Ise

According to the official chronology, Ise Shrine (伊勢神宮 Ise-jingū) was constructed in the year 4 BC. Most historians date the shrines from several hundred years later, with 690 AD widely considered the date when the shrines were first built in their current form. They are mentioned in the annals of the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, dating from 712. Sacred objects of the royal family reside within, including a covered mirror which has reportedly not been looked into for over a thousand years. The shrines are famously dismantled and rebuilt to exacting specifications every 20 years at exorbitant expense.

The present buildings, dating from 2013, are the 62nd iteration to date and are scheduled for rebuilding in 2033. Many festivals will precede the next rebuilding; the most impressive of these, the "tree-pulling" festival Okihiki (御木曳) in which lumber is ceremoniously carted to the shrine, is next anticipated in 2026-2027.

Tourist information site:

The local tourist association has a multilingual guide site.

By plane:

The closest international airport to Ise is Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO IATA) south of Nagoya. High-speed ferries run hourly from the airport's dock across Ise Bay to Tsu (津) in 45 minutes (¥2470). From the port, a local bus travels to Tsu train station (¥200) from which Ise can be reached in 35 minutes by Kintetsu Railway (¥620; transfer may be necessary). A small number of ferries continue to Matsusaka, which is slightly closer to Ise.

The alternative is to simply take the Meitetsu μ-SKY train from the airport to Nagoya, and continue to Ise using one of the options below.

By train:

Ise's main train station is Iseshi (伊勢市), which is served by Japan Railways and the private Kintetsu Railway. Another useful station is Uji-Yamada (宇治山田), which is served by Kintetsu and is the next station after Iseshi.

Kintetsu offers access to Ise through their direct limited express services from Nagoya (85 minutes, ¥2770), Kyoto (2 hours, ¥3620) and Namba in Osaka (1 hour 50 minutes, ¥3120). Some trains have a premium Deluxe Car which requires an additional surcharge for seating. One service, the Shimakaze (しまかぜ), operates with all-premium seating, also requiring an additional surcharge.

Tourists who wish to use Kintetsu can purchase the Kintetsu Rail Pass which includes unlimited local trips on the network for 5 days. The pass costs ¥3800 (¥3600 if you buy it outside Japan before your trip). You must purchase a separate ticket to ride on the limited express, though Kintetsu has now made these purchases possible in English on their website. The one-way surcharges to Ise are ¥1320 from Nagoya or Osaka, and ¥1610 from Kyoto. Deluxe Car seats and Shimakaze seats require an extra surcharge. An enhanced version of the pass, called the Kintetsu Rail Pass Plus, costs ¥5000 (¥4800 purchased in advance) and adds unlimited trips on select buses in the area.