This post covers our 4-day trip to Ise Shrine, Toba, and Kashikojima at the end of 2024. I’ll start by sharing the transportation pass we used and our Day 1 experience exploring the beautiful bay area of Kashikojima.

Just a heads up – we usually travel quite spontaneously, only booking hotels and having a rough idea of attractions we want to visit, so if you’re more of a detailed planner, this might just serve as reference material 😉

How It All Started

I’d always wanted to visit either Izumo Taisha or Ise Shrine, and decided to finally make it happen at the end of 2024.
Initially, I was planning to focus on Izumo Taisha, but the sleeper train wasn’t easy to book.
Looking at the locations, I realized that near Ise Shrine was Toba Aquarium, which I really wanted to visit – so Ise Shrine it was!

We had about four days available for this trip. Here’s the itinerary we ended up following for your reference.
We used public transportation throughout – if you fly directly into Nagoya, it might be cheaper and more convenient (since we went round-trip from Tokyo, which took extra time).
I felt we had a really fulfilling trip without rushing around, and saw everything we wanted to see!
Though I did come down with a high fever on Day 3 evening, so Day 4 was a bit slower-paced Q_Q

• Day 1 | Tokyo – (Shinkansen) – Nagoya – (Kintetsu) – Kashikojima – Kashikojima Spanish Cruise [Stay: Kashikojima no Yado Michishio]
• Day 2 | Kashikojima – (Ferry + Bus) – Ama Hut Satoumian – (Bus, Kintetsu) – Futami-ura – Toba [Stay: Oyado Andon Toba]
• Day 3 | Toba Aquarium – Ise [Stay: Comfort Hotel Ise]
• Day 4 | Ise Shrine Outer Shrine – Ise Shrine Inner Shrine – (Kintetsu) – Nagoya – (Shinkansen) – Tokyo

Transportation

If you’re visiting Toba and Ise, many people enter and exit via Nagoya.
If you enjoy self-driving, I think this area is perfect for a road trip – except that Ise Shrine can get really crowded with cars on holidays, but everywhere else would probably be much more convenient by car.

If you don’t drive or prefer public transportation, there are actually many different transportation passes available for that area. After evaluating our number of days and desired destinations, I highly recommend the pass we bought – the Ise・Toba・Shima Super Passport (伊勢・鳥羽・志摩スーパーパスポート).

This pass is valid for 4 days and comes in two versions: with or without limited express tickets. The price difference isn’t huge, but getting the limited express version is definitely worth it!

• With limited express: 11,700 yen (junior high and above); 6,400 yen (elementary)
• Without limited express: 9,300 yen (junior high and above); 5,300 yen (elementary)

What’s included:

• Kintetsu trains
  • Round-trip tickets + limited express tickets from your departure station (like Nagoya, Osaka Namba, Kintetsu Nara, Kyoto, etc.) to the Matsusaka~Kashikojima section
  • Free zone tickets + 4 limited express tickets for the Matsusaka~Kashikojima section
• Free local bus and ferry rides
• Free admission to 22 tourist facilities
• Other special discounts

You can buy it online, through travel agencies, or directly at Kintetsu stations.
Currently available at these stations – basically covering all major Kansai points and Nagoya, so very convenient!
But since this is a “Kintetsu” pass, make sure to buy it at “Kintetsu” stations – JR doesn’t sell them!

Osaka Namba, Osaka Uehonmachi, Tsuruhashi, Fuse, Kintetsu Yao, Yamato-Takada, Yamato-Yagi, Haibara, Nabari, Iga-Kambe, Higashi-Hanazono, Ikoma, Gakuenmae, Yamato-Saidaiji, Kintetsu Nara, Kyoto, Kintetsu Tambabashi, Okubo, Shintanabe, Tenri, Oji, Osaka Abenobashi, Fujidera, Furuichi, Takada-shi, Kashihara-Jingu-mae, Shimoichiguchi, Kintetsu Nagoya, Kuwana, Kintetsu Yokkaichi, Shiroko, Tsu, Ise-Nakagawa

Why I recommend this pass: not only are the train tickets great value, but the free admission to 22 tourist facilities is amazing! You can check the official website for the complete list, but just these alone make it worthwhile 😀

