Kyoto Travel/ Kyoto Tour

When you think of Mie Prefecture, many people probably think of "female divers." Although the number is decreasing compared to the past, there are still more than 600 female divers active in the Toba-Shima area, the largest number in the country. The female divers are grateful for the blessings of the sea every day and continue to carefully preserve traditional fishing methods that are kind to nature, such as "not catching shellfish or seaweed until they are large." In 2017, the "fishing techniques of the female divers in Toba-Shima" were designated as an important intangible folk cultural property of the country.
It's fun to watch the actual female divers fishing from a boat, but we recommend the "Diving Hut Experience" where you can eat the fish and shellfish that the female divers have caught. The professional female divers themselves will grill the fish over a charcoal fire and a grill, and prepare them at the most delicious time. Listening to the stories of the female divers who carry on the traditions while tasting fresh seafood seems like a very valuable experience.

A very rare railway that remains in Mie Prefecture is the "narrow gauge railway."
Its biggest feature is its very narrow track width. The JR standard from the days of the national railways is 1067mm, and the global standard gauge used by some private railways is 1435mm, but narrow gauge is only 762mm, half the width of the standard gauge.
Because they were easier to build and cheaper to use than regular railroads, they were established all over the country during the Meiji and Taisho periods, but only three lines remain in the country today. Two of these are the Sangi Railway Hokusei Line in Mie Prefecture and the Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway (Ura-Hachioji Line).
The interior of the Hokusei Line trains is so narrow that the legs of people sitting opposite each other on the long seats touch each other. The air conditioner's outdoor unit is placed in the corner of the train, not on the ceiling.
The Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway, which is a refurbished train from the Kintetsu era, has rows of individual seats by the windows, and at first glance it looks like a bus. Please come and enjoy a small train trip that you won't find anywhere else.