Ise-Jingu Shrine and Mikimoto Pearl Island Tour with Seafood BBQ

Información

From pearls to ancient shrines, discover Japanese culture at its purest with a tour to Ise Jingu Shrine Naiku and the world’s first Mikimoto Pearl Island.

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Visit the sacred Ise Jingu Shrine Naiku, boasting over 2,000 years of history
* Meet female pearl skin divers and have a fresh seafood BBQ lunch with them
* Explore Mikimoto Pearl Island and see female divers skin dive for pearls

Departing from Nagoya, we take the Kintetsu Limited Express to either Iseshi Station or Ujiyamada Station (reserved seating) to see a shrine that boasts over 2,000 years of history. The Ise Jingu Shrine Naiku is one of two main shrines that form part of a larger shrine complex called Ise-Shima National Park. Spend about an hour finding out about its history and how 2013 was the year of Shikinen Sengu Ceremony; an important ceremony held every 20 years to reconstruct sacred buildings which were only just completed last October.

Next it’s time to stroll around the Oharai-machi and Okage Yokocho, where you can step back in time to the Edo era. Take a break to try some Akafukumochi, rice cakes covered in bean paste, and enjoy some shopping time. We then continue the tour by bus to the female diver’s hut, Hachimankamado, where you can meet the divers and learn about their customs all whilst tucking into a delicious seafood BBQ lunch cooked on an irori, a traditional sunken hearth. Be sure to try on a divers outfit before we make our way to Mikimoto Pearl Island, home to the world’s first cultured pearls, where you can see the female divers first hand as they skin dive for pearls. If time permits we also go to Toba Ichibangai on foot where you can shop for local goods before we return on the Kintetsu Limited Express to Osaka.

Meeting/pick-up point: Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel, 2nd floor lobby.
Duration: 12 hours.
Start/opening time: At 8:20am.
End/closing time: At 8:20pm.
Opening days/period: Wednesday and Friday.
Languages: English.
End point: Kintetsu-Namba Station.
Others: Please note that if the female divers hut is closed due to inclement weather, inspections or other operational concerns, the tour will visit Mikimoto Pearl Island, and lunch will be held at either a Western or Japanese-style restaurant.