Oharai-machi

Kansai


This street approaching Naikū was developed in the Edo period (1603–1868), when pilgrimages to Ise-jingū were at an all-time high, to provide visitors with food, drink and souvenirs. It's still doing that, and while the buildings aren't quite that old (though some of the businesses are), they retain the atmosphere of centuries past.

Most restaurants open from 11am, but some spots, such as Akafuku Honten, open earlier. Most places shut around dusk.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kansai attractions

1. Naikū

0.5 MILES

Ise-jingū's inner shrine is dedicated to the sun goddess, Amaterasu-Ōmikami, considered the ancestral goddess of the imperial family and guardian deity of…

2. Sengūkan

1.86 MILES

At the entrance to Gekū, this museum illustrates Shikinen-Sengū, the ceremonial reconstruction of the buildings of the Ise shrines and the transfer of the…

3. Gekū

1.86 MILES

Ise-jingū's outer shrine dates from the 5th century and enshrines the god of food, clothing and housing, Toyo'uke-no-Ōmikami. Daily offerings of rice are…

4. Ise-jingū

1.86 MILES

Believed to have been founded in the 3rd century, Ise-jingū is Japan's most venerated Shintō shrine. It’s in two parts – Gekū, the outer shrine, and Naikū…

5. Shinmei-jinja

11.43 MILES

Popularly known as Ishigami-san, this humble shrine is dedicated to the goddess Tamayori-hime and has long been a place for the area’s ama (traditional…

6. Castle-Guard Residences

13.59 MILES

Just south of the castle ruins is a street of original row houses built as residences for the samurai charged with guarding the castle. One (closest to…

7. Matsusaka Merchant Museum

13.71 MILES

Ozu Seizaemon was one of the most successful merchants of the Edo period, and his well-preserved timber-framed home, originally built in the late 17th…

8. Matsusaka-jō Ruins

13.72 MILES

Matsusaka's grand castle, constructed in 1584, was short-lived: a typhoon destroyed the five-storey donjon (main keep) in 1644, while fire and…