Ise
From World travel guide
Ise (伊勢) is a small town in Mie prefecture, Japan. The town is primarily known for the eponymous Ise Shrine, arguably the holiest and most important Shinto site and the reputed home of the Emperor's Sacred Mirror.
Contents |
Understand
Get in
By train
Ise is serviced by JR trains from Nagoya and the southern coast of Wakayama. If coming in from Osaka, a slightly cheaper and faster option is to take the private Kintetsu line.
Get around
Several shuttle bus lines ferry visitors between the train station and the two shrines.
See
Ise's main attraction is the Ise Shrine (伊勢神宮 Ise-jingū). According to the official chronology, the shrines were originally constructed in the year 4 BC, but most historians date them from several hundred years later, with 690 AD widely considered the date when the shrines were first built in their current form. They are mentioned in the annals of the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, dating from 712. The shrines are famously burned and rebuilt to exacting specifications every 20 years at exorbitant expense. The present buildings, dating from 1993, are the 61st iteration to date and are scheduled for rebuilding in 2013.
The shrine consists of two sites, some 6 kilometers apart but connected by a sacred forest. Access to both sites is strictly limited, with the common public allowed to see little more than the thatched roofs of the central structures, hidden behind three tall wooden fences.
- Geku (外宮) or Outer Shrine. Dedicated to the goddess Toyouke-o-mikami. The smaller of the two, this is a 5-minute walk from Ise station.
- Naiku (内宮) or Inner Shrine. Dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu-o-mikami, and is the larger and more important of the two. The shuttle bus from Geku to here takes 15 minutes and costs ¥410.
Do
Eat
The local specialty is lobster, known as Ise-ebi (伊勢海老, lit. "Ise shrimp") in Japanese. Fresh lobster sashimi in particular is sublime, but as you might expect such pleasures don't come cheap.
- KAZI (Kaji), directly across the square from Ise station. Excellent okonomiyaki for around 500 yen.
- Kitaya (喜多や). Honmachi 10-13, a short walk away from the Geku entrance. Sublime charcoal-grilled eel (unagi) dishes starting at ¥1000. Open daily from 10 AM to 9 PM.
