Toba

34° 29' 15.44" N 136° 50' 47.48" E [34.4876, 136.8465] (KML)

Toba [M] is a popular tourist destination at the southern entrance to Ise [M] Bay. Toba's greatest claim to fame is as the birthplace of cultured pearls.

Toba [M] also has a number of islands nearby which are accessible by ferry. The two larger islands are Toshijima [S] and Sugashima [S]. Kamishima [S] is a smaller, more remote island.

Ise-Bay Ferry operates between Chubu Airport [S] and Toba [M].

Toba [M] Station is the final station of the Kintetsu Toba and Shima [S] Lines as well as the JR Sangu Line. Most travelers connect at Ise [M] or Shima. 2 hours by limited express kintetsu train from Osaka [M], 1 hour 35 minutes by limited express Kintetsu train or 1 hour 50 minutes by JR Central's Rapid Service Mie [S] from Nagoya [M].

The CAN Bus [S] is a service providing unlimited travel around the Ise [M], Futami, and Toba [M] areas. A 1 day pass is 1000 Yen for adults, 500 Yen for children. A 2 day pass is 1600 Yen and 800 Yen. More information here.

• Mikimoto Pearl Island, [2]. Open 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM. A museum celebrating the local inventor of the cultured pearl, and demonstrations by Ama (woman pearl divers). English guidance available. Five minutes walk from Toba [M] Station. ¥1500.  

• Toba [M] Aquarium, [3]. Arguably the best aquarium in Japan. Visitors can see African manatees, dolphins, a walrus, and a wide variety of shellfish, among other things. Although the manatees are quite popular, as they are the largest animals in the aquarium, the real gem is the dugong, listed as the "mermaid" in the pamphlet. Toba aquarium is one of only 4 aquariums in the world to display dugong, the others being in Sydney, Singapore, and Jakarta. English guides are available upon request at the information center inside the aquarium. ¥2400 adults, ¥1200 children.  

Text content was last edited at 04:38, on 10 September 2009 by Wikitravel user ChubbyWimbus. Based on work by Jani Patokallio and Grant Curtis, Wikitravel user(s) Early Bird and Episteme and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. A list of contributors is available at the original article on Wikitravel. This text content is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0.