Ise Jingu
Today, I had the incredible opportunity to visit one of Japan's three most important shrines! I visited the magnificent Ise Jingū shrine, which is located in Mie Prefecture next to Aichi Prefecture.
It's a magical time of year when the streets are lit up and Japanese people flock together to express their gratitude to the gods and make wishes for the coming year. This visit was truly incredible! Ise Jingū is the holiest Shinto shrine in Japan, which is incredible in itself!
Founded over 2,000 years ago, Ise Jingū is a sacred place of breathtaking beauty. It is dedicated to Amaterasu Ōmikami, the Sun Goddess and a central figure in Shintoism, who is also considered the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial family. She embodies light, life, and harmony and occupies a fundamental place in Japanese spirituality.
The shrine is a fascinating place known for its unique and impressive traditions. Every 20 years, the buildings are rebuilt identically during the Shikinen Sengū ritual, offering a rare glimpse into living architectural heritage. This cycle embodies perpetual renewal, the transmission of ancestral knowledge and respect for nature — values that are deeply rooted in Japanese culture.
Visiting Ise Jingū is an incredibly enriching experience that goes far beyond a simple pilgrimage. It offers a true immersion in the vibrant soul of Japan, where spirituality, history, and nature come together in perfect harmony.
We left Nagoya and headed for Ise, in Mie Prefecture, and it was an absolutely incredible trip! After nearly two and a half hours on the road, we finally arrived at our destination.
It's the most festive time of the year, and it shows! There are people, people, people! The roads are flooded with traffic, and even to get to the car parks, you have to squeeze through endless queues.
The atmosphere is simply magical, electric, captivating. You can feel that this trip is an important, special moment, a time to close the year, to take a moment for yourself, to mark a transition. Despite the wait and the cold, no one seems to be in a hurry, everyone is delighted to be together. Time slows down, as if the journey were already part of the ritual, and it's an exhilarating feeling.
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Before reaching the sanctuary, you will cross a large, bustling shopping street lined with souvenir shops and traditional restaurants. It is a real feast for the senses: inviting aromas, tempting stalls, handcrafted items... It is easy to lose your head – and your money. A little practical advice: remember to bring cash with you, as many shops do not accept credit cards.
This walk is an integral part of the experience and gently prepares you for the spiritual atmosphere of the place.
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
Entry to the temple is free, and it opens at 5am. I recommend arriving as early as possible, particularly towards the end of the year, to avoid the crowds and experience the atmosphere.
The tour takes place outdoors, surrounded by nature. As you enter, you pass under the first gate. Before crossing it, stop to bow for the first time — a simple yet important gesture to show respect to the gods.
You then cross the bridge. From that moment on, something changes. The noise diminishes, the air feels different and you really feel as though you are leaving the ordinary world behind and entering a calm, timeless space — the world of the gods.
After crossing the bridge, we begin our journey and I am intrigued by the large barrels lined up on the side of the path. These are actually sake barrels, kindly donated by breweries from all over Japan. This sake is not intended to be consumed on site: it is presented as an offering to the deities, a symbol of purity, gratitude and prosperity. Sake plays an essential role in Shinto rituals, as it is considered a link between gods and men.
If I may, I would like to share with you my admiration for the beauty of the Japanese gardens surrounding the shrine. The majestic trees, carefully maintained gravel and peaceful atmosphere give the impression that time slows down. If I may, I sincerely believe that I will never tire of these landscapes, which are soothing, elegant and deeply rejuvenating.
Before you continue, you must purify yourself by washing your hands. There is, of course, a reason behind this ritual. Hold the hishaku (the wooden ladle) in your right hand and use it to pour water over your left hand. Then switch hands and repeat the process for your right hand. Next, wash your left hand again. Take a small amount of water in your hand to rinse your mouth, then let the water run down the handle to purify the hishaku before replacing it.
One last door, one last bow, and we arrive at the temple. The path has several doors to pass through, one after the other. This slow progression invites us to be humble, for we are small in the face of nature and this sacred place.
