Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [339]
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ISE-SHIMA
The Ise-Shima region, on Mie-ken’s Shima-hantō, is most famous for Ise-jingū, Japan’s most sacred Shintō shrine. The shrine is located in Ise-shi, the main city of the region. Ise-Shima also encompasses the tourist circus of Toba and some pleasant coastal scenery around Kashikojima and Goza. Ise-Shima is easily reached from Nagoya, Kyoto or Osaka and makes a good two-day trip from any of these cities (although you can even do it as a day trip from these cities if you take Kintetsu express trains).
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ISE
0596 / pop 135,250
Although the city of Ise-shi is rather drab, it’s worth making the trip here to visit the spectacular Ise-jingū. This is arguably Japan’s most impressive shrine; its only rival to this claim is Nikkō’s Tōshō-gū, which is as gaudy as Ise-jingū is austere. Ise is also home to a lovely traditional street, Kawasaki Kaiwai.
Sights & Activities
If you have some time to kill in town after visiting the shrines, take a stroll down atmospheric Kawasaki Kaiwai (), a street lined with traditional Japanese houses and shops. It’s a little tricky to find: start at the Ise City Hotel (Click here), cross the street, go down the side street that runs next to and behind Eddy’s Supermarket (yes, that’s the name), and take a left down the street just before the canal; Kawasaki Kaiwai parallels this canal, on its west side. It’s about a five-minute walk to the beginning of the traditional section of the street.
ISE-JINGŪ
Dating back to the 3rd century, Ise-jingū is the most venerated Shintō shrine (admission free; sunrise-sunset) in Japan. Shintō tradition has dictated for centuries that the shrine buildings be replaced every 20 years with exact imitations built on adjacent sites according to ancient techniques – no nails, only wooden dowels and interlocking joints.
Upon completion of the new buildings, the god of the shrine is ritually transferred to its new home in the Sengū No Gi ceremony, first witnessed by Western eyes in 1953. The wood from the old shrine is then used to reconstruct the torii at the shrine’s entrance or is sent to shrines around Japan for use in rebuilding their structures. The present buildings were rebuilt in 1993 (for the 61st time) at a cost exceeding ¥5 billion. They’ll next be rebuilt in 2013.
You may be surprised to discover that the main shrine buildings are almost completely hidden from view behind wooden fences. Only members of the imperial family and certain shrine priests are allowed to enter the sacred inner sanctum. This is unfortunate, as the buildings are stunning examples of pre-Buddhist Japanese architecture. Don’t despair, though, as determined neck craning over fences allows glimpses of the upper parts of buildings (at least if you’re tall). You can get a good idea of the shrine’s architecture by looking at any of the lesser shrines nearby, which are exact replicas built on a smaller scale.
There are two parts to the shrine, Gekū (Outer Shrine) and Naikū (Inner Shrine). The former is an easy 10-minute walk from Ise-shi Station; the latter is accessible by bus from the station or from the stop outside Gekū (below). If you only have time to visit one of the shrines, Naikū is the more impressive of the two.
Smoking is prohibited throughout the grounds of both shrines and photography is forbidden around the main halls of both shrines.
Gekū
The Outer Shrine dates from the 5th century and enshrines the god of food, clothing and housing, Toyouke-no-Ōkami. Daily offerings of rice are made by shrine priests to the goddess, who is charged with providing food to Amaterasu-Ōmikami, the goddess enshrined in the Naikū. A stall at the entrance to the shrine provides a leaflet in English with a map.
The main shrine building here is the Goshōden, which is about 10 minutes’ walk from the entrance to the shrine. Across the river from the Goshōden, you’ll find three smaller shrines that are worth a look (and are usually less crowded).
From Ise-shi Station or Uji-Yamada Station