in my recent post about temples i mentioned that Atsuta Jinguu, the main Shinto shrine here in Nagoya, is also one of the three most revered places in all Japan. so much for that, but what good would thejayfather be if he could only get you into the top three? still pretty good, actually, but i've gone above and beyond the call of duty yet again to bring you the single greatest site in all of (Shinto) Japan: Ise jinguu.
some views of the great shrine, clockwise from top left: the Japanese flag Hinomaru (circle of the sun) stands out against the spacious and beautiful precincts of the country's holiest sanctuary; the clamor to get a brief glimpse at the shrine itself, even though only emperors and the highest of Shinto priests may go inside; some idea of what that glimpse would look like--was it worth the wait?; and a side view of the main shrine buildings reveals spare but attractive architecture. below, some more of the grounds and surroundings of the shrine, clockwise from top left: a pond with the biggest koi carp i've ever seen, many of whom were actually allowing themselves to be petted; Jill and i take a self-shot in front of some early sakura (cherry blossom) blooms; some less fortunate fish await sale by the rack in the bustling market street adjacent to the shrine; and finally a worthy adversary for me to go head-to-head with was also found on display in the street market.
don't tell me you've never heard of this place, especially after a buildup like that. the important thing is that now you have, and if you read the post about Atsuta, you're already way ahead of the game about understanding this place--they're very similar. however, there are a few things about Ise that deserve special mention. first, i borrow from the guidebook:
elsewhere I've read that Ise is the place where the spirits of all the emperors are enshrined, and that each new one must come to pay homage to their ancestors. and in case you're a little rusty on your Japanese (or even WWII) history, the Shinto belief was, and may or may not still be, that the emperors are deities in human form (MacArthur made Hirohito renounce his and all future emperors' claims to divinity during a radio address following Japan's surrender to allied forces).
so there's your dose of learning for the day; now on to what we did with the rest of ours. Ise is a little over 100 Km (60 miles) south of Nagoya, and just a little further down the road is the tiny town of Toba, Mie Prefecture. if you have a thing for pearls, you may have heard of this place; if not, you may at least have heard of Mikimoto, the man who figured out how to culture them by sequestering himself on a small island there at the end of the 19th century.
i hope this one is self explanatory.
today Mikimoto Pearl Island is a tourist hotspot, and has a very interesting museum in addition to, obviously, a well-stocked store. but the thing that really gets them here, or at least that got us there, was the pearl diver demonstrations. in several coastal areas of Japan there are crews of women known as Ama who dive the ocean waters in search of pearls and the like. they are trained over about a 10 year period, beginning in their early teens, in order to build up lung capacity and i suppose resistance to the fatiguing effects of the cold water (it was around 10°C, or 50°F the day we were there). i guess they cheat a little at Mikimoto, because you'll notice they're really wearing wetsuits under the traditional clothes, but the short demonstration was nonetheless impressive:
that's not all that was impressive about the miniscule island. a brief tour of the shop after the demo revealed several beautiful jewelry pieces, along with some raw pearls. one fairly odd-shaped, but huge, silver pearl was on the block for a shade over ¥10 million, enough to make your eyes water. but since we're going for number ones, thejayfather brings you the pearl of all pearls (not to say the mother of all pearls, groan), with the mind-blowing number in the picture's foreground representing the actual, serious price of this tiny golden orb:
that's a shade over US$300,000 for a ball whose diameter is about the same as that of your average chapstick.
some views of the great shrine, clockwise from top left: the Japanese flag Hinomaru (circle of the sun) stands out against the spacious and beautiful precincts of the country's holiest sanctuary; the clamor to get a brief glimpse at the shrine itself, even though only emperors and the highest of Shinto priests may go inside; some idea of what that glimpse would look like--was it worth the wait?; and a side view of the main shrine buildings reveals spare but attractive architecture. below, some more of the grounds and surroundings of the shrine, clockwise from top left: a pond with the biggest koi carp i've ever seen, many of whom were actually allowing themselves to be petted; Jill and i take a self-shot in front of some early sakura (cherry blossom) blooms; some less fortunate fish await sale by the rack in the bustling market street adjacent to the shrine; and finally a worthy adversary for me to go head-to-head with was also found on display in the street market.
don't tell me you've never heard of this place, especially after a buildup like that. the important thing is that now you have, and if you read the post about Atsuta, you're already way ahead of the game about understanding this place--they're very similar. however, there are a few things about Ise that deserve special mention. first, i borrow from the guidebook:
Shinto tradition has dictated for centuries that the shrine buildings (about 200 of them) be replaced every 20 years with exact imitations built on adjacent sites according to ancient techniques—no nails, only wooden dowels and interlocking joints. Upon completion of the new buildings, the god of the shrine is ritually transferred to its new home... The present buildings were rebuilt in 1993 (for the 61st time) at a cost exceeding ¥5 billion.
elsewhere I've read that Ise is the place where the spirits of all the emperors are enshrined, and that each new one must come to pay homage to their ancestors. and in case you're a little rusty on your Japanese (or even WWII) history, the Shinto belief was, and may or may not still be, that the emperors are deities in human form (MacArthur made Hirohito renounce his and all future emperors' claims to divinity during a radio address following Japan's surrender to allied forces).
so there's your dose of learning for the day; now on to what we did with the rest of ours. Ise is a little over 100 Km (60 miles) south of Nagoya, and just a little further down the road is the tiny town of Toba, Mie Prefecture. if you have a thing for pearls, you may have heard of this place; if not, you may at least have heard of Mikimoto, the man who figured out how to culture them by sequestering himself on a small island there at the end of the 19th century.
i hope this one is self explanatory.
today Mikimoto Pearl Island is a tourist hotspot, and has a very interesting museum in addition to, obviously, a well-stocked store. but the thing that really gets them here, or at least that got us there, was the pearl diver demonstrations. in several coastal areas of Japan there are crews of women known as Ama who dive the ocean waters in search of pearls and the like. they are trained over about a 10 year period, beginning in their early teens, in order to build up lung capacity and i suppose resistance to the fatiguing effects of the cold water (it was around 10°C, or 50°F the day we were there). i guess they cheat a little at Mikimoto, because you'll notice they're really wearing wetsuits under the traditional clothes, but the short demonstration was nonetheless impressive:
that's not all that was impressive about the miniscule island. a brief tour of the shop after the demo revealed several beautiful jewelry pieces, along with some raw pearls. one fairly odd-shaped, but huge, silver pearl was on the block for a shade over ¥10 million, enough to make your eyes water. but since we're going for number ones, thejayfather brings you the pearl of all pearls (not to say the mother of all pearls, groan), with the mind-blowing number in the picture's foreground representing the actual, serious price of this tiny golden orb:
that's a shade over US$300,000 for a ball whose diameter is about the same as that of your average chapstick.
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