Sayako Kuroda, the daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, assumed the post of supreme priestess at Ise Shrine this week, the ancient Shinto shrine said. Kuroda, 48, on Monday officially replaced the 86-year-old Atsuko Ikeda, elder sister of the Emperor, who served in the ...
Many of Japan's major historical attractions remain unknown to foreign tourists
Japan as a whole may be attracting record numbers of foreign tourists, but a report by McKinsey & Co. indicates that the four major historical regions of Nara, Kamakura, Nikko and Ise Shrine are almost unknown among Western tourists. The consultancy's Japan office surveyed over ...
Pilot project aims to attract more overseas visitors to Japan's national parks
Eight of the nation's 32 national parks have been selected by an Environment Ministry panel for a pilot project aimed at attracting more foreign tourists to sites of natural beauty. As part of the project, the ministry will request additional funds for the parks in ...
Abe's pro-Shinto motives in spotlight with choice of G-7 opening ceremony venue
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looked satisfied as he met top leaders from the Group of Seven countries at the gate to a giant Shinto-style wooden bridge.
Abe's planned Ise Shrine tour welcomed by some, others warn of mixing religion and state
Although local excitement appears to be building about a plan for the Group of Seven leaders to visit Japan's most prestigious shrine later next week, some religious scholars are taking issue with the move as a possible conflict with the principle of the separation ...
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to take Group of Seven leaders to Japan's most prestigious Shinto shrine later this month when they gather in the Ise-Shima area for their annual summit, government sources have said. Abe is eager to show the leaders from Britain, Canada, ...
Ise Jingu: telling Japan's story to the rest of the world
Ise Shrine can offer world leaders a valuable message when they gather there in May.
Photos of a dimly lit Uji Bridge at night, sacred horses walking on the front approach to the shrine, artists performing court music and dance. These are among dozens of images depicting scenes at Ise Shrine that have been uploaded to its Instagram account, while ...
Shima has high hopes for long-term windfall from G-7 meet
Just before departing for this year's Group of Seven summit in Germany earlier this month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Shima, situated at the end of a peninsula in Mie Prefecture, will be the main venue for next year's annual gathering. The announcement elated ...
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture on Wednesday, following the ceremony last October to transfer the shrine deity to a new building. During their visit to the shrine, the Imperial jewel and sword, two of the family's three sacred treasures, ...
Building on strong foundations in 2013
The end of the year is traditionally a time of review and new prospects, a time to weave memories of the past with plans for the future to form the narrative cloth of a coherent identity.
