Incidentally, Mie Prefecture ranked 37 out of 47 Japanese prefectures for overnight stays by foreign tourists in 2024, but it has a lot to offer in addition to Ise Jingu. For those seeking the "real Japan" beyond Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. If you want to explore, consider Kintetsu's 5-day plus pass and fit this into your itinerary between Nagoya and Osaka, Kyoto, or Nara.
please god do not. japan is already chock full of tourists. please don't overrun one of the most sacred places in japan. kyoto’s most important shrines and temples have become basically a theme park packed with tourists and locals barely visit anymore. just leave Ise alone.
I understand your concern and agree about Kyoto, but tourists can behave well or poorly and tourism can be managed well or poorly. At Jingu, I saw foreign tourists, but no problems, and locals were welcoming. Elsewhere in Mie, I saw no foreign tourists and locals were also welcoming. I would like to believe that HN readers would be beneficial tourists and might themselves benefit from experiences that cannot as easily be found in the top destinations.
I think this mentality breeds anti-foreign sentiment, which is then further fueled by the actions of a few bad apples. Japan isn’t the only country facing overtourism in certain hotspots. Also, the non-foreign tourists visiting Ise are simply Japanese tourists. It’s about managing tourism and finding a way to accommodate all kinds of visitors.
Incidentally, Mie Prefecture ranked 37 out of 47 Japanese prefectures for overnight stays by foreign tourists in 2024, but it has a lot to offer in addition to Ise Jingu. For those seeking the "real Japan" beyond Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. If you want to explore, consider Kintetsu's 5-day plus pass and fit this into your itinerary between Nagoya and Osaka, Kyoto, or Nara.
please god do not. japan is already chock full of tourists. please don't overrun one of the most sacred places in japan. kyoto’s most important shrines and temples have become basically a theme park packed with tourists and locals barely visit anymore. just leave Ise alone.
I understand your concern and agree about Kyoto, but tourists can behave well or poorly and tourism can be managed well or poorly. At Jingu, I saw foreign tourists, but no problems, and locals were welcoming. Elsewhere in Mie, I saw no foreign tourists and locals were also welcoming. I would like to believe that HN readers would be beneficial tourists and might themselves benefit from experiences that cannot as easily be found in the top destinations.
I think this mentality breeds anti-foreign sentiment, which is then further fueled by the actions of a few bad apples. Japan isn’t the only country facing overtourism in certain hotspots. Also, the non-foreign tourists visiting Ise are simply Japanese tourists. It’s about managing tourism and finding a way to accommodate all kinds of visitors.
It's easier as a foreigner to become a Shinto priest than a miya-daiku trainee. BC carpentry is a serious religion.
Aside: When Jobs said great artists steal [from Picasso], he forgot to mention that theft is the heart of apprenticeship:
https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q12...
(As you can see, it's semi-formalized in that culture)
New sengu has just started, btw