Yokkaichi
Yokkaichi (四日市) is a city in Mie prefecture, Japan.
Get in
By train
Yokkaichi is served by two major train stations: JR Yokkaichi station, located on the JR Kansai Main Line closer to the sea, and Kintetsu Yokkaichi station, about 1 km to the west of the JR station along Chuo-Dori. Both stations offer connections to Nagoya, a stop on the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
Kintetsu trains from Nagoya are more frequent but more expensive, making the run to Yokkaichi in about 35 minutes by express at a cost of ¥610. A few limited express trains stop at Kintetsu Yokkaichi on their way to Ise and Osaka, but these require an additional ¥500 surcharge and the trains are not much faster. By JR it costs ¥460; the journey takes 30 minutes on the rapid or 40 minutes on the local.
A trip from Tokyo to JR Yokkaichi, changing in Nagoya, would take approximately 2½ hours by Nozomi with good connections (¥11300).
From Osaka, Kintetsu limited express trains run every hour on the half-hour out of Namba station, stopping at Kintetsu Yokkaichi en route to Nagoya. The trip to Yokkaichi takes 1 hour 50 minutes and costs ¥3500. By bullet train out of Shin-Osaka, changing in Nagoya, it costs ¥7500 but you will only be saving about 20 minutes.
Get around
See
- 1 Australian Commemorative Hall (オーストラリア記念館), ☏ +81 59-332-2357. The Australia Pavilion at Osaka Expo 70 was one of the most striking Pavilions at the fair. At the end of the Expo it was moved to Yokkaichi, and is now used as a cultural centre. The building was designed by Australian architect James Maccormick MBE.
Do
Buy
- Kintetsu Shopping Center (Connected to Yokkaichi Kintetsu Station). A good selection of higher end name brand clothes. The second floor also has a patisserie with a wide range of desserts and baked goods.
- Apita Lala Square (Next to Yokkaichi Kintetsu Station). The second floor in particular has lower end clothes shopping with a good choice of styles. The fourth floor has a good book store, and the sixth floor is a movie theatre.
Eat
- 1 [formerly dead link] Cafe Moi (カフェ・モイ) (just past the Apita Shopping Center. The building can be recognized by the old bug parked in the front.), ☏ +81 59-351-6067. Tu-F 11:00-14:00, Sa Su 10:00-19:00. The decor is done in a Finnish style and the food varies from open-faced sandwiches to dorias with a wide variety of fruit teas, all priced around ¥400-800. They also have a delicious seasons parfait that, as the name implies, changes with the seasons.
- 2 Airside Cafe, ☏ +81 59-351-7772. An unexpectedly large cafe with an international theme, it may be the only place in all of Yokkaichi (maybe even Mie) where one can find falafel. The menu varies greatly from general drinking snacks to pasta to bagels. There lunch sets are small but quite good.
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Sanco Inn (三交イン四日市駅前) (close to the train station), ☏ +81 59-352-3535. Washing mashine available, breakfast better to be taken outside.
- 2 Yokkaichi Miyako Hotel (四日市都ホテル) (close to the train station), ☏ +81 59-352-4131, fax: +81 59-352-4141. Check-in: 13:00, check-out: 12:00. A nice place with excellent breakfast.
Go next
| Routes through Yokkaichi |
| Nara ← Kameyama ← | W  E |
→ Kuwana → Nagoya |
| Kameyama ← Suzuka ← | W  E |
→ Kuwana → Nagoya |