What to See in Ise-Shima National Park - Top Sights and Attractions

7th-century Shinto shrine compound. The Ise Grand Shrine, located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as Jingū, Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, Naikū and Gekū.

The Inner Shrine, Naikū (also officially known as "Kōtai Jingū"), is located in the town of Uji-tachi, south of central Ise, and is dedicated to the worship of Amaterasu, where she is believed to dwell. The shrine buildings are made of solid cypress wood and use no nails but instead joined wood. The Outer Shrine, Gekū (also officially known as "Toyouke Daijingū"), is located about six kilometers from Naikū and dedicated to Toyouke-Ōmikami, the god of agriculture, rice harvest and industry. Besides Naikū and Gekū, there are an additional 123 Shinto shrines in Ise City and the surrounding areas, 91 of them connected to Naikū and 32 to Gekū.

Purportedly the home of the Sacred Mirror, the shrine is one of Shinto's holiest and most important sites. Access to both sites is strictly limited, with the general public not allowed beyond sight of the thatched roofs of the central structures, hidden behind four tall wooden fences. However, tourists are free to roam the forest, including its ornamental walkways which date back to the Meiji period.

During the Edo period, it is estimated that one out of ten Japanese conducted an Okage Mairi pilgrimage to the shrine. Accordingly, pilgrimage to the shrine flourished in both commercial and religious frequency. According to historical documents, 3.62 million people visited the shrine in 50 days in 1625, and 1.18 million people visited the shrine in three days in 1829 when the grand festival held every 20 years was held. Because the shrine is considered sanctuary, no security checkpoints were conducted, as it was considered sacrilege by the faithful. The two main shrines of Ise are joined by a pilgrimage road that passes through the old entertainment district of Furuichi.

The chief priest or priestess of Ise Shrine must come from the Imperial House of Japan and is responsible for watching over the Shrine. The current high priestess of the shrine is Emperor Emeritus Akihito's daughter, Sayako Kuroda.^[1]

Shinto shrine in Ise, Japan. Meoto Iwa, or the Married Couple Rocks, are two rocky stacks in the sea off Ise, Mie, Japan. They are joined by a shimenawa and are considered sacred by worshippers at the neighboring Futami Okitama Shrine. According to Shinto, the rocks represent the union of the creator kami, Izanagi and Izanami. The rocks, therefore, celebrate the union in marriage of man and woman. The shimenawa, composed of five separate strands which each weigh 40 kilograms, must be replaced several times a year in a special ceremony. The larger rock, said to be male, has a small torii at its peak.

At dawn during the summer, the sun appears to rise between the two rocks. Mount Fuji is visible in the distance. At low tide, the rocks are not separated by water.

Okitama Shrine is dedicated to Sarutahiko Ōkami and imperial food goddess Ukanomitama. There are numerous statues of frogs around the shrine. The shrine and the two rocks are near the Grand Shrine of Ise, the most important location of purification in Shinto.^[2]

Museum in Toba, Japan. Toba Sea-Folk Museum is a museum dedicated to the area's fishing traditions in Toba, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Having first opened as the private Sea-Folk Museum in 1971, the museum reopened in its current location in 1992, and in 2017 was reestablished as a public, municipal museum under its current name. In 1998, the museum buildings, designed by Naitō Hiroshi, were included amongst the 100 Select Instances of Public Architecture by the then Ministry of Construction. The collection, numbering some 61,840 items as of 31 March 2018, includes some ninety wooden boats from all over Japan, the nation's most comprehensive assemblage of materials relating to the Ama, and a grouping of 6,879 pieces of Ise Bay, Shima Peninsula, and Kumano Sea Fishing Equipment that have been jointly designated an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property. The displays are organized around seven themes: traditions of sea-folk, sea-folk faith and festivals, sea pollution, Ama divers in Shima, fishing in Ise Bay, fishing in Shima and Kumano, and wooden boats and navigation.^[7]