Ise is one of the original and most important religious sites in Japan. Misa and I went just after New Year, which is a great time to go shrine hopping. The weather is really nice, plus you also get to see the crowds of tourists who are there for New Year blessings.

Most people go to Ise just to visit the shrine, but actually the town itself is really quite nice. It has a row of restored traditional houses along the river, including one that used (late Meiji) to make what they were calling cider OK, who cares that the “cider” is actually carbonated sugar water–the point is that these people had style.

Tokaido road, Kameyama station