Ise Kawasaki Area Archive

On Saturday night, August 7th, Ise City will be a little brighter as the city will hold a candle festival along the Seta River. Candles will be placed along the river for a stretch of about 10 kilometers through Ise City.

Traditionally, the Seta River was a lifeline for the people of Ise City when waterways were more common modes of transportation and delivery. But after people, goods and services began using alternate methods of movement, the Seta River became a place of refuse rather than a vital part of the local economy.

In recent years, however, Ise City and a legion of volunteers have tried to get this river back its position of prominence. And it has worked! The water quality has increased and the river’s inhabitants have been flourishing. The effort to restore the Seta River continues on and on and the Candle Night event is one way people are recognizing the efforts that have been made and also part of their dream to make the Seta River a vital part of the city again.

The Candle Festival will feature all the wonderful sights, sounds, and flavors of a usual summer festival in Japan—food, drink and lots of laughs.

To take part in the celebration, head toward to Kawasaki district in Ise City (please see the map). It is only a few minutes walk from either Ujiyamada or Ise City train stations. Once you are in Kawasaki, you can’t miss it.

The candles will be lighted at 17:30 and should burn about 5 to 6 hours—plenty of time for everyone to fill their bellies and rejuvinate their spirits! Tell all your friends to join you and I hope to see you there!

I just received some information from the Ise City government about parking and driving near Naiku and Geku during the coming Golden Week (4/29 ~ 5/5). Getting impending driving restrictions within Ise City is a pretty clear indication of what’s to come—lots of people and lots of cars! If you are traveling to Ise during the upcoming Golden Week, I highly recommend you use public transportation. But if you are traveling by car, please make sure to heed the traffic information found at the linked HP below. Many roads are going to be closed during the week within Ise-city and you need to expect long lines for parking. Here is the detailed information about traffic and parking situation during this GW week in Ise city (sorry, Japanese only):

http://www.city.ise.mie.jp/icity/browser?ActionCode=content&ContentID=1238380132496&SiteID=0000000000000

Also, I am really happy to share that some of my friends will have an open house at an atelier (Neo Umeda, a picture above) in the Kawasaki area during Golden Week. They will be welcoming anyone who is looking for more information about Ise and the surrounding area. They describe themselves as a kind of unofficial Ise tourism information spot where they will be looking forward to meeting some travelers and locals alike to share and exchange local knowledge about what they feel are some of the underrated local spots in Ise. Food and drinks won’t be served, but you are welcome to take along your own food and drinks if you like. Some local souvenirs and goods will be sold. And I just bet you will encounter some of very interesting people, which would be the ultimate souvenir when visiting Ise.

Place: Neo Umeda, Kawasaki, Ise-city
Open: April 29 & 30, and May 1 through 4
Time: 10:00~17:00 (.. though, we may not be around all the time.)
Map:

For more detailed information, click here (Sorry, Japanese Only):
http://takeshinakatani.jp/umeda/newsplan/sakasa.html

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.