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View over the wooded islands and inlets of Ago Bay from Yokoyama Observatory under blue sky
Photo: Good-balance, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mie · viewpoint

Yokoyama Observatory

横山展望台

A lookout in Ise-Shima National Park over the 60 or so islets and jagged coast of Ago Bay, home of pearl farming, with a café to rest in by the view.

Ago Bay and Kashikojima island seen from Yokoyama Observatory in soft evening light
Photo: Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wooden cafe building and deck of the Yokoyama Sky Cafe Terrace
Photo: Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

All the islands of Ago Bay in one view

Yokoyama Observatory is a lookout in Ise-Shima National Park in Shima City, Mie Prefecture. To the south, about 60 small islands dot Ago Bay, and peninsulas jut out into the sea one behind another. This intricate ria coastline was formed when mountains sank into the sea, and beyond it stretches the Pacific Ocean.

Ago Bay is famous for pearl farming. On the observatory's ridge stands a monument honouring Mikimoto Kokichi, who succeeded in cultivating pearls in Ago Bay.

Several viewing terraces and walking trails

The main viewing deck is the Yokoyama Tenku Café Terrace, 140m above sea level. In 2018 it was rebuilt as a wide deck of hinoki (Japanese cypress), and next to it opened Mirador Shima, a café serving drinks and light meals made with local ingredients. From the café's first floor you can look out over the bay from even higher up.

Follow the trail through the woods and you reach a series of lookouts at different heights and angles: the shady Komorebi Terrace, the Soyokaze Terrace at 168m, the Ago Bay Observatory with a relief map introducing the area around the bay, and the Miharashi Observatory, the highest at 180m. Near the Soyokaze Terrace is the Nagora Floating Stone, said to have been brought there on the word of a sea god.

From the car park to the Tenku Café Terrace is a gentle slope, with a ramp that wheelchairs can use.

Visitor centre and seasonal flowers

At the foot of the observatory, the Ministry of the Environment's Yokoyama Visitor Center has exhibits on the nature and history of Ise-Shima National Park, and you can try crafts and making pearl accessories.

Below, the Sozo no Mori Yokoyama (Yokoyama Creation Forest) has gardens and wetlands where cherry blossoms and azaleas bloom in spring, and a hydrangea path that flowers in early summer.

Getting there

From Ugata Station on the Kintetsu Shima Line, it is about 5 minutes by taxi or about 40 minutes on foot. If you drive, there is a car park near the observatory, but it has few spaces, so when it is busy use the car park near the visitor centre. Large and medium-sized coaches, and two-wheelers including bicycles, cannot use the observatory car park.

Check the opening hours of the café and visitor centre on the official website.

Tips

  • The trail from the Tenku Café Terrace up to the higher lookouts has some steep mountain-path sections. Wear comfortable walking shoes rather than sandals or high heels.
  • In some years a discounted Yokoyama VIEW Taxi runs between Ugata Station and the observatory. Check the latest information on the Ise-Shima tourism website, Ise-Shima Kanko Navi.
  • The observatory car park is small and gets crowded on weekends and holidays. You can also park at the bottom and walk up.

Sources

Updated 30 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

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