Activities (long version)
Food Culture:
Ise-Shima is famous for its seafood, and there are many opportunities for fishing and related activities for visitors. Fishing boat tours of Ago Bay allow visitors to catch fish such as horse mackerel, with chances of catching improved with expert advice from the boatmen. Similar tours are offered on Sugashima Island. From January to March, wakame seaweed harvesting excursions are available. In Minami-Ise, visitors can try other fishing-related activities, such as rides on fishing boats and feeding farmed sea bream.
In Ise-Shima an activity program allows travelers to experience local culture, including visiting an ama diver's hut. This is a building where, traditionally, female divers known as ama relaxed, chatted and warmed themselves in front of a fire after diving. Ama have played an important role in Ise-Shima’s culture for centuries, and today the majority of Japan’s remaining ama live in this area. Visitors can relax around the hut’s central fire pit while an ama cooks fresh, seasonal seafood in front of them. These are rare opportunities to meet divers in a traditional setting and to hear their stories. In summer, those who would like to learn more about them can participate in dives with an ama.
Water Sports and Activities:
From mid-April to September, visitors can enjoy many water activities in the calmer seas of the bays. Going on a sea kayak or a paddleboard tours allows visitors to explore the inlets along the coastline and some of the many islands. The fully guided sea kayak tours are suitable for beginners and families. Some places also offer sea kayak tours at night, when the moon and stars over the sea create a romantic atmosphere.
Water ball activities on offer involve getting inside a large, inflatable, transparent ball, which is then towed across the bay by a boat. Riding over the sea in a water ball is a fun way to view the bay’s clear seas from a unique perspective.
For the more adventurous, skydiving over Ise-Shima’s seas, green forests, and coastlines makes for an exhilarating experience. This is available from summer through the fall. There is surfing on the Pacific side of Ise-Shima. Surf enthusiasts can rent boards from surfing schools. Snorkelers can discover seagrass beds and various types of seaweed, such as wakame. Diving offers close encounters with marine life, including various types of sea slug.
For those seeking a more relaxed vacation, various cruises depart from Kashikojima Island and Toba Bay. Ago Bay’s ferries weave around the bay’s many small islands, giving travelers an up-close view of the curving coastlines and lush forests.
Hiking, Walking, and Cycling:
Ise-Shima boasts numerous hiking trails, which lead visitors to the beautiful scenery of the surrounding bays and mountains. Trails suitable for beginners include the Yokoyama Picnic Site, with its many viewpoints offering vistas across Ago Bay. Surrounded by a large number of blossoming cherry trees in spring, Mt. Otonashi’s promenade looks out across Ise Bay towards Aichi Prefecture’s Atsumi and Chita peninsulas. Hikers who want to walk further can try climbing to the top of Mt. Asama, Ise-Shima National Park’s highest mountain. There are also guided walking tours of Shima’s rocky coasts and historical fishing villages.
Cycling tours allow visitors another way to experience the rich ecology and beautiful coastlines of Ise-Shima. Options include bicycle tours of Shima’s fishing villages and sunset cycling tours. Those who prefer to plan their own route can rent bicycles.
Craft Workshops:
There are also workshops where visitors can try extracting pearls and using them to make their own accessories or necklaces.