10 Recommended Touring Roads and Spots in Mie Prefecture, selected by riders who have circumnavigated Japan twice.

Hello to all Webike Plus readers! I am Sasu Rider, a man who is like a mirror of Japanese people, and I have to visit Ise once a year. Mie Prefecture is a place rich in nature with the Ise Jingu Shrine, which all Japanese people know, and has both ocean and mountains.... It is the most convenient area for us riders! We would like to introduce some of the recommended touring roads and spots in Mie Prefecture. The information is current as of December 2025. The information is subject to change without notice. Please check before you go.

1 Scenic Road: Ise-Shima Skyline

The Ise-Shima Skyline is a winding road that offers a spectacular view of Ise Bay,one of the largestinner baysin Japan and the pride of Mie Prefecture.It is a 16.3-km long toll tourist road connecting Ise City, where Ise Jingu Shrine is located, and Toba City, where motorcycles can pass for 900 yen... Unfortunately, motorcycles under 125 cc are not allowed to pass. The road is a true highlight of touring in Mie Prefecture, and is dotted with attractive stopping spots and viewpoints along the way.

One Point Advice for Sasu Riders

The Asakuma Summit Observation Deck is a popular stopping point for riders on the Ise-Shima Skyline, with a large parking lot, public restrooms, and a rest house with a store and refreshments corner. Furthermore, the "summit plaza" overlooking the magnificent Ise Bay has a " footbath atop Mt. Asakuma (100 yen)" where you can soak in a footbath while enjoying the spectacular view, and the " Sky Post" whichhas become extremely popular as an Instagram spot in recent years, so we recommend that you keep both in mind when you stop by.

2 Scenic Road: Pearl Road

Along with the Ise-Shima Skyline introduced earlier, the Pearl Road is one of the two major touring roads in Mie Prefecture. It is a gentle winding road of about 23.8 km in length connecting Toba City and Shima City, both known as sea towns, and although some sections used to be toll-free, the entire road is now free of charge! It is a famous road that has been selected as one of the "50 Best Roads in Japan" by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, and is not only enjoyable to drive and scenic, but also has many attractive places to stop along the way, such as Shima Spain Village.

One Point Advice from a Sasu Rider

A regular stopover for riders on the Pearl Road is the Toba Observation Deck, located on a hill 163 meters above sea level. It is one of the most spectacular spots in Mie Prefecture where you can see the characteristic rias coastline and horizon of the Ise-Shima area. The site has a large parking lot, public toilets, and the popular " Divers' Terrace," a stylish store and cafe with a view of the sea. Fortunately, parking and admission to the Toba Observation Deck are free, so be sure to stop by when driving along the Pearl Road.

3 Power Spot: Ise Jingu Shrine

Japan, where Shinto has lived and breathed since ancient times, is dotted with shrines of various sizes, but the Ise Jingu Shrine stands out among them for its overwhelming stature and name recognition. It is a representative shrine of Japan, known for the well-known "Oise pilgrimage," and is generally visited at two places called "Geku" (outer shrine) and "Naiku" (inner shrine).... In fact, Ise Jingu is overwhelmingly large, consisting of 125 shrines in total! The rule for ordinary worshippers, including riders, is to visit the Outer Shrine and then the Inner Shrine in that order, and since the two shrines are about 5 km apart, it is necessary to travel by motorcycle.

One point of advice from a Sasu rider

Ise Jingu Shrine is actually a rider-friendly shrine , with free bicycle parking spaces for motorcycles at both the Geku and the Naiku. In particular, since " Okage Yokocho ", a popular sightseeing street, is located at the Inner Shrine, you should definitely stop by there after visiting the shrine, so it is really nice to have a place where you can park your bike without worrying about the time! By the way, when you visit "Okage Yokocho", it is an obligation for riders to eat "Akafuku", a famous confectionery representing Mie Prefecture, at the main store full of emotion (if you don't eat it, you are disqualified as a touring rider).

