Japan: Mie Prefecture - 7 days Itinerary and Expenses

Japan: Mie Prefecture - 7 days Itinerary and Expenses

First time we have visited Mie is on spring of 2019 (year before the global lockdown).  It was a bus trip away from Nagoya station to Nabana no Sato. 

This time (2024), I'd like to try to visit Japan during summer, season for blooming irises (Hanashobu) and hydrangea (Ajisai).  For month of June, I'd say early morning and late afternoon is still cold with strong winds.  Midday may already be hot with striking sunlight.  There are few rain showers so better bring a light jacket and umbrella. 

Coming from Manila, there are four airports to choose from and Nagoya has the most affordable in-bound flight during the search period, so I gave it a shot.  This will be my fifth time to inbound in Chubu Centrair International Airport.  

What is the planned route for this trip?

Travel Date: 09-16 June 2024

From Chubu Centrair International Airport, we have two options to take, either by train or by ferry.  However, during my visit, whenever I plan the transfer from/to the airport the sky becomes cloudy.  I personally do not want to travel cloudy, because more likely that the waves will be stronger. 

From Nagoya station I took a Kintetsu limited express and rode a Vista car.  It's my first time to take a double-decker train in Japan.  (The very first is on our trip in Australia in 2015 from Sydney to Katoomba.) 

First three nights will be staying in Iseshi station.  Visiting Ise Jingu that has Magatama Pond with irises and then Vison which is an extensive commercial resort.  Next, we'll moved to Iga-Ueno to stay in a unique hotel of Nipponia and know more about the Ninja life.  

On fifth day, will drop by Seki Post Town in Tokaido road, Kameyama (since I have already been in Magome-juku and Tsumago-juku in 2019) before heading to Tsu station where we'll be staying for next two nights.  Sixth day, will be having adventure by taking the Gozaisho Ropeway.  

Seventh day is a weekend and will be taking advantage of the free shuttle service from Hisai station to Kazahaya no Sato to check the garden's hydrangea festival.  We'll be using the afternoon to transfer to stay near Chubu Centrair.  We'll be spending the rest of the evening roaming around Aeon Rinku-Tokoname, shopping at GU or Uniqlo and buying out chocolates and coffee at the grocery as returning gifts back to my home country. 

Itinerary: Places to go, Things to see, What to do?

Day	Places to See	Food and Restaurants	Accommodation	Others
1	Transfer from Chubu to Iseshi	Starbucks Steam Kitchen hanakago’me	Sanco Inn Iseshi Ekimae	Shima Spain Village Shima Mediterranean Village Ninja Kingdom Ise
2	Ise Jingu Geku, Outer Ise Jingu Naiku, Inner Okage Yokocho   Isuzugawa Post Office	Isuzugawa Café Matsusaka Beef Charcoal Grilled Starbucks Coffee - Ise Naiku-mae SNOOPY Village Koujiya pudding honpo	Sanco Inn Iseshi Ekimae	Butasute   他抜きだんらん亭   Pottery store Camino coffee
3	Vison minä perhonen museum shop Ruminoki Living Reference Room KATACHI museum	Sarutahiko Coffee Confectionary Shop Imuraya Marche Vison 参道terrace	Sanco Inn Iseshi Ekimae	Futami Shobu Roman Forest mineral mist bath Le Furo cafe Tomiyama Warashibe Taiyaki
4	Igaueno Castle Town Ueno Post Office Catholic Ueno Church Iga-ryu Ninja Museum Iga Ueno Castle	Cafe huone hanamori coffee stand Tsukiakari no shosai	Nipponia Hotel (Kanmuri)	Iga Kumihimo Kumi no Sato café 青天の霹靂
5	Seki Post Town Chōkantei Seki Machinami Museum Sekijuku Hatago Tamaya  Museum	Old house cafe/restaurant “EN” Café (アールグレイ) 8 Herb	Sanco Inn Tsu Ekimae	gute cafe
6	Gozaisho Ropeway	Restaurant "Nature"	Sanco Inn Tsu Ekimae	Aqua Ignis, Kyuka Park Moroto Garden, Rokkaen
7	Kazahaya no Sato Aeon Rinku-Tokoname	Yoshinoya Gion Saryo6	Toyoko Inn Chubu	Matsusaka agricultural Bell-farm
8	Jog around Centair port Go to Centair port breakwater	Starbucks	n/a

Reviews and Random Thoughts

• Aside from trains, there is an option to take a ferry to Mie prefecture. Although I did not take it, there are passengers who have been taking this route.

