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one of the 34 national parks in japan
the iseshima national park encompasses
the shima peninsula located on the
pacific coast to the east of osaka and
south of nagoya it's an area renowned
for its natural beauty with a deeply
forested interior surrounded on three
sides by a long winding stretch of
coastline scattered with small islands
aside from its incredible scenery the
area is best known as the home of ise
jingu one of the most important shinto
shrines in all of japan in addition to
its stunning ocean vistas iseshima's
coast is known both for the quality of
its seafood and its iconic freediving
fisherwomen known as amma
more recently it became the birthplace
of pearl cultivation
easily accessed by train from kyoto
osaka or nagoya the area is best
experienced with an overnight stay
my name is matt evans and in this video
i'll explore some of iseshima's scenic
and cultural highlights as a two-day
trip
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here's the plan
on day one i'll explore the east jingu
shrines and stay overnight at a seaside
ryokan
then on day two i'll make my way down
the peninsula by train to kashkojima
where i'll take a cruise of the ago bay
hike to an observation deck and enjoy a
meal at an amma hut where i'll meet some
active traditional ammo divers
day one
i begin my journey in issei city gateway
to the iseshima national park and home
to most of the 125 shrines that together
make up isengu
of these the two most important are
gekku and naiku
it's customary to start by visiting geku
located just a few minutes walk from
iseshi station
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incredibly every structure here is
rebuilt from scratch every 20 years a
tradition that has continued for
approximately 1 300 years allowing the
skills of traditional craftsmanship to
be passed from generation to generation
the climax of this unique event the
moving of the deities from the old
building to the new will next take place
in 2033.
the gate behind me is as close as we can
come to the main sanctuary which is off
limits to most visitors and can't be
photographed
as you can see the main buildings are
only just visible
but over to my left you can see the
empty lot where the next building will
be constructed
with every rebuild it alternates between
these two spaces
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within the grounds of gekku several
smaller secondary shrines like this one
can also be found
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visitors may be limited to just a
glimpse of the main building but here at
the sengukan museum you can get a sense
of it
let's take a look
built to mark the occasion of the
shrine's last rebuilding and to explain
the tradition behind it this museum
contains a detailed model of the main
sanctuary a partial one-to-one
reconstruction of the main building
itself and various exhibits on the
expert craftsmanship that goes into the
construction process
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after exploring gekku i make my way to
naiku located a few kilometers out from
the center of town
as the most important shrine in all of
japan naiku has attracted a constant
stream of visitors for many centuries
and the bustling town of restaurants and
shops has grown along its approach
called oharaimachi
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this is the local specialty ise udon
it's one of the softest types of udon
noodles in japan and traditionally cook
very fast to keep up with the large
numbers of visitors you could call it a
kind of traditional fast food
it's very good
it's definitely a bit softer than usual
it comes in this lovely sweet sauce
after lunch i passed through okage
yokocho a small part of oharaimachi with
buildings reconstructed in the style of
the edo period
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after exploring the area's many shops
and restaurants i cross over the uji
bridge into naiku
from simple gravel pathways to its
structures built entirely from natural
materials all the elements here feel
perfectly in harmony with the
surrounding forest
following centuries-long tradition i
wash my hands in the water of the isuzu
river before making my way to the main
sanctuary
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at the top of these stone steps is the
main sanctuary where the sun goddess
amaterasu omikami the most important
shinto deity and mythological ancestor
of the imperial family is enshrined
behind me is a secondary shrine
dedicated to a wind god
it's made up of the same design elements
that we can see at the main buildings
but on a much smaller scale
like all the shrine buildings here it's
built in a style called shimaizukuri
originating from the architecture of
ancient storehouses
these distinctive finials cresting the
front of the roof are called chiggy
at naiku they are cut horizontally while
the ones over at gekku are cut
vertically
the short decorative logs laid across
the length of the roof are called
katsuogi
the main hall at naiku has 10 of these
and this building being less important
has six
after exploring the shrines i make my
way just outside the city to the seaside
town of toba where i'll enjoy a seafood
dinner at a traditional inn
with its vast stretch of coastline it's
no surprise that the shima peninsula is
home to some of japan's most celebrated
seafood
well this is a real treat tonight i'm
going to be trying three of the area's
most famous dishes
all highly sought after not only here
but throughout japan
itadakimasu
this is
iseby a small spiny lobster from the ise
bay
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that's amazing
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this is matsuzaka beef one of the finest
varieties of wagyu from nearby matsuzaka
city
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it really is just
amazingly soft there's no
crunchiness to it or anything just
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perfect
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day two
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from toba station i take the train down
the peninsula to the ago bay
a vast coastal inlet dotted with islands
arriving in takashi kojima station at
the end of the quintets line i changed
to a sightseeing boat to explore the bay
with its many small islands
the bay is one of several areas along
the peninsula famous for pearl
cultivation it's here that mikimoto
kokichi one of japan's greatest
inventors became the first man in the
world to cultivate pearls in 1893
his company was one of the first
japanese brands to achieve international
recognition and still exists today
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after the cruise i take a train and bus
to the sleepy seaside village of hazako
from where i'll be walking one small
section of the kinky nature trail
the trail is an extensive network of
walking routes spanning over 3000
kilometers through nine prefectures
there are many nice stages to hike but
i've chosen this one leading up to a
wooded hill where various observatories
can be found
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having been recently renovated the
yokoyama viewpoint sports a spacious
deck made of japanese cypress
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from the deck we get this amazing
panoramic view across the full length of
the ago bay it's a maze of around 60
small islands looking almost like the
branches of a tree
the waters are sheltered from the sea
making them wonderfully calm and
peaceful
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from the viewpoint i walk down the hill
to shimo yokoyama station and take the
train to matsur then change to a bus for
my final stop at osatsucho
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here at a traditional amma hut tourists
can learn more about these women of the
sea and their ancient tradition of
freediving for oysters abalone and other
seafood
appearing in poetry from as early as the
8th century it's a unique and even
romantic way of life but one that now
faces an uncertain future
i have the chance to meet some of these
extraordinary women and try some
delicious local seafood
amar huts like this are traditionally
where divers would return after a long
shift at sea to warm themselves and get
a bite to eat here i'm treated to a meal
of scallops mollusks
and horse mackerel hand cooked over an
open fire
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and with that my time in the iseshiman
national park is drawing to an end
from atmospheric shrines and ocean views
to local cuisines steeped in tradition
it's been a fun and hugely inspiring
couple of days
i hope you've enjoyed this video and
that you'll find some ideas here for
your next trip
for more information about this trip or
to watch another video click the links
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