Kumano Kodo, Ise Pilgrimage Routes

The Kumano Kodo that connect Kumano to Ise, Osaka, Wakayama, Yoshino and the Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine were registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2004 as the "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Peninsula ".There are many hiking trails within these routes with the most popular track being the "Magose Toge,". This trail has a moss covered stone path that stretches about 2 km into a beautiful forest filled with native ferns and Hinoki cypress trees.

Nabana-no-Sato Flower Festival: Tulip Festival

◆Spring Events：Mid-March to late-AprilOut of all the flower displays and yearly events held at Nabana-no-

Sato, the Tulip Festival is the most popular. An awe inspiring 1,800,000 tulips, including purebred and irregular-shape varieties, bloom over an area of approximately 43,000 square meters. Nightfall brings a whole new way of appreciating the tulip's natural beauty as all area of are illuminated.◆『Nabana-no-Sato』Here, you can enjoy the natural beauty of seasonal flowers as they

bloom throughout the year. The park features plum and cherry blossoms in early spring; tulips, roses hydrangeas and Japanese irises in the middle of spring, and cosmos and dahlias in the fall. There is also begonia garden that is in bloom year-round, and a selection of eight different restaurants that offer Japanese, Western and Chinese cooking. The park also offers locally brewed beer, which is brewed with all-natural spring water. Nabana-no-sato is truly a sight to behold during the winter months, when it becomes home to the largest winter illumination in all of Japan.◆Access

10 min via Sanco Bus from JR/Kintetsu Kuwana Station

MAP1

Meoto Iwa Rope ReplacementShinto Ritual

◆Spring Events：May 5, September 5, and in Mid December (3 times a year)

The ropes that connect the Meoto Iwa Rocks are ceremonially replaced 3 times a year. In Shinto belief, the pair rocks serve the Sun Goddess and the Sarutahiko God, which represents the union between a man and a woman. The rope line, which connects the pair of rocks, is made up of 5 individual ropes that each have a length of 35m, a width of 10cm and weigh 40kg. Spectators can also participate in the rope replacement ceremony by helping to pass the ropes from person to person along a worship route that ends at the wedded rocks. When the ropes reach their destination, shrine parishioners replace the rope line with a new sanctified rope by hand while chanting a traditional workman's song.

◆『Futami Okitama Shrine and Meoto Iwa』The view of the rocks is impressive at dawn during the summer, as the

sun appears between both rocks. There are numerous statues of frogs around the shrine. These frog statues, along with the paired rocks are believed to bring safety, the return of things lost, renewed youth, and other forms of good luck to the many people that visit.◆Access15 minute walk from the JR Futaminoura station

MAP4

Iga Ueno Ninja Festival and Sakura Viewing at Ueno Castle

◆Spring Events：[Iga-Ueno Ninja Festival] April 1-May 5, 2011 (main attractions are on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays)During this season, ninja can be found all over Iga

City. Why don't you visit one of the city's "Ninja Transformation Spots," don some ninja clothing and join them? Everyone can join in on the fun, even the family dog! There's also a "Ninja Dojo" where you can experience ninja fighting arts and events like photo contests, and a ninja scavenger hunt.[Sakura Viewing at Iga-Ueno Castle]Ueno Park, with Ueno Castle standing at its center,

is home to 800 sakura trees. Around the end of March, paper lanterns light the park until 10PM, allowing visitors to admire yozakura, cherry blossoms illuminated under the night sky.

◆『Iga-Ryu Ninja Museum』Iga City in Mie Prefecture is known as the origin of the ninja. Near Ueno Castle you

will find the Iga-Ryu Ninja museum, the only museum of its kind in the world. Hereyou can enjoy learning about all the surprising secrets of the ninja that you won't find in the movies. The museum is made up of five buildings , the "Iga-Ryu Ninja House," the "Ninja Experience Hall," the "Ninja Tradition Hall," the "Ninja Experience Plaza" and the "Ninja-Bo", where you can purchase goods and souvenirs related to the ninja. Built in the 16th century, Iga Ueno Castle was destroyed by typhoons twice during its

construction. It had existed for much of its history without a main tower, but a 3-story main tower was erected during reconstruction in 1935.◆Access

5 min walk from Ueno-shi Station on the Iga Railway

MAP2

1

2

3

4

Discount Tickets!

This ticket includes:- ticket from the airport to Kintetsu Railway- Unlimited ride on the Kintetsu line, Iga Railway, Mie Kotsu Buses and Toba Municipal Bus (sea gull bus) - vaild for 5 days- 3 vouchers for Kintetsu limited express- discount coupons to sightseeing facilities

This ticket includes:- Unlimited ride on the Kintetsu Railway and Iga Railway - vaild for 5 days- 3 vouchers for Kintetsu limited express

http://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/index.html

Mie Travel Newsletter http://tourismmiejapan.com/ vol.1 2011

Top News Toｐics

Gourmet Dishes

MieMatsusaka City in Mie Prefecture is famous for

producing Matsusaka Beef, a brand of high quality Japanese beef that is renowned internationally. The cows used to create Matsusaka beef are known as "Kurogewashu", (meaning black-haired cow) and are female cows that have not had calves. Raising practices depend on the farm, with some farmers massaging their cows with Japanese rice wine; some farmers even feed their cows beer. Each cow is individually identified and registered in a monitoring system, where they receive an identification certificate, which has the cows name and a print of their nose. The secrets to this beef's delicious taste are its mouth watering aroma and fat that melts at a low temperature. The fatty portions in the beef can melt at room temperature and body temperature. (Fat melting temperature: Matsusaka Beef: 17.4��C, Other Beef : 25.9��C). In Matsusaka City there is a large range of different places to eat Matsusaka Beef, from top quality Sukiyaki restaurants to Horumonyaki restaurants (restaurants that specialize in grilled beef or pork innards).

◆AccessAround the JR・Kintetsu Matsusaka Station

2

1

4

3

Matsusaka Beef

Saio Festival

◆Spring Events：June 4, 5, 2011 (the first Saturday and Sunday of the month)This event features a reenactment

of the purification ritual, departure ceremony, procession and shrine gate ceremony performed in antiquity when each Saio left the capital for her new residence at Saiku. A scene from "the Tales of Ise," a love story based on the lives of Ariwara no Narihira and the Saio Yasuko, describes how the two exchanged love songs at a point along the procession route, lamen-ting their fate to be separated forever. On the first night of the festival,

performances on an illuminated sta-ge will be sure to dazzle you. On the second day, reenactments

of the purification ritual, procession and shrine gate ceremony will take you back to the world depicted in Heian picture scrolls. There will also be over 100 tents featuring a variety of food, games and goods, so the whole family can join in on the fun.

◆『Saio Historical Museum』This museum stands where the Saio,

an unmarried female member of the Imperial Family, was sent to live and worship in antiquity. Artifacts and scroll paintings recovered through excavation and a variety of materials are on display, outlining the rich history and culture of the Saiku, the residence of the Saio.◆AccessA short walk from Kintetsu Saiku

Station

MAP3