1-Day Itinerary: Experience Japanese Culture and History in the Ise-Shima Area of Mie Prefecture

The Ise-Shima area of Mie Prefecture is known for its rich cultural and historical significance, as well as its natural beauty. You may have heard about it before from the G7 Ise-Shima Summit in 2016. This area has become a popular locale to visit for people from Nagoya and Osaka with numerous photogenic spots to enjoy. If you are a Japanese history and culture lover like me, this is a must-see destination for you.

Written by John Asano

-Table of Contents-

・The Ise-Shima Area

・Ise Jingu

・The Married Couple Rocks

・Futami Okitama Shrine

・Saiku Historical Museum

・Enjoying a Meal at Itsuki Chaya

・Saiku Heian Era Park

・How to Get There

・Wrap Up

The Ise-Shima Area

If you are planning to spend a morning in Ise City to visit Ise Jingu, make sure that you also check out the Ise-Shima area, which is a treasure trove of attractions. Located in the southern part of Mie Prefecture, it is a fantastic place to spend a day of sightseeing.

A spectacular view of the Ise-Shima area from Mt. Asama

Ise Jingu

After arriving at Ise-shi Station, our day started at Ise Jingu, Japan’s most sacred Shinto shrine. This ancient place of worship with a history of over 2,000 years holds a special place in the heart of the Japanese people as the home of the sun deity, Amaterasu Omikami.

Way back in the Edo Period (1603-1868) the pilgrimage to Ise Jingu, which was called Oise-Mairi became a once in a life-time event. Pilgrims traveled from around the country to Ise Jingu on foot, stopping by various places in the area for sightseeing.

Ise Jingu is a collective name for 125 shrines scattered across the region with the two main shrines being Naiku (the inner shrine) and Geku (the outer shrine). We highly recommend a visit during the early morning when the shrine is relatively quiet with few visitors. You can visit Ise Jingu from 5:00 a.m. all year round.

The main shrine gate of Naiku at Ise Jingu

A bustling shopping area developed around the torii shrine gate of Naiku with two streets, Oharaimachi and Okageyokocho offering visitors a chance to enjoy eating street food while soaking up the traditional atmosphere of the Edo Period.

The Oharaimachi Shopping Street in front of Ise Jingu

The Married Couple Rocks

After visiting Ise Jingu, it’s time for us to head to Meotoiwa, which is known as the Married Couple Rocks. These two rocks are joined by a shimenawa (a sacred straw rope) and have been a place for worshiping the sun deity since long ago.

In the past, this sacred place was used to wash and purify before visiting Ise Jingu which is located nearby. The large rock (husband) is joined to the smaller rock (wife) by a braided rope. It symbolizes the holy union of man and woman. The best time to visit the rocks is at high tide when they are separated by water.

Shrine gate on the way to the Married Couple Rocks

The famous wedded rocks of Japan

Futami Okitama Shrine

Next to the Married Couple Rocks is Futami Okitama Shrine. This quirky shrine is dedicated to marriage and family harmony, making it a popular place for newlyweds to visit to pray for a strong and lasting marriage. I found the cute frog statues around the shrine very interesting as they represent a good luck charm to pilgrims as they leave. Frog is kaeru in Japanese, which also means “to return.”

Water purification pavilion at the shrine with lots of frogs

Saiku Historical Museum

Finally, we headed to Meiwa Town to visit the Saiku Historical Museum, which is on the site of the Saiku Ruins, a palace for the Saio, an imperial princess who served Ise Jingu on behalf of the emperor. These unmarried female members of the imperial family served Ise Jingu for more than 600 years from the 7th century until the 14th century. The Saio’s main responsibility was to perform duties at the major ceremonies of nearby Ise Jingu, which were held three times a year.

The daily life of a Saio in their living quarters

Inside, the museum building looks quite new with gorgeous shells on the ceiling and an interesting modern design. I was surprised to hear that it was built at the start of the Heisei Period (1989-2019). The museum opened in 1989 and aims to let people know about the history and culture of Saiku and Saio via cool exhibits, videos, and touch panels.

The artistic design of the museum building

Exhibition room 1 focuses on the Heian Period (794-1185), the peak of Saiku with exhibits about the life of the Saio.

Learn about the life of the Saio in exhibition room 1

The Saio would depart the capital for Saiku riding this palanquin

Exhibition room 2 is all about revealing Saiku through artifacts excavated from the area.

This model recreates the scene of an excavation at the site

The video exhibition room is a great place to start before checking out the exhibition rooms. The first video, “Saio Gunko” reproduces the rituals of Saio and the roughly 130 km journey from the capital Kyoto to Ise. It is a good introduction to the background and role of Saio. The second video, “Encounter with Saiku”, introduces the ongoing excavation research at the site through documentary and animation. The videos are in Japanese with English audio available via headphones.

The information is easy to take in and the museum is an ideal place to learn about Japanese culture and history in a fun way. There is a cool smartphone application called Saiku Guide (斎宮案内) that you can download for free, giving you the information in a range of languages (Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese). The exhibits also have information in both Japanese and English.

Download the app to discover more

Enjoying a Meal at Itsuki Chaya

After visiting the museum, we stopped for a quick meal at Itsuki Chaya, where we were greeted by the friendly staff. This convenient facility is not only a restaurant near the Saiku Historical Museum, but a free rest area, souvenir store and a local market selling fresh fruit and vegetables.