Drive

Get to Iga in just a little over an hour from Kyoto, Osaka, or Nagoya! Take a drive around Iga with a flexible schedule that allows you to take in the seasonal scenery, visit spots to meet adorable animals, or spend the day at a hot spring bath. On the way, stop by places that interest you or relax at a café you have stumbled upon.

Aoyama Highlands

Mt.Reizan

Must-Visit Hot Springs

Best cafés to go

Aekuni Shrine

Aoyama Highlands

Panoramic Views of Muro-Akame-Aoyama Quasi-National Park

Experience panoramic views of Ise Bay at Aoyama Highlands, a plateau towering along the border between the cities of Tsu and Iga.
Also referred to as “the Karuizawa of Kansai”, the Aoyama Highlands are a great location for a scenic drive packed with stunning views.
With scenic nature hikes and Okuyama Gongen (Okuyama Atago Shrine), there's plenty to see and do.

Enjoy the Changes of the Seasons

The gently undulating plateau offers something to enjoy in all four seasons. In spring, clusters of andromedas and azaleas bloom en masse, followed by the small red blossoms of the nadeshiko. Fall brings the white spikes of silvergrass, while hoarfrost-covered trees can be seen in winter.

Visit a Renewable Power Generator in the Path of the Wind

Dozens of wind turbines for a large-scale wind power generator have been built near the summit, letting you get up close to them for a powerful sight to behold. You can also visit Kaze no Megumi no Yakata, a facility where you can have fun learning about renewable energy.

青山高原

室生赤目青山国定公園の大パノラマ
道路沿いにはたくさんの風力発電の風車があります。
関西の軽井沢ともいわれる青山高原は見晴らしの良い高原のドライブコース。
また、豊かな自然を愛でながらハイキングを楽しむ人もたくさんいます。
初夏の頃には、青山高原つつじクォーターマラソンも開催されます。

Adress	Kachiji,Iga City,Mie
Contact	TEL：(+81)595-52-5202 HP：http://www.kankoaoyama.net/

A Popular Casual Mountain Climbing Course

Adorned with groups of stone Buddhas as well as clusters of andromedas and Japanese holly, this trail, which even novices can climb with ease, is popular.
As you approach the summit, you can see evergreen trees alongside the andromedas and Japanese holly. The adorable little white flowers at a touch of enjoyment to the trek.

A Prime Spot for Scenic Views of Iga Basin

This is a perfect location for overlooking Iga Basin, with its beautiful sceneries that change with the seasons. Interact with nature along the Tokai Nature Trail, which runs through the area and is bustling with hikers. The summit can be reached from Reizanji Temple, the starting point of the trail located midway up the mountain, can be reached in about one hour.

Reizanji Temple and a Natural Monument

Reizanji Temple was founded eons ago, and at the top of Mount Reizan (altitude 765.8 meters) is a large temple site (11,200 m²) dating from the Heian Period (794-1185) to the Edo Period (1603-1867), where the image of a standing Holy Kannon is enshrined.
The Mount Reizan Summit Ruins were designated as a Prefectural Historic Site on March 27, 1990. Stone Buddhas line the streets in the vicinity of Reizanji Temple, where you can also see the Ohatsuki ginkgo tree, which has been designated as a Natural Monument by the prefecture.

霊山

霊山寺から霊山山頂までの登山道では石仏群やアセビ・イヌツゲの群生が見られる、気軽に登れる登山コースが人気の霊山。
その中腹には霊山寺があり、登山道のスタート地点となっています。
寺の周辺には石仏が並び、平成8年3月7日に県の天然記念物に指定されたオハツキイチョウを見ることができます。また山頂付近には常緑広葉樹林のアセビ、イヌツゲの群生地があり。白くてかわいい小さな花を楽しむことができます。
霊山寺の創建は古く、霊山山頂（765.8m）には、平安時代〜江戸時代にかけての一大寺院跡（面積11,200m2）があります。奥之院には、聖観世音菩薩（しょうかんぜおんぼさつ）（延宝3年〈1675年〉）を安置し、石造台座には永仁3年（1295年）5月10日の銘があります。その後、霊山寺は現在のように霊山中腹に再興され、天台宗より黄檗（おうばく）宗に改宗されました。本尊、十一面観世音菩薩は寄木造で、像高1.8m、江戸時代初期の作です。
ほかに普賢（ふけん）菩薩や、平安時代の銅鏡が保管されています。

Adress	Shimotsuge,Iga City,Mie
Contact	―

Shimagahara Hot Spring Resort Yabutcha no Yu

Enjoy a superbly relaxing experience by soaking in Bijin no Yu ("Spring of Beauty"), which contains 142 mg of metasilicate, a natural moisturizing ingredient that promotes metabolism and regulates ceramides.

