Ise Jingu’s Naiku (Inner Shrine) is the most sacred site in all of Shinto, enshrining Amaterasu-Omikami, the sun goddess and mythical ancestor of the imperial line, whose sacred mirror — one of the three imperial regalia — is said to be kept here. Reached across the arched Uji Bridge and up a broad gravel path through towering thousand-year cedars, the shrine is famous for the Shikinen Sengu, the ritual by which its main halls are rebuilt from fresh hinoki cypress on an adjacent site every 20 years — a 1,300-year-old cycle of renewal, most recently in 2013, that keeps this ancient architecture eternally new.
🗓️ At a Glance
| Location | Ise, Mie |
| Hours | ~5:00–17:00 (seasonal, opens at dawn) |
| Admission | Free |
| Time needed | 1.5–2 hours |
| Best time | Early morning; year-round |
What to See
- The main sanctuary of Amaterasu, Shinto’s holiest hall.
- The arched Uji Bridge crossing into sacred ground.
- Towering thousand-year cedar forest along the path.
- The empty adjacent site awaiting the next Shikinen Sengu rebuild.
Combine Your Visit
- Combine with the Geku Outer Shrine , traditionally visited first.
- Pair with Okage Yokocho at the Naiku gate.
- Read our Mie overview .
Getting There
- By bus: from Ise-shi or Ujiyamada Station, ~15 minutes by bus to Naiku.
- Order: tradition visits Geku first, then Naiku.
Tips
Go at dawn if you can — the Naiku opens around 5am and the cedar forest at first light, nearly empty, is the shrine at its most numinous. Custom is to visit the Geku (Outer Shrine) first and the Naiku second, and to walk on the side of each approach path rather than the sacred center; purify hands and mouth at the Isuzu River, as pilgrims have for over a thousand years.
