Board a vessel and set off into fantasy. With mermaids, Dragon Palace motifs, nods to traditional tales, and wide decks that open straight into the island-spotted horizon, Shima Island cruises offer a cinematic ride that feels half legend, half lazy afternoon – and entirely worth drifting along for. It’s charming in a Disney way, and the open deck gives you endless water views while you pretend you own the ocean.
Dolphin Island & Toba Bay Cruise 6-B
02
Things to do
Walk the boardwalk that never gets boring
Take a stroll along this coastal path that runs from Toba Station along bright blue water and past a dolphin fountain that looks straight out of a 2000s romance movie. The water glows green-blue in the sun, and the whole walkway moves at a gentle, dateworthy pace. It’s the ideal place to arrive, decompress and fall into Toba’s softer rhythm – perfect for a slow stroll, ice cream in hand, seagulls soaring overhead.
Seagulls Boardwalk 5-B
03 Café See pearls become gelato
Ice cream shop Minerva is a local gem that experiments with flavours, turning soft serve into magic. Flavours like pearl gelato made with real local pearl powder, herbal mankin that tastes exactly like Christmas, and other regional ingredients make up the most unexpected but delicious scoops.
04 Things to do
Minerva 5-A
Sigh sweetly at peach-coloured skies
Certain viewpoints around Toba turn peach, gold and lavender as the sun drops – colours that fall softly across the bay and hush the whole area. It’s simple, without gimmicks or crowds, just natural warmth settling over the water. One of the easiest ways to understand why people fall for this town. Sunset points 2-B
05 Museum
Step back through time
Not only is the Sea-Folk Museum an architectural gem from the outside, but the exhibits inside deliver way more than dust and rust. Featuring full-scale boats, wooden tools and life-sized reenvisionments of everyday scenarios of the past, this spot offers an all-senses experience of how deeply local life has always been tied to the water.
06 Things to do Play the strings of the sea
The saying ‘the world is your oyster’ is personified in the Sadahama terminal. Designed to look like a string of pearls, it’s the key to beginning your island plans. Buy tickets, stare at the boats bobbing in the harbour from its café, and commit to whatever route your travels take you.
Sadahama Marine Terminal Coastline 4-B
Time Out Tokyo 5–9–9–101 Hiroo
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 150–0012
Japan
Tel 03–5792–5721
07 Accommodation Check into coastal comfort
Toba’s stays are about views and food first. Most places go heavy on the seafood dinners and have hot baths to soak off the salty air, plus big windows facing the bay. Staff move with a gentle familiarity, making you feel like you’ve returned to a coastal relative’s home. Hotels in Toba
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Toba Sea-Folk Museum 4-D
08 Things to do Take in a king-of-the-world view
Head to higher ground and step onto this observatory deck to see the coastline split into endless blues. It’s the kind of view that invites a movie moment: arms out, lungs open. On the clearest days, not only can you see the Ama divers in action, but all the way to Mt Fuji too.
Toba Tenbodai Observatory 5-D
09 Things to do
Visit the Godzilla shrine Kata Shrine feels peaceful in that quiet way, with its serene air, stone steps and a sacred tree locals treat with soft respect. Its appearance in the original 1954 Godzilla adds cult film charm without stealing the calm.
Kata Shrine 6-A
10
Things to do
Let the town lead you
The best way to know Toba is to wander it. Slip through old fishing-town streets, pass wooden houses, peek into tiny grocers and trace the coastline without any real destination. Every turn feels quaint, with slow steps and small discoveries that make the town appear personal.
Walking around central Toba
11 Bar
Make local drinking buddies
‘Snack’ bars are familiar spaces where the locals of all ages rub shoulders. Literally serving snacks and featuring karaoke, it’s the kind of place you’ll go to make lifelong memories over potentially poorly belted out songs. Uzu is no exception, with its campy lights and drinks poured with a heavy hand.
Snack Bar Uzu 6-A
12 Things to do
Have your wishes granted by a sea goddess
Shinmei Shrine is known for granting women’s wishes, and the atmosphere reflects that hopefulness. The sanctuary is closely tied to Ama culture, and you can purchase a unique good-luck charm featuring the Ama emblem of a star and a grid, symbolising the ability to return from where you came and leaving no space for evil.
13 Restaurant
Lunch with legends
At the Ama Hut, charcoal smoke, grilled shellfish and women’s laughter mix into an unforgettable scene. The Ama grill everything right at your feet, sharing stories shaped by saltwater and strength. It’s intimate, warm and distinctly matriarchal, eliciting an almost ritualistic performance of living tradition held together by generations of women.
15 Bar
Get the night going
Toba’s izakayas come alive in the evening with grilling seafood, low chatter, and warm yellow light spilling onto the streets. Order lobster, kimchi oysters or locally handled pufferfish and let the port-town scent wrap around you. It’s sure to be a night powered by flavour and atmosphere.
Izakayas in Toba
Ama Hut Experience 6-D
14 Shopping
Enjoy a taste of the coast
This market is an easy stop for local products: dried fish, sauces, snacks and things that survive the trip home. It’s near the harbour area and feels more like a neighbourhood place than a tourist trap. Pick out a fish and have it prepped into sashimi on the spot, or browse the shelves for regional flavours to take back with you. Ideal for last-minute edible gifts.