Adress	13680 Shimagahara,Iga City,Mie
Contact	TEL：(+81)595-59-3939 HP：http://www.yabutcha.com

Iga no Kuni Oyamada Hot Spring Resort Sarubino

Enjoy the relaxing sensation of bathing in natural hot spring water that flows freely from the source. The wood-scented Kesan no Yu and the stone Sasayuri no Yu baths can be enjoyed by men and women on alternating days.

Adress	2953 Kamiawa,Iga City,Mie
Contact	Toll Free：0120-46-0268 HP：http://www.sarubino.com

Natural Hot Spring Basho no Yu

Hill Hotel Sunpia Iga is a hotel that boasts a natural hot spring, offering both Japanese- and Western-style baths with saunas and open-air baths for you to enjoy.
The spring water has wide-ranging health benefits, making it a popular choice among women.

Adress	2756-104 Saimyoji,Iga City,Mie
Contact	TEL：(+81)595-24-7000 HP：https://www.hh-sunpia-iga.co.jp/onsen

Menard Aoyama Resort Koraku no Yu

At Koraku no Yu bath in Kiryu Hot Springs at Menard Aoyama Resort, a resort complex located 600 meters above sea level in the Aoyama Highlands, enjoy four types of baths, including the Aromatic Bath which features freshly picked herbs floating in the water.

Adress	2356 Kiryu,Iga City,Mie
Contact	TEL：(+81)595-54-1326 HP：https://www.menard.co.jp/resort/

IGA PIZZA

This Pizza Shop in a peaceful mountain village is open only on weekends. The pizza here is made with rice flour from Iga and baked in an authentic Neapolitan oven, making it crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. In the mountains behind the shop, there's even a treehouse and hammock so you can enjoy nature to the fullest.

Adress	2216-1 Kamitomoda,Iga City,Mie
Contact	TEL：(+81)595-43-2121 HP：https://www.facebook.com/igapizza/

THYME CAFE＆DINER

Look for the building that resembles a castle in the corner of a residential area. This café is popular for its healthy lunch menu that changes weekly and desserts made with Iga-based ingredients. Its sophisticated and refined atmosphere there is also noteworthy.

Adress	1-71 Hattoricho,Iga City,Mie
Contact	TEL：(+81)595-21-8501 HP：https://www.instagram.com/thymecafe421/

Old New Cafe

Enjoy hearty lunches and dinners in a relaxed and calm atmosphere where you can feel the warmth of wood.

Adress	1095-2 Shijukucho,Iga City,Mie
Contact	TEL：(+81)595-24-3028 HP：https://oldnewcafe.net/

Scoop

Enjoy chiffon cake that softly melts in your mouth at a garden café that makes you feel like you’re stepping into the world of a storybook.

Adress	1602 Hido,Iga City,Mie
Contact	TEL：(+81)595-37-0798 HP：https://www.igascoop.com/

The Highest Ranking Shrine in Iga and Its Deep Connections with Ninja

Iga's Ichinomiya Shrine (the heighest ranking shrine in the province) flourished in the Edo Period as the guardian deity of the “Devil’s Gate” (the northeast gate of the castle, believed to be an unlucky direction) to Iga-Ueno Castle. It is the head shrine of the Hattori family and also has deep connections to the family, and is the site where the Kurondo Festival, a festival dedicated to Ninjutsu and other martial arts, is held.

Lion Dance Dedication on January 3

The Shishi Kagura (Lion Dance) is a performance dedicated to the gods featuring a lion that wards off evil. One of the songs performed, a dance known as the Hanadaka, features a goblin known as a tengu that tries to wake a sleeping lion, drawing laughter from the audience.