The next train bring us to Kameyama where we change train again for Iseshi. Arrived there, it is still pretty early and we head up straight to the first of the Ise Grand Shrines, the Outer Shrine or Geku shrine that is said to date back from 478 AD and which is dedicated to Toyouke-no-Omikami, the goddess of agricultures and industry, also guardian of Amaterasu Omikami's food offerings, the Sun goddess. The location is old, but not the buildings; indeed, the shikinen-sengu is an important rite at the Ise Grand Shrines which
consists in every 20 years to raze all the buildings and to reconstruct
them close by, and thus since the 7th century. The main shrine is somehow restricted, that is one cannot enter the main courtyard, and only few with some recommendation or any others kind of offerings can enter, guarded with a priest; we indeed witnessed two men somehow formally clothed (business-wise) following obediently and silently in single file a priest and performing with him the ritual (two bows, two hands claps and again a bow). The site is located a the foot the small hills, in a forest of old cypress trees; made of wood, unpainted and with sober style, the buildings are harmonized to their environments. Only above the partially covered with vegetation roofs, the ridges are wrapped with copper plates in which the sun reflects its rays. These building built in a shinmei style are in strong contrast with the shrines in Nikko which where all colorfully painted and carved.
We leave for the Inner Shrine or Naiku shrine, located around 4.5km south. On the way we just stop right after to see small shrine which entry is filled with inari (fox spirit) statues. Close by there is a pathway made of wooden torii placed so closed from one each other it looks a bit like a tunnel.
We continue our walk to th south part of the city, under a hot and shining weather. A bus would had been a better option, but whatever. And we arrive at a mandatory spot; the Sarutahiko Ōkami shrine, the sanctuary of the powerful earthly kami of the monkey.
Not so far away from here, the Inner Shrine, Naiku, which is definitively, as it has been for long time, a place a great affluence. The touristic infrastructure that is settled in front of the entrance bridge is a proof of this: beside the large parking lot for buses, it is a real little shopping town that is installed here. Souvenirs and drinks and whatever that looks somehow locally crafted or cooked is being sold here among the very clean and laid out shops and streets. We cross the 100m bridge over the isuzu river and enter the sanctuary. Strongly alike as the Outer Shrine (unless it is the contrary, but since we went firstly to the other...), the Inner Shrine is hosting the shrine of Amaterasu Omikami, the highest graded kami in the shinto pantheon according to the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, the record of shinto and Japanese mythology. the cult of Amaterasu is strongly linked to the religious activity of Ise since the dawn of Japan, at most important pilgrimage days in the former time, it was up to 900.000 people who would have gathered at once.
The 'tourist district', also called Okage Yoko-chō, has its own strong points, and we lunch in one of them also in order to take the opportunity to taste of the local specialties such as cooked eels. In another place, we can in a large room seat on tatami with other guests and eat some manjū with cold tea, on the street I get some excellent tofu ice cream and we purchased a measure of Ise green tea (¥1,000 for 500g). Then we go on the bench of the river, where some other people are resting and some children playing in water. I notice then that I got some sunburns.
After Ise comes Toba where we'll spend the night. We arrive there in the late afternoon, and are carried by the hotel shuttle to our destination, the Toba Hotel, well placed on the sea front. The good points of the hotel were: the scenic view on the bay and the surroundings islands, the spacious Japanese style bathroom, and the large Japanese buffet-breakfast. For the rest, I would say that was not great. Quite soulless, the hotel is modern and western-style oriented while providing Japanese-like food and services, thus with no personnels being able to speak English (for an "international"hotel, that was not to be expected). The diner room was just tasteless with 4-5 fishes standing motionless at the bottom of a decor-less aquarium just next to the table we sat (it does not help to have appetite). The hotel was definitively fancier than the one in Chuzenji-ko, but was not worth the price.
In the next morning, we are waked up at 6am by the sound of the cicadas and the raising heat, and the breakfast help us to leave the hotel with a bit more of enthusiasm: the room is much better than the diner room and offers a very nice view on the bay as well, the choice in dishes is large and clearly Japanese. A cook prepares for you an omelet with the garnish you like (while I ordered two, one with bacon and one with seaweeds, I feel that passing the order is quite challenging and indeed we receive only one of the both).
