Ise City Tourist Information English Blog

I purchased and watched a great DVD this week that focuses on the philosophy of sustainability that is practiced within Ise Jingu and by many of the people in the local community. The customs and traditions of Ise Jingu have been consistently followed for at least 2000 years. This is an amazing fact and definitely something you don’t see in many other places around the world.

The DVD has English subtitles and some English voiceover so English speaking viewers can definitely understand the message throughout the 30 minute movie. Besides beautiful scenes of Ise Jingu and the surrounding natural landscape, the DVD talks about how Ise Jingu started and how people have continually carried out the traditions and culture of sustainability within the shrine.

The DVD is available at “Circle K” convenience stores in Ise City for 500 yen. Also, the DVD is region-free, so it would make a great souvenir to remember your time in Ise City.

The following pictures are just a sampling of what you can see at Kawasaki Shoninkan in the Kawasaki district of Ise City. In addition to the things in the pictures, visitors can see traditional living spaces and private storage where you can really get a feeling of how wonderfully vibrant this place used to be. I highly recommend taking a tour with a guide. When I visited last week, a sweet young lady, Yuka Sugiki showed me around and her English and her information was great! So if you need English translation, please ask for her when you request an English guide!

This is one of their patios:

This is the view from their tea room:

The factory area, which is now used as a museum:

This is a seasonal display called Hina Ningyo, traditional dolls displayed to celebrate girls festival on March 3rd.

Here again, is some information about their hours and pricing;

The museum is open daily from 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM with the exception of Tuesday (or Wednesday when Tuesday is a public holiday). The cost is 300 yen for adults, 200 yen for college students and 100 yen for primary and middle school students. There is a volunteer guide service (Japanese and English) available but must be requested in advance. For more information, please give them a call at 0596-22-4810 or e-mail to machishu@e-net.or.jp.

Ise Kawasaki Shouninkan (pictured by Yuka Sugiki) is a historical structure built about 100 years ago that now holds the somewhat tucked away Kawasaki museum located about 10 minutes north of Ise and Ujiyamada train stations by foot.

Ise Kawasaki Shoninkan, once called Ogawa Saketen, was a liquor wholesaler established about 300 years ago and continued to do business up until 1999. Along with several other wholesalers in Kawasaki, their businesses were driven by Kawasaki’s prime location next to the Seta River. At one time, Kawasaki was a thriving port city, welcoming ships carrying all kinds of goods from all over Japan.

Ise was once filled with wholesalers and wholesalers’ storehouses, filled with goods and provisions that supplied the local area. However, after World War II, transportation methods moved away from traditional waterway shipping and moved toward more modern ways, namely roads. This spelled the ultimate downturn for Kawasaki’s influence as a port city.

In 1999, Ogawa Saketen, closed its doors after over 300 years of doing business in Kawasaki. In the wake of the closing, plans were drawn up to knock down the traditional building that housed the business for generations.

However, not wanting the building fall to the wrecking ball, Ogawa Saketen donated the building and the city of Ise city bought the land it sat on in order to restore the old buildings and turn it into a museum of Kawasaki and its shining port city past.

In 2002, that plan was realized when Kawasaki Shoninkan opened it’s doors and now stands as the symbol of Kawasaki. Rich in local history, it’s a local jewel—a place where you can get a great sense of how Ise used to be.

The museum is open daily from 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM with the exception of Tuesday (or Wednesday when Tuesday is a public holiday). The cost is 300 yen for adults, 200 yen for college students and 100 yen for primary and middle school students. There is a volunteer guide service (Japanese and English) available but must be requested in advance. For more information, please give them a call at 0596-22-4810 or e-mail to machishu@e-net.or.jp.

As travelers depart the south exit of Ise City Station, they will see “Geku Sando” the traditional main street that leads directly to “Geku”, the outer shrine of Ise Jingu. On weekends during this time of year, people walking along Geku Sando, will find that the street transforms into a local style market where they can find all kinds of food and drink that are as distinct as they are delicious.
Since Ise is tucked between the mountains and ocean, there are many local people selling their goods that are very indicative of the local fare. Travelers and locals alike marvel at the many different kinds of fish, seaweed, and vegetables on display.

