2010-02

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.