Ise Jingu or Ise Grand Shrine is a complex of 125 Shinto shrines, occupying one fifth of land in Ise City. The whole shrine complex covers about 5,500 hectares of land which is around 1/5 of land in Ise City. There two main shrines: the Inner Shrine, Naiku and the Outer Shrine, Geku. The rest are auxiliary shrines around them. All shrine buildings are rebuilt every 20 years for more than 1,300 years. A ceremony called Shikinen Sengu is held to mark the “transfer” of renewed buildings.
The Inner Shrine (Naiku) is the most venerable sanctuary in Japan, dedicating to the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, the ancestral kami (Shinto deity) of the Imperial family. She was enshrined here over 2,000 years ago and has been respected as a guardian of Japan. Hence the Inner Shrine is more popular.
The Outer Shrine is about 10 minutes walk from Ise-shi JR Station and the Inner Shrine is 15 minutes by bus from the station. Travelling with time constraints, I have visited the Inner Shrine this time.
The Ise Grand Shrine trip begins at Ise City Station. 乘坐 JR 至伊勢市站，即可展開伊勢神宮朝聖之旅。There is a bus stop in front of the station. If you are using the 5-day Ise-Kumano-Wakaya JR Pass, you may take JR from Nagoya to Ise City and use the Pass for this bus ride. It’s very convenient! 站前就有接駁巴士直達伊勢神宮的內宮，如使用 5天伊勢－熊野－和歌山 JR 周遊券，除了名古屋至伊勢市的火車，這接駁巴士都可以免費上落，非常方便。Ise Jingu Inner Shrine is dedicated to Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess. At the right time and season, you may see the sunrise from the main gate on the other end. It’s not the exact angle, but I am glad to capture this sun light at the entrance of Ise Grand Shrine. 伊勢神宮內宮是供奉「天照大御神」，如果時間配合，從正門另一邊鳥居就正面可以看到太陽升起。雖然不是同一個角度，能在伊勢神社前拍到這樣美麗的日照也不錯。The Uji Bridge is a 100-meter long traditional Japanese wooden bridge connecting to the Inner Shrine. 這條宇治橋長100公尺，是傳統日本木製橋樑，走過這條橋便可到達內宮的範圍。This Isuzu River is a separation of sacred realm from the earth. 這條五十鈴川是分格隔聖界與人類凡間的河流。This is the other end of the Uji Bridge where you may see the sun rise in the center at the right time. 這是宇治橋的另一邊，從鳥居的正中可以看到日出的曙光。The Inner Shrine is a tranquil place, offering nice walk through the wood. 伊勢神宮內宮到處都有樹蔭，環境清幽。There are two more Toriis under which the pilgrims walk towards the main sanctuary. 朝聖者往正宮的途中會經過兩個大鳥居。Before reaching the main sanctuary, pilgrims can make personal wish in Kaguraden by offering kagura (ceremonial music and dance). 如祈求個人願望，可以在神樂殿透過神樂獻納向神明許願。Pilgrims may buy Amulets (charms) of the shrine here. There are several different charms for health, work and luck. 信眾可以在這裏買神社的護身符，以保健康、平安、學業等。These gigantic cypress trees are the “power spots” that give special energy from the nature to the visitors. 神宮內有很多巨大柏樹，被認為是能量景點 (Power Spots)，給予參拜者特殊能量。This is the most venerable shrine in Japan. Many people believe strongly in the special power of this shrine and come to make a wish and get blessed. 內宮是最神聖的日本神社。每天都有很多民眾前來參拜祈福，希望得到更多正能量。In fact, the whole Ise Jingu is considered a power spot, people walk by the gigantic trees would touch them to gain power. Look at the bottom of this huge tree trunk then you will see how many people touched it to make the surface smooth. 其實整個伊勢神宮都是能量景點，所有大樹都是接收能量的大景點，看看這光滑的樹幹就知道每天有多少人摸過。This Mishine-no-Mikura is an auxiliary shrine for the storage of harvested rice for offering. 這御稻御倉是儲存供奉天神米糧的神社。The structure of this shrine is the same as the main sanctuary. The whole shrine is built without a single nail and meant to stand for 20 years. This is a very intelligent architecture design leveraging on gravity and the weight of the wood to hold the building in the old days. The gaps (circled in red) between joints are indication of the time pass. The gaps will close in 20 years so that people know when to build a new one. Very smart! 這間神社和正宮的建築方法一樣，以木工入榫的方法建造而成，沒有使用一根釘，利用木材的重量和地心吸力支撐神社結構。紅圈中的罅隙就是歲月的指標，前人十分聰明，計算過20年後罅縫就剛剛接合，是時候重建遷宮。The outer treasury shrine. 外幣殿。Visiting this most sacred shrine in Japan, I am not going to miss the chance of capturing this special moment in the middle of the power spot. 我很高興來到這個日本最神聖的神社，當然不會錯過一個接收能量的機會，快快拍照留念。
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