Shima Kanko Hotel consists of ``The Classic,'' designed by Japan's leading architect Togo Murano, ``The Club,'' which retains the original building as a public space, and ``The Bay,'' an all-suite room where we will be staying this time. A resort facility consisting of three unique buildings, each with its own suite.

It opened in 1951, shortly after the war, and will celebrate its 70th anniversary in April 2021. Although Shima Kanko Hotel has a deep history, it is always seeking ways to enjoy things that are unique to modern times. This time, we will tell you about the charm of Mie Prefecture through a ``mother-daughter retreat stay'' with Yumi Kato, the 2018 Miss Universe Japan representative, and her mother Yuko.

*Retreat stay is a new style of travel that is currently attracting attention, where you spend time relaxing in an extraordinary place away from work and life to face yourself and relax your mind and body.

■Table of contents

• 1. Check in to Shima Kanko Hotel The Bay Suite
• 2. All rooms at Shima Kanko Hotel The Bay Suite are suite rooms.
• 3. Enjoy an elegant moment in the lounge of Shima Kanko Hotel The Bay Suite
• 4. Enjoy the spectacular view of Ago Bay from the rooftop garden
• 5. Experience music and literature at the guest lounge of Shima Kanko Hotel The Classic
• 6. Watch the beautiful sunset from the rooftop observation deck of Shima Kanko Hotel The Classic
• 7. A spa experience that will soothe your body and mind
• 8. Enjoy "French seafood cuisine" made with high-quality ingredients from Mie Prefecture at the French restaurant "La Mer"
• 9. Enjoy breakfast using Shima ingredients at the Japanese restaurant Hama Momen
• 10. Tea time at “Lian”, a cafe and wine bar that retains the atmosphere of the time it opened.
• 11. Shima Kanko Hotel also offers a variety of activities such as yoga and cruising.
• relaxation yoga
• lounge cruise shima

1. Check in to Shima Kanko Hotel The Bay Suite

Yumi Kato and her daughter arrived at Shima Kanko Hotel The Bay Suite and checked in after having their temperature taken with a thermography camera and disinfecting themselves with alcohol.

Since they visited the hotel in December, the lobby was decorated with beautiful Christmas-themed objects. When you look up, you'll see a pearl chandelier that is made with 9,000 Ago Bay pearls.

The Bay Suite, which has the concept of an ``adult resort,'' is decorated with pearls not only in the lobby, but also on the walls, elevator handrails, and everywhere else, making it unique to Ise-Shima, a pearl-producing region.

At check-in, you can take a breather with welcome tea. Apparently the flavors vary depending on the season, and this time I had the Christmas tea. The pleasant scent of black tea blended with fruits and spices will soothe your mind.

2. All rooms at Shima Kanko Hotel The Bay Suite are suite rooms.

A major feature of ``The Bay Suite'' is that all 50 rooms are suites. The "Superior Suite" room we will be staying in this time has a spacious area of 100 square meters including the balcony, making it a comfortable place to stay.

A living room with a design that harmonizes calm and modernity. It enhances the quality of the time you spend in your room.

One of the appeals of ``The Bay Suite'' is that the living room, bedroom, and bathroom are separate rooms, so you can ``relax like you're in a mansion.'' From the living room and bathroom windows, you can enjoy Ago Bay, a symbol of Ise-Shima National Park, and the magnificent nature.

The bed is made by the high-quality bedding manufacturer Sealy. The comfortable bed is sure to soothe your body and mind.

3. Enjoy an elegant moment in the lounge of Shima Kanko Hotel The Bay Suite

The two left the room and went to the lounge of "The Bay Suite." At the guest-only lounge on the top floor of the building, you can enjoy drinks and snacks in your own style while looking out at Ago Bay.

In addition to drinks such as wine, coffee, and juice, different snacks are available depending on the time of day, such as yogurt and fruit in the morning, sweets at tea time, and dried fruits and cheese at bar time. You'll want to visit as many times as you like during your stay.

The two of them gaze out at the beautiful Ago Bay that stretches out in front of them. You will feel calm as time passes slowly.

4. Enjoy the spectacular view of Ago Bay from the rooftop garden

There is a rooftop garden next to "The Bay Suite" lounge.

The garden is decorated with native plants and flowers from Ise-Shima National Park, allowing you to feel close to the seasonal nature of Ise-Shima. In the evening, stargazing guides sometimes hold stargazing sessions (check here for schedule).

It's such a luxury to be able to enjoy everything from the lush flowers growing below you to the star-filled sky above your head, all while staying in a hotel.

``The Bay Suite'', ``The Classic'', and ``The Club'' are located on vast grounds and you can come and go as you like. The two leave "The Bay Suite" and head to "The Classic." As you walk through the gardens and bridges along the way, you can hear birds chirping between the trees.

5. Experience music and literature at the guest lounge of Shima Kanko Hotel The Classic

We arrived at the guest lounge exclusively for guests at The Classic. The lounge has a warm atmosphere that uses a lot of wood, and you can enjoy a different atmosphere from ``The Bay Suite.''

