• In this historical walking tour in Mie a friendly guide will introduce you to the remains of Saiku, the most glorious palace of Japan's Heian period (794-1185), and the Saio, an imperial princess who served Ise Jingu.
• You will visit several highlights of the former Saiku palace and learn in more detail about the fascinating life of the Saio princess. A local guide will introduce you to a less-known part of Japan's history and you will follow together the footsteps of the Saio princess in an attempt to unfold some of her hidden secrets. While the grandiose Saiku palace no longer exists, several of its many buildings have been reconstructed and opened to the public. Taking this tour before you pay a visit to Ise Jingu is highly recommended in order to appreciate the value of the area and understand the significant links between the Imperial lineage and Ise Jingu.

Start your guided tour at Saiku Station and walk past the 1/10 Scale Model of the Saiku Palace and the Anicent Ise Road before arriving at Saiku Historical Museum. Watch the video exhibition "Saio Gunko" visualizing the life of Saio princess. Take a guided tour of the museum. The wonderful Saiku Historical Museum offers an in-depth look at the life of Saio with many visuals which will help you understand how life then looked like.