The Holy Shinto Shrine Ise Jingu

A closer look at the atmosphere around the shrine

Masato Kitamura Apr 29, 2014 - 1 min read

A closer look at the buildings; you can see that they look very new.

Okage street, approaching Naiku Shrine, is lined with shops and restaurants.

A beckoning cat in one of the souvenir shops

Nice little rest area and an outdoor stall selling Ise Udon in the background

Eating and drinking plays an important role when visiting the grand shrine.

These people here are waiting in line for Akafuku, the famous Japanese red bean rice cake.

The pretty front entrance of Ise Ujiyamada station on the Kintetsu line, the most convenient station to get to the shrine grounds.

Ise Jingu in Ise City is the most sacred Shinto shrine in Japan. Last year (2013) the famous Shikinen Sengu ceremony was held again, when the shrine is completely rebuilt, every twenty years. However, it is not all about the shrine buildings; pilgrimage has always played an important role in this area and eating and drinking on the way was important. So just like in the past, having some food before approaching or after visiting the grand shrine is indispensable. The famous dishes here are Akafuku (mochi covered in sweet red bean paste) and Ise Udon (udon soaked in soy-based sauce). If you are interested in pilgrimage in the area, check out the Kumano Kodo Trail.

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Masato Kitamura @masato.kitamura

I was born and grew up in Nagano city. After that I lived in Osaka nine years. Later years I live in Kanto plain. I worked for 36 years as a programmer and related business in a software company. I was retirement of 60 years old. Now I’m doing a part-time job at near my house. I like personal ...