The guest lounge has a completely soundproof "listening room" where you can choose your favorite from 700 CDs and 80 records and enjoy it using high-quality speakers made by Denmark's Dali Company (reservation required). system)

``I feel like my whole body is enveloped by the sound coming from the speakers. It's very comfortable,'' Yumi Kato said.

Another fun feature of the guest lounge is the Reading Room, which is stocked with hundreds of books carefully selected by the hotel.

Shima Kanko Hotel is also a hotel with deep ties to literature, as many writers have stayed there, including Toyoko Yamazaki, author of ``The White Tower'' and ``The Brilliant Family,'' and Yukio Mishima, author of ``Sound of the Sea.''

The guest lounge is designed with music, books, and other ways to relax and spend time, so when you visit the hotel, be sure to find your favorite way to spend your time.

6. Watch the beautiful sunset from the rooftop observation deck of Shima Kanko Hotel The Classic

Go to the rooftop observation deck of "The Classic" at sunset.

Toyoko Yamazaki's novel ``Brilliant Family'' is also famous for being set in the Shima Kanko Hotel. In recent years, the Shima Kanko Hotel was also used as a filming location for the TV drama ``The Splendid Family''. The beginning of the novel says, ``As the sun sets and the tide begins to rise, a splendid twilight falls over Ago Bay on the Shima Peninsula,'' and this scene seems to depict a scene at the restaurant ``La Mer the Classic.'' is.

Looking at the beautiful sunset, Yukai Kato said, ``It's impressive how the colors of the sky change.It's nice to be immersed in the world of a novel like this.''

7. A spa experience that will soothe your body and mind

After enjoying the romantic sunset view, enjoy a spa treatment at eau spa.

This time, mother and daughter decided to take the ``Pair Relax Body'' course (60 minutes at the spa, 90 minutes in duration). Spa treatments are fully woven with Ise-Shima's unique hospitality.

First, start by purifying your hands using spring water from Iwato, where the legend of Amanoiwato remains. They seem to be practicing the ``Ise ancient custom'' of purifying themselves at the chozuya when visiting a shrine.

Expectations are high for treatments that incorporate local customs.

After cleaning your hands, enjoy the spa's original pearl drink. "It's refreshing and delicious," said Yuumi Kato.

This ``Pearl Drink'' contains water from the clear stream ``Miyagawa'' that flows through Ise, plum vinegar from Kishu, and pearl powder. It is said that Yang Guifei and Cleopatra also took pearl powder for their beauty and health, so you can feel beautiful just by taking it.

The foot bath uses water from Amanoiwato, just like the water used to purify your hands, and contains pieces of cypress wood, which is also used in shrines and temples, so that the pleasant scent of cypress wafts from your feet.

A ``kiribi'' ceremony, which is said to be an ``Ise ancient custom,'' will be performed using flint by ``Ise Miyatada,'' a maker of Shinto altars and sacred tools in Ise, followed by a full-body treatment.

Both of them were very satisfied with the spa, which incorporated the charm and interesting customs of Mie Prefecture, saying, ``It was very relaxing.''

8. Enjoy "French seafood cuisine" made with high-quality ingredients from Mie Prefecture at the French restaurant "La Mer"

After conditioning your body at the spa, head to the French restaurant "La Mer" for dinner.

This is a restaurant that received a one-star rating in the Michelin Guide Aichi/Gifu/Mie 2019 Special Edition. Many gourmets visit here to enjoy the cuisine prepared by Hiroe Higuchi, the executive chef of Shima Kanko Hotel. Chef Higuchi was in charge of the working dinner at IseShimaSummit in 2016, and the following year, in 2017, she became the first woman and person from Mie Prefecture to receive the Bronze Award from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Culinary Masters Award. He is a notable chef who has achieved this feat.

What Chef Higuchi values is ``facing nature and bringing out the rich flavors.'' Chef Higuchi himself visits various locations in Mie Prefecture, selects local ingredients through dialogue with producers, and enjoys carefully prepared local ingredients.

This time we will have the "Elegance" course. When the Shima Kanko Hotel's traditional menu item ``Ise Lobster Cream Soup'' is poured onto a plate right in front of you, the rich aroma of the spiny lobster spreads through the air.

Furthermore, the ``Venison Cooked in Two Methods,'' which uses wild game grown in Ise-Shima, is prepared in a way that brings out the charm of both the thigh and belly of the deer. It seems that the deer is caught and finished by a hunter who is well-versed in cooking, so it is a dish that does not have the typical odor of deer meat, but has a rich flavor.

Yuumi Kato enjoys the ``Anori Fugu Bincho Charcoal Grilled Shungiku Sauce,'' which uses Shima's winter delicacy ``Anori Fugu.'' By carefully cooking it using Ise-Shima Bincho charcoal, the outside of the puffer fish is crispy and the inside has a fluffy texture.

My mother, Yuko, has it ``with spiny lobster and homemade ham ju.'' This dish is made with fresh spiny lobsters that are purchased alive and cooked to perfection to bring out their sweetness and texture to the fullest.

