September 10, 2025 — 5:00am
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One of the greatest (if not strangest) experiences I’ve had in Japan was spending a month in a fishing village. The isolated cove of Nigishima had no restaurants, no bars and no supermarkets. There is nothing to do in the town but sit in a pretty house on a picturesque hill and use one of seven vending machines if things get too dire.
The decision to spend a month here was not rooted in ideals of simplicity but out of financial necessity. I played a game of Airbnb roulette and found a great deal on a monthly stay. The house looked beautiful, and with no thought as to where it was, I clicked “book now” without checking the cancellation policy.
Nigishima: no restaurants, bars or supermarkets – just a few vending machines.Paul Marshall
Next thing I know, I’m taking a road trip from Kyoto to Mie, a prefecture that is too often overlooked for being marginally out of the way. To put in perspective how few foreign tourists come to Mie, the signage there is written in two languages: Japanese and Portuguese. Yes, Portuguese, for the Brazilians who work in the car factories in Nagoya and drive down to visit that spectacular peninsula on their weekends.
I don’t speak Portuguese. Nor do I speak much Japanese, either, other than a few well-rehearsed lines that include “do you have draft beer?” and other similarly important phrases. Despite this, I’m still able to make do with what little I have, although I would recommend brushing up on a few polite phrases before venturing into this part of the country.
Most foreign tourists who make it to Mie come for the Kumano Kodo. It’s an ancient pilgrimage that weaves through an enchanted forest trail, where you’ll find some of the most impressive (and least crowded) shrines in the country. These tourists are your more robust travellers, the types who wear pants with more pockets than anyone could ever need or use.
I didn’t know about the Kumano Kodo until I got here. Sitting on my porch, drinking my coffee, two hikers emerged from the trees. Seeing them inspired me to hike a section of it myself. I put on shorts, sneakers and a singlet, before finding the trail and stepping on a snake.
Needless to say, I never hiked the Kumano Kodo again.
The Kumano Kodo: beware of snakes.iStock
Thankfully, there is more to do in Nigishima than fishing and hiking. It’s connected to the rest of Mie by the Kisei Line, a kooky train line that is popular with Japanese trainspotters. The schedule is infrequent because the line is a single track, but this only adds to its charms – on one occasion, we’re delayed by a deer that the driver has to shoo away.
Using that train, I discover what any Brazilian in Nagoya will tell you – the beaches in Mie are incredible. My favourite is Atashika, where I float in the ocean and watch the sun set behind a Japanese mountain village. There isn’t much in Atashika but there is a beer vending machine, a novelty that usually requires a Japanese ID to operate. Here, however, some hero (possibly the machine’s owner) has taped their ID over the scanner, which means I can enjoy a sundowner in the sand.
Of all the bars, restaurants and coffee shops I find on the train line, none impresses more than Shokudo Ao in Kumano. It’s one of the few restaurants in Japan where you can eat wild-caught unagi (freshwater eel) as the industry has become flooded with factory-farmed versions of those slippery little beasts.
Atashika is home to one of the region’s many incredible beaches.Alamy
It’s not always on the menu. That’s because the chef catches them in the middle of the night from the nearby mountain rivers. But sometimes you get lucky, and there isn’t an adjective in my repertoire that can do justice to how good it is. Anywhere else in the world, this restaurant would be starred, hatted and lauded, but in Mie, it has fewer than 100 reviews on Google.
When I first arrived in the fishing village, people were confused by my presence. As time wears on, they accept me as one of their own. I know this because one of them gives me a fish (what they don’t realise is that giving me a fish is a bit like dropping a dead cow on my doorstep and saying “lol enjoy the steak”.)
But this fish was indicative of something I find all over Mie: the generosity of a less-travelled path. Whether it was being bought beers in bars, given gifts in markets, or being taken on a log-rafting trip down the Kitayama Gorge, the people of Mie share so much of their home for no other reason than to see their love for it reflected in the joy on my face.
THE DETAILS
FLY
The best way to get to Mie is via Osaka, to which Jetstar flies direct from Sydney three times a week. Otherwise, Tokyo is a safe bet with a slightly longer transit. Options including Qantas, Jetstar, ANA and JAL.
STAY
If you’re game enough to stay in Guest House Nigishima, you can book it via Airbnb here. The nightly rate is $180 plus $32 in cleaning fees. And yes, they still give a generous discount for monthly stays.
VISIT
Try log rafting in Kitayama Gorge for 7700 yen ($82). Note that Kitayama is an isolated village with two bus departures daily from Kumano City, both of which are free. See kumano-travel.com/en.
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