7 Best Sights in Nagoya, Ise-Shima, and the Kii Peninsula, Japan

Traditional shibori (tie-dyed cotton) has been produced in this area for more than 400 years. Here you can learn about the history of the dyeing technique and see demonstrations of the production process. The museum sells samples of the cloth, which features striking white designs on the deepest indigo, as well as clothing, tablecloths, and other items. You can also try making your own tie-dyed souvenirs at one of the regular workshops, which require a reservation and have an extra cost. Arimatsu Station is 25 minutes south of Nagoya on the Meitetsu Nagoya Line.

The Iga-Ryu school of ninjutsu was one of the top two training centers for Japan's ancient spies and assassins in the 14th century. At the ninja residence, a guide in traditional dress explains how they were always prepared for attack. The hidden doors and secret passages are ingenious. Energetic demonstrations of ninja weapons like throwing stars, swords, daggers, and sickles are fun, and afterwards you can try out the throwing star. If you want to walk around the museum and town dressed up as a ninja, staff can point you to shops where you can rent all the gear. One special exhibit gives you some background on ninja history and techniques, while another displays the disguises and encryption used here, as well as the inventive tools that enabled them to walk on water and scale sheer walls. The museum is in Ueno Park, a 10-minute walk up the hill from Uenoshi Station.

This museum on Pearl Island, 500 yards southeast from Toba Station, explores the history of pearl diving in Japan.

Learn about the history of ukai fishing, in which fishermen use live cormorants to catch river fish, and the lives of the odd-looking birds at the center of it, at this smart museum alongside the Nagara River. It's near the Ryokan Sugiyama, a six-minute walk from the Ukai-ya bus stop.

Given a major makeover in 2011, the seven-story Nagoya City Science Museum is packed with fun, hands-on attractions designed to teach kids of all ages about science. The highlights are a planetarium—Japan's biggest—and several visually impressive "labs" where you can experience a tornado, learn about electricity, or feel the Arctic cold.

Chosen from the museum's 78,000-piece collection, you'll find more than 5,000 well-preserved Buddhist relics on display here, some dating back 1,000 years. The New Gallery houses themed exhibitions of sculpture, painting, and artifacts. The Main Gallery has a permanent exhibition of Buddha and bodhisattva figures and calligraphic scrolls. The museum sits across the road from the Danjo Garan.

Housed in the distinctive brick buildings of the company's original factory, this museum is dedicated to the rise of Nagoya's most famous company. Toyota's textile-industry origins are explored in the first of two immense halls, with an amazing selection of looms illustrating the evolution of spinning and weaving technologies over the last 200 years. The second, even larger hall focuses on the company's move into auto manufacturing, with exhibits including the Model AA, Toyota's first mass-production automobile. In the Technoland zone, kids can try out a wind tunnel, play with water and air jets, operate a virtual weaving machine, and test out mini electric cars. The museum is a 20-minute walk north of JR Nagoya Station or three minutes from JR Sako Station.