In addition, we also offer Akoya oysters, which are cultured pearl oysters grown in Shima, Toshijima Toro Sawara caught on Toshijima, a remote island in Toba, KumanoJidori(TheLocalBrandChicken) raised with care in the lush greenery of Kumano, and Iga A wide variety of attractive ingredients from Mie Prefecture are used in the course, such as Chef Higuchi's handmade ham made from pigs raised at Agricultural High School (Aino Gakuen Agricultural High School) in Mie Prefecture.

Next was dessert. Here's a surprise for my mother, Yuko! A nice message plate was delivered.

"I'm so happy...thank you!" said Yuko, her tearful mother. Many customers come to Shima Kanko Hotel to celebrate milestones and anniversaries in their lives. It's wonderful to see a hotel that closely supports visitors on their special day.

The first day of the retreat ended with beautiful smiles and warm tears from the mother and daughter.

9. Enjoy breakfast using Shima ingredients at the Japanese restaurant Hama Momen

``We were able to relax in a comfortable room and sleep soundly,'' said Yumi Kato and her daughter. For breakfast, enjoy the Japanese cuisine ``Hamayu'' with a refreshing view of Ago Bay.

The menu features a selection of items made with ingredients from Ise-Shima, such as simmered hijiki from Ise-Shima, Isedori vegetable dip, and dried fish caught in Shima. In addition to white rice, you can choose from rice such as Yonezawa sticky barley, which is said to have been grown in Shima, or sea nanakusa porridge.

``Umi no Nanakusa porridge'' is said to be based on the customs of Kunisaki, TobaCity, a town of divers and fishermen who produce the Noshi Abalone presented to IseJingu. . It also contains abalone powder, so the pleasant aroma of seaweed and the umami of abalone spread gently in your mouth.

10. Tea time at “Lian”, a cafe and wine bar that retains the atmosphere of the time it opened.

For tea time after your meal, head to Lien, a cafe and wine bar located inside The Club. Lian is a beautiful space with a fusion of Japanese and Western styles, and features remnants of the time when it first opened, such as large beams and vaulted ceilings, allowing you to enjoy the depth of Shima Kanko Hotel's history through the space.

About 20 types of black tea are available from Ronnefeld, a German tea brand founded in 1823, and the lineup changes seasonally. What I received today was ``English Breakfast,'' which is considered to be the highest quality of Ceylon tea. The rich scent will calm your mind.

Lian is open from cafe time (11:30 a.m.) to dinner time (9 p.m. *last order at 8:30 p.m.), so many customers use it after checking out of their hotel. It's nice to soak in the afterglow of your time at the hotel while enjoying some delicious tea.

11. Shima Kanko Hotel also offers a variety of activities such as yoga and cruising.

relaxation yoga

One of the attractions of Shima Kanko Hotel is that it has a wide range of activities. There are many activities perfect for making memories, such as craft experiences such as Ise Ittobori, stargazing, live music, and cruising (Click here for details)

Furthermore, there is a fitness gym for guests only within The Classic, where you can try relaxation yoga (7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., limited to certain dates, advance reservations required). The instructor will give you detailed instructions, so even beginners can feel at ease. It's also good to refresh yourself in the morning with yoga.

lounge cruise shima

We also recommend the Ago Bay cruise ``Lounge Cruise Shima.'' Day cruises and sunset cruises are also available, with advance reservations required.

“Take a look!” Yuumi Kato happily exclaims. The Kintetsu Ise-Shima Liner passed over the railway bridge in front of the mother and daughter! Trains, which we see on a daily basis, have a different appeal when seen at sea.

The boat departs from a dedicated pier inside the Shima Kanko Hotel and cruises around Ago Bay for about an hour, with the appeal of being able to see islands of all sizes, Kashikojima Ohashi Bridge, seaweed cultivation nets, and more up close at sea. .

On the sunset cruise, you can watch the dynamic and beautiful sunset over Ago Bay, which has been certified as one of Japan's top 100 sunsets.

While cruising, Yumi Kato and her daughter look back on the memories they had at the Shima Kanko Hotel.

Yuumi Kato said, ``I was able to spend a luxurious time that felt extraordinary, with a wonderful room, a comfortable spa, delicious food, and a wide variety of activities.'' Mother Yuko also commented, ``We were able to spend some time together as a mother and daughter, and we made some really wonderful memories.''Both mother and daughter were very satisfied with their retreat stay.

Make a reservation for “Shima Kanko Hotel The Bay Suite”

Shima Kanko Hotel Information

address

731 Shinmei, Agocho, ShimaCity

telephone number

0599-43-1211（志摩観光ホテル 代表）

Access by car

Approximately 40 minutes from Ise Expressway Ise Nishi IC towards Kashishima via Prefectural Route 32 (Ise Road)

Access by public transportation

Pick-up available from Kintetsu Kashijima Station (reservation required)

Official site

https://www.miyakohotels.ne.jp/shima/

Article production: MSLP