Zac Reynolds has lived in Japan for over 20 years, and now works for a bicycle maker in Mie Prefecture. As a crossroads on the old Tokaido Highway, Mie has a unique cultural legacy. In the post station of Sekijuku, we visit a sweets store run by the descendants of a famous ninja spy. We meet young newcomers using organic farming to revitalize a country town, and on the south coast, a couple who have cultivated pearls for 45 years. This remains one of Japan’s most vibrant and exciting places to live.

絵かきの町・大王 大王大賞展「第13回絵画展」に全国より88点（73人）のご応募があり、 令和4年2月15日（火）・16日（水）の2日間にわたり厳正な審査の結果、下記の作品が入賞されました。

• お問い合わせ先　絵かきの町・大王 実行委員会事務局（志摩市観光協会内）
  ／TEL：0599-46-0570

• 関連リンク
  • 絵かきの町・大王「第13回絵画展 大王大賞展」作品募集要項

一般社団法人 志摩市観光協会は、令和3年11月4日付けで観光庁の『観光地域づくり法人（候補DMO 第21弾）』に登録されました。

これからも地域の観光関連事業者様をサポートすべく、観光地域づくり法人（DMO）の登録を目指し尽力してまいりますので、引き続き当協会事業へのご理解とご協力のほど、よろしくお願いいたします。

• 関連リンク
  • 観光地域づくり法人（登録DMO 第11弾、候補DMO 第21弾）の登録について｜観光庁

The camera of TokyoStreetView came by Shima for a short but intense video showcasing the beautiful nature of the Ise-Shima National Park. Git it a look !

「しまこさん」

「あおサ～」

【 ふるさと応援寄附返礼品(プレミアム宿泊利用券)利用期間延長対応について 】

この度は志摩市プレミアム宿泊利用券をお選びいただきましてありがとうございます。

みだしの事につきまして、ご案内をさせていただきます。

新型コロナウイルス感染症の感染拡大防止や緊急事態宣言などで、「旅行に行けない」「期限内に志摩市へ行けない」との声をたくさんいただいた事を受け、下記のとおりご利用期間を1年間延長させていただく事としました。

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□ 発行日 2020年4月1日～2020年10月31日の期間のもの
　→　有効期限をさらに1年間延長

　　例）発行日　2020.4.1の場合　
　　　　→有効期限を2022年4月1日　とします。

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□ 発行日　2020.10.31の場合　
　→　有効期限を2022年10月31日　とします。

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　※前回
□ 発行日2019年10月1日～2020年3月31日の期間のもの
　→　有効期限をさらに1年間延長対応をお願いしております。
　　
　　例）発行日2019年10月1日　→　2021年10月1日とします。
　　　　発行日2020年3月31日　→　2022年3月31日とします。

——————————————————–

※ご使用の際には事前に（一社）志摩市観光協会 までご連絡をお願いいたします。
　ご不明点等ございましたら、ご連絡をお願いいたします。

• お問い合わせ先　一般社団法人　志摩市観光協会
  〒517-0501　三重県志摩市阿児町鵜方1670-2(近鉄鵜方駅改札階)
  TEL:0599-46-0570 /FAX:0599-46-1113
  担当　　濱口・南

• 関連リンク
  • ふるさと納税返礼品「プレミアム宿泊利用券」についてはこちら

Ama fishing has survived for centuries on the Shima Peninsula mostly because the ama divers have protected the resources of their waters in a sustainable way, by limiting their fishing season and regulating the catch.

For travelers in Japan, we would like to introduce some tools to get the latest information in case of emergency.

1. [App] Safety tips

This Application notifies a user with EEW, Tsunami Warnings, Volcanic Warnings, Weather Warnings, Heat illness Warnings and Civil Protection Information issued in Japan. It is a free application developed under the supervision of Japan Tourism Agency.

The Application provides various functions useful for foreign tourists in Japan.

The application is available in 12 languages: English, simplified and traditional Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Tagalog, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Nepali, Thai, and Japanese.

2. [Website] Multilingual Emergency Updates (NHK World Japan)

This website is operated by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation).

NHK releases and updates the latest information about natural disaster and Covid-19 situations.

Available in 20 languages.

According to the survey of Tripadvisor(c) released on December 1st 2020, Shima city was chosen as the best tourist destination in Japan!

This survey was reflecting the recent trend of domestic travelers who prefer to avoid busy places to hot springs, outdoor activities, and walking in nature.

The ranking is as below;

1. Shima (Mie prefecture)
2. Nikko (Tochigi prefecture)
3. Hakone (Kanagawa prefecture)
4. Shirahama (Wakayama prefecture)
5. Beppu (Oita prefecture)
6. Ito (Shizuoka prefecture)
7. Hakuba (Nagano prefecture)
8. Karuizawa (Nagano prefecture)
9. Fuji Kawaguchiko (Yamanashi prefecture)
10. Yufu (Oita prefecture)

The result was based on the replies from 3429 people of USA, UK, Italy, Australia, Japan, and Singapore, and the data from search outcome and hotel-reservations between December 2020 to January 2021.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Japan’s Go To Travel Campaign, the major hotels and ryokans in Shima city are almost fully booked on weekends lately.

Because Shima is rich in nature, and there are many options for seafood and outdoor activities such as canoeing and fishing, it becomes more attractive tourist destination for domestic travelers.

A series of Youtube videos were released by Mie prefecture!

These videos would give you perfect images of what you can do in Mie prefecture.

Of course, our proud and beautiful district Shima is on the videos, and you can check out local activities and breath-taking scenery of Shima.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon!

‘Ama’ or ‘Ama-san’, as known as female skin divers, are traditionally women’s occupation in Japan.

Many of the Women who were born in fishing villages started diving from early age, and became Ama-san to catch a variety of seafoods to make their livelihood.

Even after they got married and became mothers, those women could dive into the sea and earned a lot of money. That helped women be independent and they worked proudly as important income earner of the family.

After the economic growth, the number of Ama-san got decreased dramatically. Some fishing villages have not a single Ama anymore, and the tradition completely disappeared.

However, in Shima city, there are approximately 230 women who work as Ama (2018).

And there are some places that visitors can meet and talk with those real Ama-san while having excellent grilled seafood inside a cozy atmospheric wooden hut.

At Ama Hut SATOUMIAN, nice and chatty Ama women will welcome visitors and tell their stories about daily work and tradition. It’s a very unique experience that we want anyone to try.

• place2279 Shimacho Koshika, Shima 517-0704 Mie Prefecture
• Contact Tel: +81 599 85 1212
• parking Free Parking Lot Available
• Related Links Ama Hut SATOUMIAN (Official Website) 、Ama Hut SATOUMIAN (Tripadvisor)
• Remarks For reservations of more than 15 persons, please contact Ama Hut directly.

• Photo from http://cheeserland.com/2020/10/once-in-your-lifetime-in-mie/

The famous travel blog Cheeserland.com just shared a blog about Ise-Shima!

The well-known female blogger Cheesie, who shares her travel experiences through Cheeserland.com and have traveled all 47 prefectures of Japan, just came back to Mie prefecture this time.

Please check out her blogs to see what you can do in Mie prefecture!