An amazing day of riding and a ferry ride into a new prefecture
We have been very lucky lately in our choice of accommodation. Most places have been older properties, maintained with charm and priced reasonably. The En Hotel in Ise City was exactly that. We would have liked a larger room but everything from the staff to their willingness to give our trikes a good spot, to the general atmosphere made this hotel a place we enjoyed.
Lots of effort goes into making the hotel a hospitable place to stay.
In front of the train station is this statue of the beloved pro baseball player, Eiji Sawamura, who was born in Ise in 1917. He was a right handed pitcher who pitched 3 no hitters…one of which was the first no hitter game in Japan. His illustrious career spanned the years from 1936-1939. In 1939 he was drafted into the Japanese Imperial Army and was released from duties during the baseball season. He along with 2000 soldiers and sailors who were on a ship bound to Manila when his ship was torpedoed and sank off of Yakashima, an island near Kyushu. More than 2000 soldiers were killed and none survived the sinking. In 1934, at a Japanese/American baseball tournament, he achieved the remarkable feat of striking out 9 batters including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other notable players. He quickly became famous throughout Japan.
Ise Jingu Shrine has 2 locations, the Outer which is in the centre of town and called Geku. The Inner Shrine is called Naiku and is located 6 km south of Ise. The Jingu Shinto Shrine is adored by the Japanese people and is distinguished as the most important Shinto Shrine in Japan. Unlike other shrines in Japan, there is no lacquer, vermillion tori gates or ornamentation. The buildings are made of solid cypress wood crafted without the use of nails. Since its inception in the early 17th century, all of the buildings have been rebuilt with the same type of wood, every 20 years. We have never experienced the volume of crowd at a shrine as we experienced that day. You could feel the collective reverence for the site and its importance to them. Besides Geku and Maiko, there are an additional 123 Shinto Shrines in Ise City and the surrounding area. Access to both sites is strictly limited with the general public not allowed beyond sight of the thatched roofs of the thatched roof structures. However, visitors are free to roam the forest. During the Edo Period, it is estimated that 1 out of 10 Japanese people conducted a pilgrimage to the Shrine. 3.6 million people visited the shrine in 50 days in 1625 and 1.8 million people visited the Shrine in 3 days in 1829.
TheTori Gate at the entrance. Large crowds were there to visit this most sacred of Shrines in Japan. It is also the start of Golden Week. Mary Ellen is mingling with the locals by the Gate.
These rocks along the walkway are sectioned off since they are very hot. This is a power spot where people feel warmth as they hold their hands over the stones. This spot is used in a purification ritual for sacred garments and offerings.
Oops, we are crossing a bridge and we hope we don’t get a flat tire. The birds are dropping shellfish on the sidewalk on the bridge where we are riding in order to eat their catch. There were broken shells to dodge along the full length of the bridge.Some of the pieces are quite sharp.
Our next stop is to visit Moteo Iwa, the Wedded Rocks The sacred site is located very close to the shore. This site is the most famous of “married couple rocks” in Japan. They are regarded as religiously significant in Shinto Buddhism. The heavy rope of rice straw is called shimenawa. The rope is replaced 3 times a year and weighs a ton.
There are several small shrines dotted along the walkway by the sea at Meoto Iwa. You can get your fortune, good or bad from the these boxes.
A Tori Gate along the shore. It is Golden Week which is a very busy time in Japan. Within the week there are 4 national holidays and families take holidays. This may explain the huge crowds, but we know that this spot with the Meoto Iow is a popular destination and of religious significance amongst the Japanese.
Meoto Iwa….the larger rock is the husband and the smaller one is the wife. The ropes binding the two rocks weigh almost a ton. According to Shinto legend, the islands in the Japanese archipelago are born of this couple.
At first we saw only these magnificent rocks bound by twine. But as we learned about its significance and appreciated the history of this beloved place, we began to understood the importance of this place to Japanese people. It is so much more.
Around the shrine are many images of frogs. Frogs have become a lucky charm. You can see in the photo above that this frog has been touched often to bring good luck.
We were parked by these two fellows who are touring on their motorcycles. We spoke different languages so I started by showing them our Canadian flags (quite small). They followed that with a smile and pulled out their mammoth flag of Taiwan, their home country.
Barry chose glazed pork with rice and fish soup. For some reason, the bowl of soup is his nemesis as he frequently reaches across and tips over the soup. This happened tonight as well. The young woman raced over to clean it up and quickly replaced his soup.
We really enjoyed this small family run restaurant. The father is the chef and he makes people laugh as he calls out to them and, the wife and daughter serve the meals. It is well frequented by locals.
