Voyage Junkie

Recently we traveled to Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture. We spent our day at the two main shrine complexes, called Kotai Jingu  (Inner Shrine, or Naiku ) and Toyouke Daijingu (Outer Shrine, or Geku ), located 6 kilometers away from each other in adjoining towns.  There are 123 other shrines in the city, all connected to the Naiku  and Geku .  This is possibly the most famous group of Shinto shrines in Japan.  The high priest or priestess of Ise Shrine must come from the Japanese imperial family, a tradition that has been held since the late 7th century.  Establishment dates for the shrines vary, but most put it during the reign of Emperor Temmu (678-686), with the first ceremonial rebuilding done by his wife, Empress Jito, in 692.  Yes... every 20 years, the shrine buildings are rebuilt following ceremonial codes. The shrines are built following the architectural style shinmei-zukuri , which dates to the Kofun  era (250-538).  It's char...