Spiritual Tour in Kii Peninsula
Japan has two main religions such as Shinto and Buddhism, so I would like introduce Ise Jingu, Shinto shrine, and Koyasan, Buddhist temple, in Kii Peninsula. These are both very popular Mecca of the Japanese. This tour fits especially for western countries’ tourists.
On the first day we will arrive at Chubu Center Airport, and go to Tsu City by a ferryboat. And then we will go to Ise City by JR line to visit Isejigu.
Ise Jingu, officially ‘Jingu’, includes 125 jinja(Shinto shrine), centered around Kotaijingu(Naiku), and Toyo’uke-daijingu(Geku). Its area is roughly the same size as Paris. More than 1,500 rituals are conducted here yearly to pray for the prosperity of the Imperial family, the peace of the world, and the huge harvest.
Firstly, I would like introduce Naiku. It is the most venerable sanctuary in Japan. Here is a jinja, dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the ancestral kami(Shinto deity) of the Imperial family. She was enshrined in Naiku about 2,000 years ago and has been revered as a guardian of Japan.
Secondly, I would like recommend Geku. It is dedicated to Toyo’uke-no-Omikami. Some 1,500 years ago, this kami was, in accordance with a revelation from Amaterasu-Omikami, summoned and enshrined here. Toyo’uke-no-Omikami joins Amaterasu-Omikami in Jingu as her provider of companionship and sacred foods. She blessed us with abundant harvest and is the guardian of well-being providing three essentials of human life: cloth, food and shelter. We will stay at a hotel in Ise City.
On the second day we will visit Koyasan by Nankai line. Koyasan is sacred place for Japanese Buddhism, first opened in 816 by Kobo Daishi as a place of study for Zen training and to pray for divine protection of the state. It was designated as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2004 and has very wide premise, 137.08 square km, on the basin with a height of 800 meters. At Koyasan, there are many meetings in which everyone can see with eyes and feel with their bodies, such as meditation experience and flower arrangement. With this active experience, let’s get touch with Daishi’s teachings and the history of Koyasan.
Koyasan area has 117 temples, about half of which have lodgings, or shukubo, providing overnight accommodation and meals for visitors. This shukubo give you easy access to all of Koyasan’s sightseeing spots. You are free to join the monks in their daily morning ritual, and get a taste of real monastic life. The temples serve traditional shojin ryori cuisine, with some concessions to non-Japanese taste, for a memorable experience of a Japanese meal. We will stay at this shukubo for 2 or 3 days.
On the last day we will go to Kansai International Airport by Nankai line to leave Japan.