Toba Marché 5-B
16 Things to do Encounter pearls, divers and history
At Mikimoto Pearl Island, culture, craftsmanship and nature meet. Here you can see how cultured pearls are made, from oysters to finished product. Watch Ama divers slip into the water with practised grace, then head inside to learn why Toba became a pearl hub in the first place. When you’re finished, the exit through this gift shop is definitely one worth taking. Mikimoto Pearl Island 6-B
Publisher Hiroyuki Fushitani
Executive
Vice President Akiko Toya
Writer Jasmina Mitrovic
17 Things to do
Enter an aquatic realm
Being one of the largest in Japan, Toba Aquarium feels like wandering through different dimensions: rare creatures, giant crustaceans, delicate fish, and otters drifting in their own rhythm. Rooms glow softly in blue light, turning ordinary observation into something dreamlike.
Toba Aquarium 6-B
18 Restaurant Dig into street-style seafood
Walk along the promenade of stalls and pop into any one to get freshly grilled sazae (turban shell). Here you can pick your catch, indulge in a little day drinking and enjoy some excellent people watching. Great for a daytime food crawl.
Sazae Street 5-A
19 Things to do
Feel almost like in Hollywood
Hike up the Toba version of Hollywood Hills to the ‘ ♥ Toba’ sign for your own photo shoot. From here you can see almost the entirety of the city, complete with ocean views. This spot is quick to visit and very social media-ready. ‘♥ Toba’ Trail 6-A
20 Café Treat yourself to a tea break
From third-wave coffee counters to old-school kissaten, Toba’s cafés blend local flavours with laid-back pacing. It’s easy to duck in between sights for something sweet or quietly restorative.
21 Things to do
Procure some wheels
Rental bicycles are a supremely convenient way to get around Toba, especially if you don’t have a car and are looking to explore the charming coastal areas at a leisurely pace. You’ll find bike ports in the central part of town as well as on the island of Toshijima.
Bicycle rental 5-A, 6-A, 6-B
22 Restaurant
Tear up a Toba Burger
Swap beef for sawara (Spanish mackerel) and you get Toba’s signature burger: crispy, salty and lighter than it looks. Different shops give it their own twist, but the core is the same: local fish, killer sauce, soft bun. Ideal when you’re one seafood meal away from lying down forever.
Toba Burger
Cafés in Toba
@tobaisobe Fisheries
@aikoophotography
Ama
23 Shopping
Pick up small finds with big local energy
Situated in the back of a standard supermarket, Hello’s stall sells local foods and packaged goods you might otherwise miss. Perfect for grabbing everyday snacks, seasonings and little gifts, and it also doubles as a cute and authentic local photo op. Toba Shopping Plaza Hello 3-B
@tacche8
Ama diver
24 Things to do Hike sacred trails
Toba offers many easy climbs and quiet mountain shrines that make a peaceful break from the coast. Hinoyama gives you wide views over the bay, Aominezan leads to a temple lookout, Kamishima takes you toward a lighthouse at the edge of an island, and Sugashima has short paths that link forests with village streets.
25 Things to do Dive into
Join the Ama divers for the day on an in-water excursion to experience their work up close. You’ll help clear overgrown sea urchins, bring them up (with some guidance from the pros), and get to taste the uni right after.
Toba moves at an open, human pace, with accessible spaces and a quiet inclusiveness that makes all who visit feel at ease.
Hiking around Toba
Special occasions
Celebrate a wedding anniversary or catch a sacred festival with fireworks
Toba Minato Matsuri
3rd Friday of July
The annual summer festival of Toba’s hilltop Konpiragu Shrine, a sanctuary dedicated to the deity of the sea, is far from your average solemn Shinto ceremony. Its highlights include a flashy boat parade in the evening, when the deity is taken on a symbolic tour of the waters outside Toba Port, and a spectacular fireworks display that always draws big crowds.
Pearl Wedding Anniversary in Toba
30th of the month (except Dec & Feb)
Where better to celebrate 30 years of marriage – traditionally known as a pearl anniversary – than in Toba, the city of pearls? On the 30th day of every month (excluding December and February), the local tourism association puts on a special ceremony for up to 20 couples at the Toba City Chapel, inviting partners celebrating three decades together to dress up fancy, renew their vows and exchange ‘pearl letters’. Dress and tux rental is available too. Sign up at least a month in advance. toba.gr.jp/wedding
Sunset points
Ushijima
Momotori Matsuya
Momotoricho
Saichoraku
Toshijima
Tenbozan Ray Field
Toshicho
Wagu Port
Ozukumijima
Onakayamajima
Toshi Port
H Teiyo
H Toshijima Onsen Misaki
H New Yamashichi
H Toshijima Onsen Suzunami
H Ryugu Ryori no Yado Yashima
H Nakamuraya
H Takaraya Ryokan
H New Uzushio
H Nakora
Shirongo Beach
Sugashima Port
Mt Oyama
Sugashima
Sugashimacho
Sakatejima
Sakatecho
te Port
Hotel
H Hotel Resort Saikatei
H Hotel Altia Toba
H Wisterian Life Club Toba
H Namine Kairo
Arashimacho
hopping Plaza Hello
Takaokacho
Kiseki no Mado（‘Miracle Window’）
H Kameya
H Benten
H Xiv Toba Bettei
H Xiv Toba Annex
Iwakuracho
Matsuocho
akate Beach 12 13
Omurajima
Ogurajima
Mt Kushigamine
H Uotsuki
H Sun-urashima Yuukinosato
H Ginrin
Uramuracho
5 Toba Sea-Folk Museum
H Taoya Shima
H Hanashinsui
PearlRoad
H Shinpachiya
H Hidemaru Hanagokoro H Ijika Daiichi Hotel Kagura
