Ise Jingu Shikinen Sengu Blog
An English-language guide to the 63rd Shikinen Sengu of Jingu (2025-2033) and the broader Ise region. Topics include Shikinen Sengu, Jingu shrines, food, lodging, events, surrounding areas, and access.
Latest articles
- Surrounding AreasKongosho-ji: the Buddhist Temple That Guards Ise Jingu
Kongosho-ji sits on Mount Asama above Ise Jingu, guarding what tradition calls the demon gate. A look at its history, its sutra mounds, and how to reach it.
- LodgingFrom Oshi Houses to Jingu Kaikan: How Ise Housed Pilgrims
Before inns, Ise pilgrims slept in the homes of oshi priests. How that system ended in 1871, and what today's Jingu-affiliated lodging inherited from it.
- EventsHatsumode at Ise: How Many People Actually Come, and When
How many people actually visit Ise Jingu at New Year, how the crowds thin across January 1-3, and what the numbers do and do not tell you about who comes.
- FoodAkafuku, Red Bean Paste, and What Jingu Actually Offers
Red bean paste is not among the sacred offerings at Ise Jingu. So why is Akafuku the food of the pilgrimage? A look at azuki, purity, and the meal after the ritual.
- AccessSilver Week 2026 at Ise: Five Days of Road Closures, on Foot
From 19 to 23 September 2026 Ise closes motorway exits and shuts the Okaraimachi street to vehicles. What that does to buses, taxis and walking routes if you arrive by train.
- Jingu ShrinesOne Name, 125 Shrines: How Ise Jingu Fits Together
Ise Jingu is not one shrine but 125 — two grand sanctuaries, fourteen betsugu, and dozens of shrines for wind, earth, salt, and rice, all working as one.
- Shikinen SenguHow a 10th-Century Legal Code Wrote the Sengu Into Law
Grandpa showed me the Engishiki, the 10th-century legal code that fixed Ise Jingu's 20-year rebuilding in writing. What do those thousand-year-old lines say?
- Surrounding AreasShima and Ago Bay: Where the World's Cultured Pearls Began
Ago Bay on the Shima Peninsula is where Kokichi Mikimoto grew the first cultured pearls. A look at the ria coast, the Akoya oyster, and how it all started.
- EventsTsukinami-sai: Why a Monthly Rite Comes Twice a Year
Tsukinami-sai means monthly, yet Jingu holds it twice a year. What the name preserves, and how the rite fits into the nested cycles of time that shape Ise.
- FoodWhat Is Tekone-zushi? Ise-Shima's Fisherman-Born Local Sushi, Explained
Tekone-zushi began as a bonito fisherman's quick meal on the boats of Shima. What this hand-mixed sushi is, and how it became one of Mie's recognized regional dishes.
Older articles are listed on each category page.
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Everything is filed under seven categories, from the Sengu itself to the food, lodging and transport you need around a visit.