Mie: Ise Jingu, Japan's Most Sacred Shrine, and the Ise-Shima Coast

Ise Jingu is arguably the most important Shinto site in Japan, dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. It's actually two main shrines a few kilometers apart — Geku (outer shrine) and Naiku (inner shrine) — connected by a walk through cedar forest that feels genuinely different from a typical city temple visit. Both are rebuilt in an identical style every 20 years in a ritual called Shikinen Sengu; the current buildings date from the most recent rebuild, so check which cycle you're seeing before you go.

Just outside Naiku's entrance is Oharaimachi, an old pilgrim's street of wooden shopfronts selling local snacks — akafuku (sweet red-bean-covered mochi) is the famous one. It's touristy but earns it; this has been a pilgrimage route for centuries, not a manufactured experience.

The coastal Ise-Shima area nearby is where Mikimoto Kokichi developed cultured pearls; Mikimoto Pearl Island in Toba covers that history and still has demonstrations by ama, the traditional female free-divers who once harvested pearls and shellfish by hand. The region is also known for ise-ebi (spiny lobster) and abalone — good but not cheap, and portions/pricing vary a lot by restaurant, so ask locally rather than assume.

Ise is a doable day trip from Osaka, Kyoto, or Nagoya on the Kintetsu limited express (direct, no transfers, but reserve seats in advance during busy seasons — verify current schedules). Outside Ise-Shima, Mie is genuinely quiet for foreign visitors: Iga (ninja history) and the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails in the south are real attractions but require more planning, fewer English signs, and often a car.