Ise Shrine, Mie Prefecture

We took a weekend trip to Mie Prefecture, a couple of hours drive from Nagoya, to see the famous Ise Jingu Shrine - otherwise known as the Grand Shrine of Ise.

Ise Jingu consists of two shrines: the Outer Shrine (Geku), which is dedicated to the Shinto diety of clothing, food, and housing, and the Inner Shrine (Naiku), which enshrines the most respected deity, the Sun Goddess.

The two shrines are actually quite far from one another, separated by the densely wooded forest. I read that unlike most other Shinto shrines, these Ise shrines are built in a purely Japanese architecture style, which shows no influence from the Asian mainland. The site of the Ise Shrine has long been sacred, due to its forests of sacred Japanese cypress trees.

Being so well known as one of the most extraordinary grand shrines in Japan, I was expecting... well... "grandness." But really, these shrines were amazingly simple. Set in the forest, there is really nothing but trees, gravel lanes, and wooded building.

As you already know, I like to tell about adventures with pictures, so here's a slideshow of our trip!

Day 1: Unagi lunch, Ise Outer Shrine, fireworks at the hotel

Eel lunch... delicious!

The entrance gate to Ise Outer Shrine, you walk down this path through the woods to reach the main shrine.

Walking down the path to the main shrine (do you see Joe peeking his head out?)

I love this picture of Taku and Joe.

Outer Shrine's main entrance.

Pictures are strictly forbidden inside (which I didn't know!) and managed to snap this shot before being yelled at by security.

Mie Prefecture is right on the coast. This is the view from our hotel room.

Miyoko brought some fireworks, and we lit them on the beach!

Ise Day 2: scenic drive down the coast, Ise-style udon for lunch, walking through Ise town, Ise Inner Shrine, tea and akafuku mochi dessert at a Japanese tea house.

Rest stop along the way on our scenic coastal drive.

Udon is my favorite Japanese dish. Each prefecture has their own style, so I was excited to try Ise's famous udon noodles. Ise udon = concentrated soy sauce and sweet Japanese cooking sake are used to crate a black broth, which is then poured over thick, handmade noodles. Topped with spring onion. It was really yummy, but I have to say that I prefer Nagoya udon! :)

Walking through the town of Ise to the Inner Shrine.

Entrance gate and bridge to the main shrine.

So many of these adorable lanterns everywhere throughout both the Outer and Inner shrines.

Crowds waiting their turn to enter the Inner Shrine's main gate. Sorry, no photos allowed inside.

Akafuku Mochi dessert and tea. Akafuku mochi is a pounded rice cake confection topped with a sweet bean paste. The shape symbolizes the Isuzu River which flows through the Ise Grand Shrine region, with three ridges in the sweet bean paste representing the clear water that flows through the river, and the white mochi depicting the pebbles that lie on the riverbed. Wow, Japan's attention to detail and symbolism always amazes me!!!

We had such a great trip with wonderful friends. I love traveling in Japan, especially with friends who know the culture and region well. It's like having our own personal tour guides! :)  Thank you Miyoko & Co. for a great trip.