A few weeks ago, I went for a weekend trip to Mie Prefecture, southeast of Osaka.

First stop – Isejingu, what is considered to be the most revered shrine in Japan. I was forewarned that tourists cannot enter the main shrine complex, but instead have to crane their necks over fences, or peek through the slots to get a glimpse of anything on the inside. Nevertheless, the whole city of Ise is alive with the history of the shrine and it was an enjoyable visit in spite of not being able to see much of the buildings themselves. The entire area leading up the shrine is a pseudo-Colonial Williamsburg – buildings are kept in the Edo period style, with dark wood and cobbled walking streets. A myriad of traditional Japanese snacks and goods are sold along the way, keeping up the tradition of merchants who thrive from pilgrim route trade.


The first guy is making ink (mom and dad told me they saw this same thing on a tv show at home about Japan...) and the second place is a fish market where people lined around to get a free sample of freshly grilled fish (me included).

What one can see of the shrine is beautiful in its simplicity. Many shrines are often painted with bright reds and greens, what I think has been passed on from Chinese or Korean tradition. But Isejingu is kept in unfinished wood. The top spires of each building are painted gold, which provide a nice contrast to the earthy woods and surrounding conifers. Even though no one can enter the shrine (save what must have been an incredibly wealthy family holding a wedding there, along with Shinto priests of course), that doesn’t stop many Japanese from visiting the shrine each day.

After visiting Ise, I went to Futami, a seaside town just a few train stops away from Ise. As soon as Justin and I arrived, we headed straight for the oceanfront. Futami, a small, old tourist town, is home to Meoto-iwa, the “wedded rocks.” This shrine area consists of a seaside temple, complete with countless renderings of kaeru, frogs, what must be the shrine’s protective animal. The wedded rocks are two large boulders in the ocean tied together by a thick rope.
We stayed in a hostel that was actually run by the caretaker of a hillside temple. Tucked away on a hillside forest, the hostel, though basic and bare, was quiet and cheap.


Both to and from Mie, we took the longer train route. Though it was more troublesome to worry about making the right connection times, we went through a lot of beautiful countryside. There were a few small train lines that literally clinged to the sides of hills, passing alongside rather than tunneling through mountains. Additionally, taking this route allowed us to go straight through Ueno City, where we stopped on our way home.


Ueno is mainly known for its humble castle and for being home to the Iga Ninja clan, which, along with Shiga prefecture’s Kaga clan, is one of the most famous ninja schools in Japan.
 
So, of course, we bought into this ninja business (I found myself saying, “hey, am I really ever going to go to a ninja museum ever again?”) and went to the reproduction ninja house and museum. The house was a little kitchy, with our tour guide, donning a pink ninja robes (unfortunately sans face mask), demonstrated the secret features of the house. The museum offered a lot of interesting information (as well as a great photo-op)..for example, did you know that if a ninja had to remember something very important, he may injure himself upon hearing the information to ensure he would remember it? Also, ninjas used dyed rice to make color patterns to leave messages for other ninjas. And, ninjas often used Ueno City’s own ninja train (seen here) to get around the city. Well…


All in all, we had a nice weekend and I’ll be looking forward to the next trip out. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make it somewhere before the weather gets cold again!