We leave the hotel with the shuttle, with the same old driver who will first thanks us for waiting at the passenger entry door before going to the driver seat; outside a receptionist lady bows toward us while we are leaving. Down the street, we pick-up some others guests at the next hotel. There, it is a cook, that I see hiding himself to adjust his apron, that will come and bow while we leave. My wife noticed the man still stood at his place after having bowed although we are away (while still at sight), I turn myself to observe the phenomena: ultimately, the cook again bows 90° while we disappear after the next curve. Impressive.
Back to the train station, we just a few meters further to see some restaurant that from setups like more like food booths: tiny place, on the front stands stalls filled with waters and living fishes, seashells or shellfishes. Definitively appealing, it however it is either too early or too late to taste of it - too bad, it would have been a nice experience instead of the soulless diner at hotel, maybe for next time.
The next stop with the train is at Futaminoura. There is in this city enshrines rocks in the sea binded together with a shimenawa (sacred rope) also called meoto iwa (the wedded rocks). Main attraction of an colorless city, the shrines attract the tourists who can then take o picture of themselves in front of it, as we did for sure, and pay their respect to the local kami which are here assisted by the kaeru (frogs), therefore several statues of frogs are disseminated around and even in the temizuya one can pour water on the back of a ceramic frogs. Going back to the train station, we just stop to get some manjū with cold tea like in Ise. Since several days, the weather forecast is announcing the coming of the typhoon number 12, we can observe some of the beginnings with a evermore clouds covered sky and few unruly waves breaking against the rocks.
We continue our walk to th south part of the city, under a hot and shining weather. A bus would had been a better option, but whatever. And we arrive at a mandatory spot; the Sarutahiko Ōkami shrine, the sanctuary of the powerful earthly kami of the monkey.
Not so far away from here, the Inner Shrine, Naiku, which is definitively, as it has been for long time, a place a great affluence. The touristic infrastructure that is settled in front of the entrance bridge is a proof of this: beside the large parking lot for buses, it is a real little shopping town that is installed here. Souvenirs and drinks and whatever that looks somehow locally crafted or cooked is being sold here among the very clean and laid out shops and streets. We cross the 100m bridge over the isuzu river and enter the sanctuary. Strongly alike as the Outer Shrine (unless it is the contrary, but since we went firstly to the other...), the Inner Shrine is hosting the shrine of Amaterasu Omikami, the highest graded kami in the shinto pantheon according to the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, the record of shinto and Japanese mythology. the cult of Amaterasu is strongly linked to the religious activity of Ise since the dawn of Japan, at most important pilgrimage days in the former time, it was up to 900.000 people who would have gathered at once.
 |
| hitsumabushi, sauced & grilled eels with rice (in the black & red pot) |
After Ise comes Toba where we'll spend the night. We arrive there in the late afternoon, and are carried by the hotel shuttle to our destination, the Toba Hotel, well placed on the sea front. The good points of the hotel were: the scenic view on the bay and the surroundings islands, the spacious Japanese style bathroom, and the large Japanese buffet-breakfast. For the rest, I would say that was not great. Quite soulless, the hotel is modern and western-style oriented while providing Japanese-like food and services, thus with no personnels being able to speak English (for an "international"hotel, that was not to be expected). The diner room was just tasteless with 4-5 fishes standing motionless at the bottom of a decor-less aquarium just next to the table we sat (it does not help to have appetite). The hotel was definitively fancier than the one in Chuzenji-ko, but was not worth the price.
We leave the hotel with the shuttle, with the same old driver who will first thanks us for waiting at the passenger entry door before going to the driver seat; outside a receptionist lady bows toward us while we are leaving. Down the street, we pick-up some others guests at the next hotel. There, it is a cook, that I see hiding himself to adjust his apron, that will come and bow while we leave. My wife noticed the man still stood at his place after having bowed although we are away (while still at sight), I turn myself to observe the phenomena: ultimately, the cook again bows 90° while we disappear after the next curve. Impressive.Back to the train station, we just a few meters further to see some restaurant that from setups like more like food booths: tiny place, on the front stands stalls filled with waters and living fishes, seashells or shellfishes. Definitively appealing, it however it is either too early or too late to taste of it - too bad, it would have been a nice experience instead of the soulless diner at hotel, maybe for next time.
Shingu does not appear to us as a bright city; and the hotel we overnight is at the other side of the scale compare to the one from Toba, it is a business hotel, kind of place you come to sleep and go, not to enjoy the place. But at least the tenants are able to do a bit of conversation (with my wife). We go immediately outside but get chased back in a bit later because of the rain. With raincoats we go again outside, and find a Chinese restaurant to have a diner, after we shortly do some shopping to get some snacks and sake.
more picture about this episode on Picasa
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