4 Sightseeing Spots: Onigajo Castle

Onigajo is a wild and rugged scenic spot that looks like an ogre's castle, with a 1.2-km stretch of oddly shaped rocks and strange sights formed by the rough waves of the Sea of Kumano. Onigajo is registered as part of the World Heritage Site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range," which straddles Mie, Nara, and Wakayama Prefectures, and its "unrealistic" scenery is worth seeing!The wild boardwalks that cling to the rock face are a popular way to enjoy the area, and it is a precious place with fewer inbound visitors than other tourist destinations (but the number is likely to increase in the future).

One point of advice from a Sasu rider

Onigajo is a place where you can stop by casually, which is the biggest advantage, since admission and parking are both free (parking will be charged), but the content is top-notch! Moreover, when I was there before, it was a simple place with just a parking lot and a boardwalk, but now there is a " Onigajo Center (with restrooms)" with a store and a restaurant near the entrance of the boardwalk, which has greatly improved the convenience of the place.

5 Sightseeing Spots: Iga-ryu Ninja Museum

The Iga-ryu Ninja Museum is a museum where visitors can learn about the Iga-ryu Ninja, one of the two major schools of Ninja that once existed in Japan, the Iga-ryu and the Koga-ryu. The museum is located in Iga City, Mie Prefecture, one of the strongholds of the Iga school of ninja, which was once called Iga Province !The admission fee is 1,000 yen per adult and 600 yen for the ninja show, but I personally recommend seeing the ninja show as well (it is more fun than you can imagine)!

One point of advice from a Sasu rider

The Iga Ninja Museum is located in a large park called "Ueno Park", and other attractions in the park include " Iga-Ueno Castle" and " Memorial Museum of Old Basho"! In fact, the park is also famous for its cherry blossoms, so you will be happy to enjoy cherry blossom viewing in spring after learning about the ninja. Motorcycles are recommended to park at the " Johoku Parking Lot (200 yen per day)," which is about a 10-minute walk from Ueno Park (there are other parking lots where motorcycles are allowed).

6 Sightseeing Spots: Suzuka Circuit

Famous for the Suzuka 8-hour Endurance Road Race (Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance Race), a major event in the motorcycle world held every summer, Suzuka Circuit is one of the most famous circuits in Japan. Generally, the word "circuit" conjures up an image of a place that is closed except when a race is being held, but... In fact, Suzuka Circuit is a major leisure spot with shopping and dining spots, a campground, hot springs facilities, and an amusement park in addition to the circuit facilities!... So, if you are a rider, it is worth visiting just because it is the place where the Suzuka 8 Hours is held, but in fact, it is also an excellent place to stop by while touring.

One point of advice from a Sasu rider

The admission fee to Suzuka Circuit varies depending on the season and whether or not there is a race, but it is usually around 2,000 yen to 3,000 yen. As for the parking fee for motorcycles, it is surprisingly reasonable at 500 yen per day, allowing you to enjoy exploring the Suzuka Circuit as much as you like without worrying about parking time!

7 Sightseeing Spots：Kaochidani

Kochidani is a beautiful valley in Nabari City, Mie Prefecture, which is said to have been another base of the "Iga Province (Iga-ryu Ninja)" described above. The canyon runs along the Shorenji River, a tributary of the Nabari River , and has an 8-km stretch of "columnar jointed" rock surfaces that are described on the official website as "as if they had been cut open with an axe! The scenery is especially beautiful during the autumn foliage season, which is from early to late November every year, attracting many camera enthusiasts to the "Momijidani" ( Autumn Leaves Valley).

One Point Advice for Sasu Riders

A place that should be enjoyed in combination with a stroll along Korogei is Seirenji Lake, an artificial lake formed by a dam along the Seirenji River, which is also worth a visit for its mysterious blue surface!Incidentally, there are parking lots and public restrooms at Seirenji Lake and the Autumn Leaves Valley of Karakkei, so you can get off your bike and enjoy a leisurely stroll.

