Wondering what to do in Tsu on a first visit? Here is a simple day route: a famous temple, a National Treasure hall, a museum with a giant elephant skeleton, and two local foods.
Tsu is a city of odd sizes. Tsu gyoza has a 15 cm wrapper. The Mieido Hall at Senjuji Temple has 725 tatami mats. The Mie elephant (Miezou) at MieMu is about 8 m long and 4 m high. And tenmusu, the little shrimp tempura rice ball that started in Tsu, is small.
A list that reads "temple, temple, museum" can sound a bit serious. Add the food and it turns into a lively day: history, huge architecture, fossils, a school-lunch classic, and a dish most people think is from Nagoya.
1. The short answer: eat around Daimon, see Senjuji, finish at MieMu
For a first visit, start in the Daimon area, the center of Tsu.
Visit Tsu Kannon first. Then walk to Senju, the shop where tenmusu began. Have Tsu gyoza for lunch, head north to Takada Honzan Senjuji, and end at the Mie Prefectural General Museum (MieMu).
The order matters. At Senjuji, the Mieido and Nyorai-do halls close at 15:30, while MieMu's exhibition rooms stay open until 17:00 (last entry 16:30).[1][2]
2. Tsu Kannon: an easy first stop in the middle of town
The Tsu Tourism Association lists Tsu Kannon as one of Japan's "Three Great Kannon", along with Asakusa Kannon in Tokyo and Osu Kannon in Nagoya. Its full name is Enichizan Kannonji Daihoin, and it is said to have been founded in 709.[3]
You do not need much time here. About 30 minutes is enough to feel that you have arrived in downtown Tsu.
It is also close to Senju, where tenmusu was born. The association's model route puts it about a 3-minute walk from Tsu Kannon.[4]
3. Tenmusu at Senju: Nagoya's famous snack was born in Tsu
Most people link tenmusu with Nagoya.
But according to the Tsu Tourism Association, it began at Senju in Daimon, Tsu. Around 1955, when the shop was a tempura set-meal restaurant, the previous owner cut up shrimp tempura and put it inside a rice ball for the husband's lunch. Around 1978 a branch opened in Nagoya, and that is where the dish became widely known.[4]
So it is a Nagoya specialty by reputation and a Tsu dish by birth.
The rice balls are small. Eat them with lunch, or take them along as an afternoon snack.
4. Tsu gyoza: a deep-fried gyoza with a 15 cm wrapper
Tsu gyoza started as a school lunch dish. The filling is wrapped in a 15 cm wrapper and deep-fried. According to the Tsu Tourism Association, about 30 restaurants in and around the city serve it.[5]
If you picture a normal pan-fried gyoza, what lands on your table will surprise you.
Each restaurant has its own filling, so the shape is the same but the taste changes from place to place.
On a first visit, make this your main lunch. If you also go all in on tenmusu, you may spend the afternoon at a National Treasure fighting off a nap.
5. Takada Honzan Senjuji: much bigger than a "second temple"
After Tsu Kannon, another temple may sound like too much.
But Senjuji is on a different scale. It is the head temple of the Takada branch of Shin Buddhism, and its Nyorai-do and Mieido halls were the first National Treasure buildings in Mie Prefecture. The Mieido Hall has 725 tatami mats, and the temple says it is the fifth-largest wooden National Treasure building in Japan.[1]
Go in expecting a quick look at a local temple and the size of the hall will change your mind.
6. MieMu: a prefectural museum with an 8 m elephant
The Mie Prefectural General Museum (MieMu) covers the nature, history and culture of Mie.
One highlight is the Mie elephant (Miezou), an ancient elephant whose fossils were found in Mie. MieMu has Japan's first full skeleton reconstruction, estimated at about 8 m long and 4 m high.[2]
So your day goes like this:
15 cm gyoza → 725-mat National Treasure → 8 m elephant
Basic exhibition admission is ¥520 for adults (as of 20 September 2026). The exhibition rooms are open 9:00-17:00 with last entry at 16:30. The museum is closed on Mondays, and the next day if Monday is a public holiday.[2]
7. Oyatsu Town is better as a separate trip
Oyatsu Town, the Baby Star Ramen snack theme park, is also in Tsu. It is in Morimachi, about 5 minutes by car from Hisai IC, in the opposite direction from the downtown, Senjuji and MieMu route.[6]
Rather than cramming everything in, split it into two days: one for downtown, Senjuji and MieMu, and one built around Oyatsu Town.
8. A one-day plan for first-time visitors
Morning: Tsu Kannon in Daimon, then pick up tenmusu at Senju. Lunch: Tsu gyoza. Early afternoon: Senjuji, so that you see the Mieido and Nyorai-do halls before 15:30. Then MieMu for the Mie elephant and the nature and history of Mie.
That way the day mixes temple, food and museum in one loop.
9. So, is Tsu worth a day? Yes, for the surprises
Tsu is not a city with one big sight. It is a string of small surprises:
"Isn't tenmusu from Nagoya?"
"Why is this gyoza so big?"
"Why is this temple so big?"
"There was an elephant like this in Mie?"
For a first visit, Tsu Kannon, original tenmusu, Tsu gyoza, Senjuji and MieMu are plenty.
In Tsu, a lot of things are big.
The tenmusu is the small one.
References (6)
- Takada Honzan Senjuji, About / Facilities: https://www.senjuji.or.jp/about/facility/ senjuji.or.jp
- Mie Prefectural Museum MieMu: https://www.bunka.pref.mie.lg.jp/MieMu/82536046493.htm bunka.pref.mie.lg.jp
- Tsu Tourism Association, Tsu Kannon tsukanko.jp
- Tsu Tourism Association, Senju (tenmusu) tsukanko.jp
- Tsu Tourism Association FAQ, Tsu gyoza tsukanko.jp
- Oyatsu Town, Access oyatsu-town.com