• Ise:
  • Hinjitsukan: Originally 310 yen
  • Ise Sea Paradise: Originally 2,100 yen (adults), 1,000 yen (elementary/junior high), 500 yen (toddlers and up), 2,000 yen (65+)
• Toba:
  • Toba Aquarium: Originally 2,800 yen (adults), 1,600 yen (elementary/junior high), 800 yen (toddlers and up)
  • Mikimoto Pearl Island: Originally 1,650 yen (adults), 820 yen (elementary/junior high)
  • Toba Bay Cruise & Dolphin Island: Originally 2,300 yen (adults), 1,200 yen (ages 4-elementary)
• Shima:
  • Shima Spain Village (Parque España): Originally 5,700 yen (adults), 4,600 yen (junior/senior high), 3,800 yen (ages 3+/elementary), 3,800 yen (65+)
  • Kashikojima España Cruise: Originally 1,800 yen (adults), 1,000 yen (ages 4-elementary)

We used Toba Aquarium and Kashikojima España Cruise, plus took Kintetsu trains, buses, and ferries countless times – already felt like great value 😀
If you’re staying for a while too, I highly recommend it!

Day 1: Leisurely Kashikojima

We departed Tokyo that day, taking the Shinkansen directly to Nagoya. Didn’t buy Shinkansen tickets in advance – they were easy to get that day. After arriving in Nagoya, we checked the time and went straight to transfer to Kintetsu Nagoya without leaving the station. At the Kintetsu counter, we bought the Ise・Toba・Shima Super Passport (伊勢・鳥羽・志摩スーパーパスポート) and immediately used one of the limited express tickets to reserve seats to Kashikojima Station.

We passed through Matsusaka on the way – yes, it’s famous for Matsusaka beef, not Matsusaka pork XD
We bought a Matsusaka beef railway bento to eat 🙂

I didn’t know much about Kashikojima beforehand, since it’s not really a popular tourist destination for Taiwanese travelers.
But I did some research beforehand (yes, thank you AI) and learned that this area is famous for its many beautiful bays and pearls, plus it has hot springs and even has a history of ama (female divers) culture (that’s why Shima City’s official mascot is Shimako-san, modeled after an ama diver).
In 2016, the G7 summit was held at Ise-Shima, which probably helped put it on the international map.

After arriving at Kashikojima Station, we were greeted by Pokémon’s Oshawott!
Turns out Mie Prefecture (including the Ise-Shima area) has an official partnership with Pokémon’s Oshawott, so you can see its cute figure everywhere 😀

It was already getting late when we arrived. There’s a simple shopping street outside the station selling pearls, and walking toward the harbor, you can see the beautiful azure sea and bay – absolutely stunning scenery.

We stayed at “Kashikojima no Yado Michishio,” a Japanese-style hot spring ryokan.
The ocean-facing room had incredible views – absolutely loved it.
This is one of the pricier hotels, and while you can choose more budget-friendly options, we really wanted to try Ise lobster, so we chose the one-night, two-meal plan for 55,000 yen total.
In Japan, I prefer booking directly through Jalan, Rakuten, or their official websites. After comparing prices, we chose the official website. Our plan was called:

◆伊勢海老、鮑に黒毛和牛でちょっと贅沢！美味し国グルメ食材をお手頃料金で楽しむならこちらで決まり！！
(A little luxury with Ise lobster, abalone, and wagyu beef! Perfect for enjoying delicious local gourmet ingredients at reasonable prices!)

After dropping off our luggage and resting a bit, we checked the sunset time and decided to take the cruise at a time when we could see the sunset. Kashikojima’s Spanish cruise seems to be closely related to España Village. While there was some historical Spanish missionary activity, the connection doesn’t seem that direct.
I find it amusing how every lake, river, and sea in Japan seems to have pirate ships you can ride haha.

Very few people were on the cruise that day.
Besides going on deck to admire the beautiful bay, you could also sit inside and have drinks.
We ordered hot chocolate and coffee and kept walking back and forth between inside and outside XD

By the time we returned to the ryokan, it was almost dinner time.
Dinner was served directly in our room – we had specifically chosen the meal plan with Ise lobster!
There was also abalone and wagyu – we were absolutely stuffed!
The seafood was incredibly fresh; even I, who don’t particularly love sashimi, ate it very happily. The presentation was also refined – it was a wonderful dinner.

After dinner, they told us they’d set up the futon mattresses for sleeping.
The ryokan also has a large communal bath with ocean views during the day, but personally, I didn’t find the bath that impressive, so I think I only used it once.

Since we spent a long time traveling today, our schedule was really relaxed.
Tomorrow we’ll start having more interesting attractions 😀

Thanks for reading:D

If you enjoyed this article, feel free to buy me a coffee — and a treat for my lovely dog Lottery! 🐾