• We always hear about JR pass or Shinkansen trains, but there is also Kintetsu pass. Apart from Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, the 5-day pass plus can reach Mie and cover some bus routes too.

• I'm starting to get to know more and would like to experience other trains. For this trip, I was able to take a seat on a Vista car in Limited Express from Nagoya station to Iseshi station.

• Far from the traditional market street of culture and tradition, visiting Vison is about modern architecture and minimalist arts museums. 

• I finished my collegiate years in a four-century old university in the Philippines.  But this is the first time I slept in a more than a century old storehouse (warehouse) in Japan.  Unique type of accommodation as they have restored very old buildings in the castle town.  I did not visit an onsen on this trip, but I enjoyed a cypress bathtub in my room.

• If you are visiting a Ninja museum or Ninja Residence, try to watch Netflix's House of Ninja beforehand. You'll get to know about shinobi, their meal, and some practices.

• Gozaisho ropeway is on a different level. The elevation is much higher than the one we took in Kyoto heading to Kuramadera temple and in Matsuyama heading to the castle.

• I skipped Starbucks in Kyoto Nineizaka Yasaka Chaya, Kyoto due to the crowd. But I have visited Starbucks Ise Naiku-mae. It's one of the branches that was featured in the Store Design Architecture Book Magazine. 

• Always keep some coins handy. I already have a Kintetsu pass, but I have to take a JR train. I tapped my Suica at the wrong machine and was unable to use it after. I used my Icoca to enter and it got an error upon exit. In smaller towns, it is just normal to have an unmanned station, so when this kind of problem occurs there is no IC counter to fix this for you.  In Japan, there are stations where you pay for the ticket in advance. But there are trains in provinces, where you get a ticket upon entering and you need to pay to the driver. If you no longer have a working IC, pay an exact amount in cash/coins.  Then, head to the next major station or transfer station. Prepare your Google Translate so you simply explain what happened to your IC. They can fix your problem, and you just need to be calm.

• Apart from limited enclosed waiting areas, there are also seats in the open-area. 

• Reserve your shopping in major cities or in shopping malls. Don't go out of your way visiting a shop in warehouse branches. It might be for those who have cars or it can be inconvenient to visit by bus.

• During summer trips, this is your chance to pack light. Bring less clothes than what you need. Book at a hotel that offers a laundry area. Challenging at first, but it's fun when I came to operate these washing machines.

Expense Report: Budget Travel Guide

Other sample itineraries and expense reports:
For my further sample itinerary, expense, trip reports and PDF guides, please visit links below:

Japan: Traveling for the First Time
Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2016 May)
Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2017 May)
Fukuoka and Saga: Autumn Itinerary (2022 Dec)
Nagano, Hakone to Tokyo: Autumn Itinerary (2019 Dec)
Nagoya: Autumn Itinerary (2015 Nov)
Nagoya: Spring Itinerary (2019 Mar-Apr)
Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka: Autumn Itinerary (2023 Nov)
Osaka, Kyoto: Autumn Itinerary (2012 Dec)
Osaka, Okayama, Kobe, Kyoto, Japan: Spring Itinerary (2014 May)
Sasebo, Oita and Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2023 Apr)
Tokyo: Autumn Itinerary (2014 Oct)

*Remember, you still need to decide for yourself based upon your attraction and fascination over a place or activity.  As well as to consider the pace you want to have while traveling.  Planning too many targets on a day will either exhaust you rather than give you peace and joy on the culture and tradition.

Create your own road, rather than taking someone else's path.  

It can only be a road when one passes it.