Ise-Shima National Park

Approx. Time: 6 hours
Activity Level: Easy to Moderate

Located just 120 kilometers from Osaka, this is a beautiful day trip for tourists. Ise Shima National Park features a ria-type coastline jutting into Ise Bay and presents a wide variety of magnificent views. This park is centered around the most sacred shrine in Japan (Grand Shrine of Ise) and provides a fascinating glimpse into Japanese culture. Major tourist attractions are Mikimoto Pearl Island, the birthplace of cultured pearls, Toba Aquarium and Shima Spain Village, a unique theme park, drawing a large number of visitors each year. In addition, this area is a gourmet paradise rich in a wide variety of seafood. The Grand Shrine of Ise is where the imperial family had traditionally gone to seek advice from the gods for almost 2,000 years. It is made of two parts: Naiku (the shrine of the Shinto sun goddess) and Geku (the shrine of the earth god). Both shrines are wooden buildings in a simple Japanese style. Every 20 years the temples are torn down to be replaced by an exact replica on an adjacent plot--this will happen again in 2003. What makes the site impressive isn't the architecture; it is the reverence with which it is treated by the Japanese. More than one million visitors go to the Grand Shrine every year, and being a part of this ritual is a moving experience. Also part of the national park is the Jingu Choukokan Museum, which houses the treasures of the Grand Ise Shrine.

Courtesy of Japan Tourism Board.

Add Ise-Shima National Park to your travel suitcase