GUIDED CYCLING TOURS

Ise is considered to be the spiritual home of the Japanese people. Since the great Shinto shrine of Ise Jingu was dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, some 2,000 years ago, prayers of thanksgiving and for peace for the people of Japan have continued here uninterrupted. Historically, people all over Japan saw it as a place to which one should make a pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime, no matter the risks involved. Even today, in the pure and solemn beauty and intense atmosphere of Japan’s most sacred site, set in the midst of a luxuriant forest, the myths live on.

Ama are women free-divers who make a living by harvesting the bounty of the ocean without any breathing apparatus. Their traditional skill was recognised in 2014 when they were designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Mie Prefecture. Ama have special huts in which they rest and relax between dives, cooking and eating food and warming themselves around a central fireplace. Why not visit Ama Hut Satoumian and enjoy listening to seldom-heard fishing stories told by the ama themselves over a meal of Ise-ebi, ormers and other delicious seafood fresh from the waters of Ise-Shima.

Situated atop Mt Yokoyama, 203 metres above sea level, this observation deck offers a sweeping view of beautiful Ago Bay, with its 60-odd islands and peninsulas and one of Japan’s most intricate coastlines, awarded one star in the Michelin Green Guide to Japan.

Green and pleasant Mikimoto Pearl Island, in Toba Bay, is famed as the place where Kokichi Mikimoto grew the world’s first cultured pearls in 1983. The 23,000-square metre island has a pearl museum, with exhibits explaining all about pearls, a shop and a restaurant. There are also diving demonstrations by ama fisherwomen in traditional white clothing.

Famed for its beautiful sunsets, the Kirigaki Viewpoint observation deck attracts many photography enthusiasts eager to capture the golden light that bathes the many capes and islands at the end of the day.