Whether you are looking for some vegetables or fish to take home or looking to soak up some local culture, this is a great place to start your day. And if you are like me and can’t wait until you get home to test some of the offerings, don’t worry, there are plenty of things you can eat or drink while you stroll from stand to stand. If you are a fan of seafood, then this is a place for you. You can try grilled scallops on the half-shell, broiled and seasoned dried fish, or a hot cup of miso soup chock full of seaweed. All of these edibles taste particularly yummy during the recent cold weather. And if the food doesn’t put a smile on your face, the warmth and kindness of the local sellers certainly will!

The morning market is open from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM every Saturday and Sunday through the end of February.

And if you make it to the market, do yourself a favor and  make your way toward the south end of Geku Sando near the front of the Ise-city Tourism Office, to get a special souvenir—a good luck charm made of wood recycled from Ise Jingu.

These rare charms are not sold but are given to visitors each Saturday and Sunday. There is a limited supply each day and charms are distributed from 10:00 AM until supplies run out. There is a one charm per visitor limit and this special offering will end on Sunday, February 14.

Traditionally, Japanese people visit their local shrines and temples on new year’s day to give thanks for the previous year and wish for happiness, health and success in the coming year. If you have lived or visited Japan during the new year’s season, there is no doubt you witnessed the masses of people who flock to shrines and temples in a flurry of activity and celebration as they say goodbye to the old and welcome the new.

Tucked within the southeast part of Ise City lies Ise Jingu, the most sacred of all Shinto shrines in Japan. Within Ise Jingu, Amaterasu Ohmikami, is enshrined. She is the sun goddess and one of the principal Shinto gods or Japanese “kami”. Her name, Amaterasu, loosely translates into English as “the god that lights the world from heaven”. Amaterasu Ohmikami is the most respected god for the Japanese people and is still believed by some to be in direct lineage to the Japanese royal family. In many ways, the history of Ise Jingu is the history of Japan. It is long, rich and filled with tradition.

An unforgettable and truly Japanese experience awaits any visitor to Ise Jingu during the new year’s holiday since each year, approximately one half a million people visit Ise in order to pay their respects at Jingu. If you are one for crowds or being in the middle of the action, then Ise City is the place for you. Besides the serene beauty and nature that surrounds Ise Jingu, the Okageyokocho and Oharai Street areas near the entrance to Ise Jingu are filled with shops, restaurants and museums to satisfy almost any visitor.

However, one does not have to be a student of Japanese history or folklore to enjoy the splendor of Ise Jingu throughout the year since Ise Jingu is open every day of the year. I personally love to visit when it is very quiet—usually at dawn. Visitors can normally enter the shrine area at first light or soon after. I feel early morning is the best time since visitors can enjoy walking through the beautiful gardens and forest and connect to the divine no matter what religion they may or may not have. (The picture above was taken on an early morning last July. No one was around at that time—a somewhat rare occurrence for Jingu!). I have often heard it said by visitors to Ise Jingu that they cannot put their finger on just what is so special about it however, they all agree, IT IS an extraordinary place.

Things will begin to quiet down this week and even more so in the few remaining days of January. After that, I plan to begin my usual visits to Ise Jingu again to find the peace and serenity that only Jingu can offer. Please check back in a few weeks and I will post more about one of my favorite places in Ise! For more information about Ise Jingu, please click this link.

After the Christmas holiday has come and gone, people quickly start preparing for one of the biggest events on the Japanese calendar, new years. For most people in Japan, the new years holiday is a time to clean our houses, cook special foods, decorate our houses and cars with special new year’s ornaments, write new years greeting cards to all our friends, family and business associates and of course, visit our relatives.

Cleaning our houses is key since most people, myself included, need to literally and symbolically get rid of the unwanted things in our lives to prepare for the new year. We always want to start everything fresh from January 1st. After cleaning our houses, many families attach this kind of ornament above their front doors to protect the house and family from any unwelcoming energy, while at the same time, inviting positive energy into our houses. Each town uses its own method or materials to construct these ornaments and generally people take them down after January 7th. In contrast, generally, people in Ise keep the ornaments on their houses for the entire year. I don’t know why, but I aim to find out!

If you are visiting the Ise area during the new year season, please pay special attention to the houses and shops and how they decorate. You can definitely sense the spirit of Japanese people celebrating the new year.