Ropeway, Rotenburo and a Million Lights: An Unhurried Two Days in Mie
Course Highlights
Mountains in the Evening, Lights the Next Night
This is the anti-rush itinerary. Spend a light morning on Nagoya's greatest hits, then let a limited express carry you into the Suzuka mountains, where a ropeway floats you up Mt. Gozaisho and a hot-spring inn does the rest. The second day has exactly one job: after a slow morning of baths and riverside walks, arrive at Nabana no Sato as the flower fields dim and one of Japan's most spectacular winter illuminations switches on.
Course Overview
- Duration: 2 days, 1 night
- Target: Onsen Seekers, Families, Couples, Illumination Lovers
- Start: Nagoya Station
- Finish: Nagoya Station
Highlights
- Ride the Gozaisho Ropeway above the Suzuka range as the afternoon light turns gold.
- Sleep at a riverside hot-spring inn in Yunoyama, a retreat loved for over 1,300 years.
- Wander Nabana no Sato from flower fields at dusk into tunnels of light after dark.
- Bookend it all with Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Jingu and lunch in the Osu arcades.
Golden Route Digital Stamp Rally: This route passes 5 official stamp spots on the Golden Route Digital Stamp Rally, running through the Asian Games season. Collect them by GPS as you go and trade them for rewards — see the stamp rally page for goals, rewards and redemption locations.
Day 1: City morning, mountain evening
See Nagoya's essentials before noon, then trade skyscrapers for cedar forests. By sunset you'll be in a gondola; by dinner, in a yukata.
10:00 - Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Jingu & lunch in Osu
Start at Nagoya Castle, crowned with golden shachihoko and backed by the lavish Honmaru Palace. Ride south for a quiet moment at Atsuta Jingu's forested shrine, then lunch your way through the Osu arcades — miso katsu if you want the classic, arcade snacks if you'd rather graze.
15:00 - Yunoyama Onsen & the Gozaisho Ropeway
A Kintetsu limited express and a short bus ride deliver you to Yunoyama, a hot-spring village folded into a mountain gorge. Drop your bags and ride the Gozaisho Ropeway — the gondola sails over crags and forest, with the Ise plain spreading out below and, on clear days, views all the way to the sea. Descend for the golden hour, then surrender to the inn: rotenburo, dinner, done.
Day 2: Baths in the morning, lights after dark
No alarm needed. Today's only appointment is with a hundred thousand lights, and they don't switch on until dusk.
Morning - Slow hours in Yunoyama
Take the morning as the inn intended: another bath, a riverside stroll past mossy boulders, tea on the veranda. Check out late, ride back toward Nagoya, and break the journey at AQUAIGNIS.
12:00 - AQUAIGNIS
Pause at AQUAIGNIS, a stylish wellness resort set amid the countryside. Known for its natural hot springs, acclaimed restaurants and destination bakery. Dining is a highlight here, with chef-led restaurants and cafés showcasing some of Japan's most respected talent in Japanese, Italian and pastry arts. Stretch out over lunch and browse the shops.
15:30 - Nabana no Sato
Arrive while it's still light: Nabana no Sato is one of Japan's great flower parks, and the beds are worth an unhurried loop. Then find a spot as dusk falls — the park transforms into a sea of illumination, with tunnels of light long enough to lose yourself in. Nabana no Sato’s illumination begins on October 17. The bus back connects to Kintetsu-Nagashima Station for the short ride home to Nagoya.