Sacred Spaces in Ise (by Mary)

I'm handling this entry because: (1) it's midnight and everyone else is asleep; and (2) Ise is 

Mark in front of Naiku

starting to feel like a distant memory, and I want to make sure we cover it since it was so significant for Mark. He can fill in the details later.

Ise (e-say) was high on his list because it's the home of Japan's most sacred Shinto shrine--called Ise-jingu, which dates back to the 3rd century. (The Shinto religion itself dates back to 500 BC.) For Shinto practitioners, this is the "holiest" place in the world for them and where one makes pilgrimage. Mark's analogy was that it's what Mecca is to Islam, and what Jerusalem is to Christianity and Judaism.

Naiku: Shinto ritual being watched by the crowd 

About Ise-Jingu
Ise-jingu has two parts. We went to Geku (the outer shrine) right after stashing our bags at the ryokan. We headed to Naiku (the inner shrine) the next day.

One of the most interesting things about this place is that all buildings associated with the shrine are rebuilt every 20 years. The current buildings (which are being disassembled now) are right next to the new buildings (which are now in use). They have been built exactly the same way over the centuries without any nails. A few reasons for this: 

Tree huggers (pushers?) at Naiku

1. Kami (spirits) are attracted to what's new, clean and pure. The older buildings look--old--so they need to be replaced in order to continue attracting goodness.
2. Craftsmen are respected here, and by rebuilding every 20 years, traditions and ways of building can be passed down from generation-to-generation. If they waited 50 years, the skill might be completely lost.

Our room at the ryokan

The shrine was really crowded both days--lots of school groups and tour buses. Only the imperial family and a few priests have access to the inner sanctum--big fences keep the general public out. However, we watched priests perform special rituals with people who had pre-arranged (and paid for) the honor to go inside the fences. From what we observed, most were businessmen and a few families, and we got the sense that this is pretty out-of-reach for most people.

Where We Stayed

Tired after a full day of walking

We stayed in a gorgeous, very old ryokan that had sliding doors covered with rice paper, tatami mats and futons, a small table and a sitting area where we could have tea and read. We had one rolling bag with us, and the ryokan-keeper meticulously washed the wheels before we were allowed to carry it up the stairs in into our rooms. (Outside dirt is profane, which is why we take off our shoes when going inside.) 

The toilets and bathing areas are communal--shared with other guests. We're getting used to this and haven't had any difficulty at all. We especially love the western toilets throughout Japan -- heated seats and all kinds of features that we don't have at home. But that's another blog post for another time...

Screen to the porch at sunset

Eating Through Ise
We had an amazing lunch and dinner experience in Ise. We went to a pub for dinner--no English menus or photos of the food, so we were totally guessing about what we were ordering and how much of it. The food just kept on coming -- sashimi, sushi, pork, miso and salad. It was so good, but actually started hoping that the food being brought out from the kitchen was going to another table (which was never the case). We amused the locals and continue to learn new lessons every day.

After our day at Naiku, we hopped a few trains that would take us to Kyoto, where we'll stay for the next six days. Looking forward to being in one spot for a while -- and also realizing that we're at the halfway mark of our trip.