Ise is home to a collection of experiences that touch the heart of Japanese spiritual culture. By unraveling Ise from the two angles of "festivals" and "food," you will be able to see the "authenticity" of Japan. The experience tours proposed by KAGURA SALON are a gateway to experiencing Japanese culture not through knowledge but through the senses. Through guided tours and educational programs, you can experience a journey that "discovers the authenticity of Ise" and experience with all five senses, including tours of Ise Grand Shrine's festivals, food culture, and museums, and a food experience themed around naorai (a traditional Japanese meal). This program will allow first-time visitors, as well as repeat visitors, to discover new charms of Ise.
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Ise has been home to Ise Shrine since ancient times, but every time you visit, you'll discover a new side to the city.
The scenery of the temple towns in front of the Inner Shrine and the Outer Shrine, and the merchant town of Kawasaki, which flourished as the "kitchen of Ise," each have their own unique history and activities, and traditional crafts such as Ise Netsuke and Ise Washi paper are filled with the delicate skills and pride of the artisans.
Scenes of prayer that have continued since ancient times, buildings that evoke history, and a culture that lives on in people's lives - you can feel the essence of Japan everywhere you go, even just by walking around.
At the center of this is Ise Shrine, which has been called the "spiritual home of the Japanese people."
The practice of prayer, which has continued for over 2000 years, quietly gives us insight into our values and way of life today.
KAGURA SALON's experiential tour takes you one step further in your journey to Ise, going beyond just touring the famous sites, by interpreting the culture and activities that remain in Ise as a "story."
This experience of encountering the "real thing" in Japan will provide inbound tourists with a chance to feel closer to Japanese culture, and students with an opportunity to learn and encounter hints for thinking about modern society. It is recommended for those who want to experience Japanese culture and are looking for a special experience.
This tour emphasizes understanding through experience.
Through interactions with students from Kokugakuin University, experiences based on the themes of "festivals" and "food" are available.
One of the programs is a food offering experience with the theme of "festivals and food." By learning the meaning and etiquette of offering food to the gods, you will gain a three-dimensional understanding of the relationship between Japanese people, prayer, and food.
There is also an experience based on the Yamada Hasho, which is said to be Japan's oldest paper currency. By learning and making Yamada Hasho with your own hands, you can come into contact with the fundamental concepts of Japanese culture, such as trust, promises, and human connections, which were born from the activities of Ise Shrine and its priests and have been in use for around 250 years.
What is an Onshi?
Oshi are guides who connect Ise Shrine with people from all over the country and deliver prayers. They built trust through guiding worshippers and performing kagura, and became the origin of Japan's hospitality culture.
Ise Shrine, where prayers have been made for over 2000 years, is a special place also known as the "homeland of the Japanese spirit."
Amaterasu Omikami is enshrined in the Inner Shrine and Toyouke Omikami is enshrined in the Outer Shrine, and the culture of "festivals" and "food" that are deeply connected to daily life still lives on today.
Approximately 1,500 festivals are held at the shrine each year, and the Shikinen Sengu ceremony, held once every 20 years, is where the techniques, spirit, and prayerful spirit are passed down to the next generation. This Shikinen Sengu ceremony has been going on for over 1300 years, and is an event unparalleled in the world. Ise Grand Shrine is not just a legacy of the past, but a living place of learning that continues to this day.
On KAGURA SALON tours, guides who use interpretation techniques will guide you through the themes of "festivals" at the Inner Shrine and "food" at the Outer Shrine.
By learning about the meanings and values that lie behind the visible buildings and scenery, Ise Shrine will transform from a place of worship into a place of understanding.
To gain a deeper understanding of the history and spiritual culture that overlap with Ise, it is essential to know the stories behind them. Interpretation guides play a role in organizing and conveying these stories for visitors to Japan, educational trips, and other opportunities for essential learning. By clearly conveying the historical and cultural background, the scenery and experiences gain meaning. English support is also available as an option, so visitors from overseas can participate with confidence and gain a three-dimensional understanding of the story of Ise.
In Ise City, there is a museum where you can gain a deeper understanding of the festivals and food of Ise Shrine.
At the Jingu Chokokan Museum, Japan's first private museum, and the Jingu Agriculture Museum, Japan's first industrial museum, which has the theme of "how natural products can be used," you can experience the shrine's self-sufficiency system and how its culture has been passed down through the use of actual ritual implements, farming tools, and materials.
Learning about the cultural background that is difficult to notice just by visiting the shrine will enhance your enjoyment of festivals and events.
All of these are available with English interpretation guides, so they can introduce the history and culture of Ise in a way that is easy to understand even for people traveling to Ise from overseas.
Naorai is a traditional Japanese food culture in which food and alcohol offered to the gods, called shinsen, are shared by attendees after a festival. It has long been cherished as a rite of passage, marking the end of an extraordinary time of prayer and returning one's mind to everyday life.
KAGURA SALON offers a program that allows you to enjoy the concept of naoai as a modern-day dining experience. Inase offers a naoai course featuring ingredients used as offerings to the gods and local ingredients, Hanakagome serves healthy steamed dishes, and Okubun offers a kaiseki course featuring local seasonal ingredients. Other items on offer include naoai bento boxes and baked goods and gelato from Bakery Mugi and EKA Gelato, allowing you to take home the memories of your trip.
The setting is the Geku approach to the Geku Shrine, located at the foot of the Geku Shrine of Ise Jingu, which enshrines Toyouke Omikami, the god of food.
The food content offered here, "Harekaramike," is an experience that allows you to return from the extraordinary (hare) to the ordinary (ke) by tasting dishes made with ingredients used as offerings to the gods and local ingredients with a little extra effort. Be sure to experience the naokai culture unique to Ise, where prayer and food are linked.
With your experiences in Ise in mind, you will return to your daily life as a better version of yourself - this is also an important purpose of this trip.
KAGURA SALON's experience tours are available for individual travel, inbound tourists, group travel, training and educational trips.
This experience of coming into contact with the core of Japanese culture will be a gateway to a deeper understanding of Japan for guests from overseas, and a learning opportunity to reexamine values and culture for corporate and educational training.
The experience can be flexibly tailored to suit the number of participants and their goals.
We cater to a variety of needs, including half-day to full-day models, lecture-cum-experience programs, and programs that include food.
KAGURA SALON's official website also introduces a sample plan that makes it easy to imagine what the actual experience will be like.
Be sure to check out "What experience will you get and in what order?"
| Inquiries | KAGURA SALON |
| Phone | TEL: 0596-63-9300 (KAGURA SALON) |
| HP | https://travel.kagurasalon.com/project/ |
