A Journey to the Realm of the Sun God, Towards the Light of a Pure Land

What reasons make people so enchanted by the land of the Sun God? What kind of charm compels one to transcend life and death in pursuit of a once-in-a-lifetime journey? Unfurling an ancient map of Japan, we return to the sacred origin of Japanese history. Here, travel is not leisure, but a pilgrimage for inner peace and spiritual elevation.

Located in Mie Prefecture, Ise Grand Shrine boasts a longer history and deeper cultural significance than even Kyoto. It can be described as the spiritual homeland of the Japanese people and the core of their profound spiritual connection. The agricultural foundation of Japan led people to believe that harmony and mutual aid in daily life were essential to achieving coexistence and prosperity with all things. Against this backdrop, the development of faith focused on the relationship between nature, the divine, and humanity.

In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu (the so-called “Sun Goddess”) possesses the power to illuminate the heavens, bestowing not only sunlight and rice upon people but also being the ancestor of the Japanese imperial family. At the founding of Japan, the political core was the imperial family, the economic core was rice, and the spiritual core was Ise Grand Shrine. The most remarkable aspect of Ise Grand Shrine is its ritual relocation event, the “Shikinen Sengu,” held once every 20 years. It is said this tradition began in the 4th year of Empress Jitō’s reign (690 AD), and reasons for it vary—some say it’s to preserve ancient architectural techniques, others claim it prevents the shrine’s image from being tainted by aging structures. Though opinions differ, the origins remain unverifiable.

In ancient Japan, visiting Ise Grand Shrine was once an exclusive privilege reserved for the imperial family. Later, as Shinto belief spread, it became a custom for shoguns to visit from the Muromachi period onward. By the Edo period, people even organized “pilgrimage tours,” considering a trip to Ise Grand Shrine a once-in-a-lifetime event. There’s even a legend that one in every six people had visited Ise. To this day, over 6 million people visit Ise Grand Shrine annually—it’s no exaggeration to call it Japan’s foremost shrine. Ise Grand Shrine is divided into the Inner Shrine (Kotai Jingu), dedicated to Amaterasu, and the Outer Shrine (Toyouke Daijingu). Pilgrims from across Japan would first visit the Outer Shrine to give thanks for bountiful harvests, then the Inner Shrine to thank Amaterasu for her blessings. The area in front of the great torii gate of the Inner Shrine developed into a shopping street called Yokiichi.

 

In Yokiichi, you can witness the food culture that emerged from the Ise Grand Shrine pilgrimage boom. With little time to rest during the pilgrimage, confectioners quickly shaped Akafuku mochi by hand and slapped them onto malted rice crackers, resulting in the iconic uneven surface beloved by many. Meanwhile, if you’re used to chewy noodles, you might struggle with Ise udon. Originally, to serve famished pilgrims instantly, the shop’s cauldrons kept boiling year-round, and the long cooking time naturally gave the udon its soft texture.

 

Yokiichi also features Tokufukuro Lane, showcasing traditional Edo-period nagaya-style buildings and old merchant street scenes reminiscent of the Ise Road. There’s food, entertainment, sights, and seasonal festivals that let you immerse yourself in the rich atmosphere of Ise and experience the pilgrimage life of ancient people.

 

Southwest of Ise Grand Shrine lies another sacred mountainous region—the Kii Mountain Range, revered as a spiritual site by Shugendo practitioners. Shugendo is a unique syncretic religious culture formed by blending Japanese mountain worship with Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto. People in those times generally believed mountains were the dwellings of deities, and practitioners (called “yamabushi”) who trained in the mountains could attain supernatural abilities. Thus, the core tenet of Shugendo is mountain asceticism. From Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha, and Kumano Hayatama Taisha, which are considered sacred gateways to the divine realm, to the long and arduous mountain paths once deemed only traversable by devout believers, these routes were known as the "Paths of the Gods." Alongside these divine trails, the diverse ethnic cultures in the mountains also laid the foundation for Shugendo. In addition to these human elements, the abundant wildlife of the mountains is also an important part of the Shugendo experience. It is said that those who enter these forests will not feel lonely.