We take a few final photos before climbing the steps to the temple, where we will pray.
I explain how the prayer works at this point.
Typically, people offer a 5-yen coin, which is considered to be a symbol of good luck. However, I have also seen people give banknotes, which seems to be quite common at the end of the year when people come to thank the gods for the past year.
Once the coin has been placed in the offering box, you bow and clap your hands twice to attract the attention of the deities. You then take a moment to express your gratitude or say a prayer before concluding with a final bow as a sign of respect.
After eating well, we resumed our walk to fully enjoy the beauty of kōyō. Kōyō is that magical time in Japan when the autumn leaves turn red, orange and bright yellow. It is a much-anticipated time of year, almost as popular as the cherry blossom season, but still less well known abroad. Yet it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful times to visit Japan: the landscapes are transformed into living paintings and every walk becomes a natural spectacle.
Under the evening lights, the illuminated maple trees gave the impression that the entire valley was on fire. And to make this moment even more special, I was treated to a small private photo shoot, courtesy of my boyfriend, of course. Between the colours, the atmosphere and the memories captured, it was a perfect moment.
Back on the shopping street and with our stomachs rumbling, we stopped at a restaurant serving the local specialty. Ise udon.
Unlike udon found in other regions of Japan, Ise udon is distinguished by its thick, soft noodles that almost melt in the mouth. This texture may come as a surprise at first, given that the texture of noodles varies greatly from prefecture to prefecture in Japan, with each region having its own traditions.
We tried two versions: a classic broth-based dish and an udon yaki dish, which consists of stir-fried udon noodles that are lightly grilled and often served with sauce and garnishes.
Both dishes were excellent, but I must admit that I fell head over heels for the broth version. The deep, generous flavour of the broth permeated the noodles perfectly, giving them an intense, comforting taste that was just what I needed after a long walk.
After enjoying this delicious meal, we set off again for a short walk through the many souvenir shops. I immediately fell in love with a pair of Pompompurin earrings. They had nothing to do with Ise or the shrine — after all, Pompompurin is a Sanrio character — but they were so cute that I couldn't resist.
My partner bought them for me, and I've been wearing them ever since, like omamori — those little Japanese lucky charms I mentioned earlier.
We then took a look around the Snoopy shop. Everything there was so cute that I wanted to buy everything I saw. There was also a small café — actually just a takeaway counter — and everything looked absolutely delicious.
We spent a few minutes letting ourselves be enveloped by the atmosphere of a shop filled with stones and rocks of infinite shapes and colours. Some had been transformed into delicate miniature jewels, while others were displayed in their raw state, as if freshly extracted from the earth. Light reflected off the polished surfaces, causing the crystals to sparkle and revealing deep shades that were sometimes soft and sometimes bright.
There was a special, almost soothing energy in this place that encouraged you to slow down and observe. With its reflections, textures and vibrations, the shop had a deeply magical and captivating quality. I couldn't help but capture these moments in a few photos, as if to bring a little of this atmosphere home with me.
Before leaving, we stopped off for one final gourmet treat and tasted another of Ise's iconic specialities: Akafuku (赤福). This traditional Japanese sweet, known as wagashi, consists of soft mochi covered with sweet red bean paste (anko). The wavy shape of the Akafuku is significant: it represents the course of the Isuzu River, which flows through Ise, while the mochi symbolises the pebbles in the riverbed.
We enjoyed the Akafuku with a fragrant and slightly bitter matcha, which balanced the sweetness of the dessert perfectly. Having taken tea ceremony lessons, I found myself reproducing the gestures I had learned, which made me savour the moment even more.
The café is connected to a shop where you can buy beautifully presented wagashi to take away. The interior is decorated in the typical style of a Japanese tea room, with a simple, warm atmosphere of wood and clean lines, creating a peaceful ambience that was ideal for ending the visit on a sweet note.
It was a simple, heartfelt day trip, filled with precious moments and memories that we will cherish for a long time to come.
