There isn’t really that much in Ise (besides the Ise Shrines) so I went directly to Geku (外宮, outer shrine).

Both main shrines (outie and innie) are sacred so you can’t enter nor can you even take pictures of the shrines from inside the gate. I kept trying to secretly take pictures in the anti-photography area but they had many snipers set up to headshot anyone trying to pull that; after respawning a couple times I just gave up, deal with it.

Chase uses camera shot, it’s not very effective…

The main shrine, Naiku (内宮, inner shrine), is far away from the outer shrine (partially because the Japanese of 7th century Japan knew of the existence of cars in the future and were big proponents; however since Japanese people don’t live 1300 years they themselves never used any motorized transportation). Situated in the same area as the main shrine is the prime tourist-y shops. They’re mostly restaurants and gift shops but most of them hold a special, tasty surprise that makes them crowded most of the time, Ise udon. This is basically regular udon soup with a more concentrated sauce so if you don’t like Japanese flavors you probably won’t like this at all.

You can’t get to Naiku until you cross the river styx, which can be very scary at this time of year (so many lost souls).

The father the son and the holy gundam.

Although Ise is small and mostly boring, it’s still worth the cost of a train ticket to visit at least once. Since the Ise temples (and bridge) are rebuilt every 20 years some of the best times to see the temple occur every 20 years. Personally, I hope to see the temples when they are rebuilt in 2013. Then again, if it takes me exactly 4 months to do 初詣 (Hatsumode) I have a feeling that I might not make it.

A whole new wooooooorld.

The kanji 初 (はつ) means first and if you’re in Japan in January it’s likely you’ll hear it a lot. Some of them you might find obvious, so don’t hit me with your fist (or any other thing that’s hard). Also, make sure you append “of/for the year” to the end of each of these so I don’t have to write the same thing over and over again, it doesn’t look good from a design standpoint.

初音 (hatsune) – First sound
初空 (hatsusora) – First sky
初日 (hatsuhi) – First sunrise
初夢 (hatsuyume) – First dream
初姿 (hatsusugata) – First time wearing kimono
初湯 (hatsuyu) – First bath
初売り (hatsuuri) – First time selling goods
初釜 (hatsugama) – First tea ceremony
初詣 (hatsumode) – First temple visit
初場所 (hastubasho) – First sumo match
初花 (hatsuhana) – First blooming flower

There are other firsts that happen throughout the year, but pretty much all of the big ones happen in January, sometimes you’ll do many at the same time. Out of all of the firsts listed, the biggest/most important one is definitely hatsumode. Most Japanese people have their first temple visit within the first few days of the new year. In the Mie area, many people make their first temple visit of the year at Ise shrine because well, read about it.

The Ise Grand Shrine in Japan (which is actually a series of over 100 shrines) is the most sacred shrine in Japan. It is dedicated to Amaterasu (the Sun goddess) and has been in existence since 4BC. The main shrine is alleged to hold the most important item in Japan’s imperial history: the Naikū (the mirror from Japanese mythology which eventually ended up in the hands of the first emperors). The shrine is demolished and rebuilt every 20 years in keeping with the Shinto idea of death and rebirth (the next rebuilding will be in 2013). This ranks very high on the list of places you will never go because the only person who can enter is the priest or priestess and he must be a member of the Japanese imperial family. So unless we have a Japanese prince or princess reading the site, no one here will ever see anything more than the thatched roof of the Ise Grand Shrine.

I, being ever so Japanese, have not been to a shrine at all this year (even though it’s almost the second month of the year). I blame it on laziness, but it could always be some demi-god who wants to hold me down and keep me from reaching my true potential. I guess we’ll never know without the help of the Japanese ghostbusters.