8 Roadside Station: Kiinagashima Mambo

Due in part to the recent boom in roadside stations, there are currently 1,230 roadside stations (data as of June 13, 2025) scattered throughout Japan, a huge number... However..! As far as I know, the only roadside station where you can eat sunfish is "Kiinagashima sunfish"!... So, the "Kii-Nagashima Mambo" roadside station in Kihokucho, Mie Prefecture, is a unique roadside station where you can taste unusual mambo gourmet dishes at the in-house cafeteria and take-out corner, such as the "fried mambo set meal" and "grilled mambo skewers. To begin with, the roadside station is symbolized by a sunfish monument, so you can tell even before you enter that the focus is on sunfish in some way... But the fact that you can eat here is what makes this roadside station a great place to travel.

One point of advice from a wandering rider

It may be a little difficult to transport by motorcycle because it is a "raw" product... At Kiinagashima Mambo, for example, you can buy extremely rare souvenirs such as "white meat of mambo"! To be frank, it is simply a small-scale roadside station, and if anything, it is a bit tired... I would say that it's a "pass-through" destination for me, but... However, thanks to the one and only strong content of this "edible mambo," I am confident in recommending it as a "roadside station you should stop by. In addition, Kiinagashima Mambo has a dedicated parking space for motorcycles (woohoo mambo...! ← I just wanted to say that).

9 Roadside Station: Kiho Town Sea Turtle Park

Michi-no-Eki: Kiinagashima Roadside Station Like the mambo, this is just a small roadside station that looks... This is a roadside station that has gained popularity not by its mambo but by its "sea turtle" content! The name "Kiho-cho Sea Turtle Park" is a roadside station in Kiho-cho where sea turtles come to lay their eggs, and a "Sea Turtle Aquarium" is located next to the regular roadside station facilities! You can visit the pool where real sea turtles swim gracefully for free, and depending on the time of year, events are held where you can actually touch the turtles.

One Point Advice for Sasu Riders

Kiho-cho Roadside Station Kiho-cho Sea Turtle Park is actually a roadside station where I stopped by simply because I wanted to go to the restroom... However, I still vividly remember how surprised I was to find that there was a sea turtle aquarium on the premises after I had done my business! In fact, I think it is rare to find a place where you can see sea turtles for free, so I highly recommend that you stop by here. Incidentally, as a roadside station, it is equipped with a cafeteria where you can enjoy popular fresh shirasu (raw sardines) and tuna bowls, as well as a product store and a coin-operated shower (500 yen per shower), which is not so easy to use when touring for a long time.

10 Gourmet Spot: Dream Ocean

Dream Ocean is a very popular restaurant with two main features: a sumptuous gourmet menu featuring Matsuzaka beef, the pride of Mie Prefecture's premium brand of Japanese beef, and a yakiniku buffet with an extensive menu. In addition to reasonably priced sukiyaki and shabu-shabu menus of Matsuzaka beef, the restaurant offers a superb yakiniku buffet with more than 50 dishes (including side dishes) of mainly Japanese beef for only 3,080 yen on weekdays! This restaurant is truly a savior for hungry touring riders, and I don't know of a better gourmet spot in Mie Prefecture.

One point of advice from a Sasu rider

Back in the day, when I was touring around Japan on my motorcycle, a local told me about a place called Dream Ocean through the Internet, which at the time was called "Ocean". To be frank, while touring, I thought "an all-you-can-eat yakiniku restaurant is kind of a bad idea (i.e., the image of a restaurant that can be found anywhere)"... As it turned out, it was a first-class restaurant where we could eat a lot of delicious meat so much that we wanted to worship the person who told us about it as a god! By the way, it is a popular restaurant, so it is better to make a reservation, especially on weekends... Personally, I think "making reservations while touring" is an act that reduces the freedom of the trip, so if possible, the smartest thing to do is to go during lunchtime on a weekday.

Let's go touring to Ise by motorcycle!

The Oise pilgrimage, which once took months to complete on foot, can now be completed in a blink of an eye by the wonderful vehicle of a motorcycle! And since Mie Prefecture is dotted with places where you can enjoy "after touring" after visiting Ise, there is no reason not to go (once and for all) To the gallery (19)

[ getpost id="499213"]