Visiting Geku
We have kept this shop at the gate of the Outer Shrine since 1910 —
a hundred and sixteen years of welcoming people who have just finished their visit.
We are not an information centre. But here is what a shop at the gate has come to know.
Notes from a shop that has stood at the gate for 116 years.
Why Geku comes first
At Ise Jingu one goes to the Outer Shrine before the Inner. The custom is old, and it has a name — Geku-sensai. Every rite of the shrine, too, begins at Geku.
The reason lies in who is enshrined there. Toyouke-no-Ōmikami is the deity who prepares the food of Amaterasu-Ōmikami at Naiku — the Miketsukami. Respects are paid first to the one who sets the meal, and only then to the one who receives it.
Rice in three servings, katsuobushi, fish, seaweed, vegetables, fruit, salt, water and three offerings of sake — and beside them, a pair of chopsticks.
— from the official site of Ise Jingu, on the Higoto-asayu-omike-sai. Held twice a day, morning and evening, without a single day missed, for some 1,500 years since the founding of Geku.
Chopsticks are laid beside the food of the gods. And at the gate, we grill eel with chopsticks. A coincidence — but one that feels like part of why this shop has stood here so long.
On hashi-yaki — read moreKeep to the left at Geku
The centre of the path is the seichū — the way of the gods. Visitors keep off it and walk quietly along the edge. At Geku keep to the left; at Naiku, to the right.
Visit the main sanctuary first, then the auxiliary shrines. Within the grounds of Geku stand three: Takanomiya, Tsuchinomiya and Kazenomiya. Pay your respects at the main sanctuary, then walk on to these.
Allow about 30 minutes for Geku and about 60 for Naiku. The bus between them takes 15 to 20 minutes.
A day that avoids the crowds
We take no reservations, and we are always busy around noon and at weekends. If you would like to fit both the shrine and a meal into your day without hurrying, this is the order we would suggest.
- Early morning, to Geku05:00 — 08:00
The shrine opens at five. The path at that hour is an entirely different place. Six minutes on foot from Iseshi Station.
- The auxiliary shrines, and the approach08:00 — 11:00
Takanomiya, Tsuchinomiya, Kazenomiya. Tsukiyomi-no-miya, outside the grounds, is six minutes from Iseshi Station. The Sengukan museum also fits here.
- To Kitaya11:00 — 12:00
The hour just after we open is when you will wait least. We grill after your order, so please take your time.
- On to Naiku13:00 — 16:00
15 to 20 minutes by bus from in front of Geku. The Isuzu River, Oharaimachi and Okage Yokocho are all best in this stretch.
If instead you visit Geku in the afternoon, coming to us after 14:00 is usually smoothest. Please note that we may close once the day's eel has gone.
Within walking distance
Ise Jingu Geku
3 min on footToyouke Daijingu. Toyouke-no-Ōmikami, guardian of food, clothing, shelter and industry. Directly before us.
Tsukiyomi-no-miya
6 min from Iseshi Sta.The only auxiliary shrine of Geku that stands outside the grounds, quiet among houses north of the station.
Sengukan
by GekuThe shrine museum beside the Magatama Pond, on the twenty-year rebuilding and the crafts it gathers.
Geku Sando
at our doorThe street running from Iseshi Station to the shrine, lined with places to eat and shops for gifts.
Ise Jingu Naiku
bus 15–20 minKotai Jingu, where Amaterasu-Ōmikami is enshrined. The Uji Bridge, the Isuzu River, and Oharaimachi beyond.
Sarutahiko Jinja
near NaikuThe deity who opens the way. Many stop here on the road toward Naiku, if time allows.
These notes are simply what one shop, trading at the gate of the Outer Shrine, has come to know. For matters of etiquette and ritual please see the official site of Ise Jingu; for travel information, the Ise City Tourism Association. We are not an information centre and are unable to answer detailed enquiries. Thank you for your understanding.