in the early evening outside the main towns, so plan dinner ahead. Coastal ryokan include seafood dinners in the rate.

Ise-ebi:
Ise-ebi, the local spiny lobster, is the best known coastal speciality. Oysters from Toba and Shima are another. Some ama huts serve seafood grilled at your table.

Matsusaka beef:
Matsusaka beef is one of the best known beef brands in Japan. Tsu is known for eel.

Ise udon:
In Ise you can try Ise udon, which has thick soft noodles in a dark sauce.

Akafuku:
Akafuku is a sweet rice cake covered in sweet bean paste that has been sold near the shrine for centuries.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

We calculate the average costs when travelling to destinations and compare those with the living costs at your home. With this you can get an estimate of how expensive or cheap the destination is for you.

To customise this, you can set up which location and price level are used for the calculations in your account settings.

-55 %

Daily expenses in the region are around 55% lower than the average across United States. That means you'll spend a lot less on meals and getting around.

Exchange rate trend

The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.

-20 %

Your exchange rate (GBP to JPY) is 20% better than in recent years. That means travelling now is considerably cheaper compared to the past.

Travel costs

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when travelling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.

Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.

Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.

Daily cost summary

Travel style categories explained:

Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.

Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.

Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.

	Backpacker	Mid-range	Luxury
💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation	£44	£84	£233
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	£24	£51	£124
🍝 Food per day	£15	£26	£80
🚕 Transportation per day	£5	£7	£29

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	£7
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	£5
🍟 Fast food combo	£2.90
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	£6
☕ Cappuccino	£2.40
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l	£2.10

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	£1.15
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	£18
⛽ Petrol, 1 l	£0.85

Other

🎞️ Cinema ticket	£9.50
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	£21
🤧 Cold medication	£8
💇 Basic haircut	£11

Safety information overview

General safety

Mie is very safe for travellers with low crime in towns and shrine areas. The main risks are natural. Typhoons can hit the Pacific coast in late summer and autumn. Coastal areas are exposed to tsunami after strong earthquakes.

Health & Medical

Medical care is good in cities like Tsu, Yokkaichi and Ise and pharmacies are common in towns. Hospitals are far apart in the south around Kumano. Summer heat and humidity are the main health concern on shrine grounds and hiking trails.

Accessibility

Accessibility varies a lot across Mie. Larger stations and Kintetsu trains have lifts and step-free routes while Ise Jingu has long gravel paths and some steps. The Kumano Kodo trails are steep with stone steps that are slippery when wet.

Tap water

Tap water in Mie is safe to drink like the rest of Japan. Vending machines and convenience stores are easy to find in towns. In rural areas along the Kumano Kodo and the southern coast, carry a bottle because shops are far apart.