Length: 26.1 km

Duration: 7:15

Total ascent/descent: 938/-893 m

Max/min slope: 4%/-3%

Wayfinding: easy, ample way marks. You may have come across Craig Mod’s approach of taking side roads adjacent to the official routes on main roads. I advise against it because you are more exposed to the elements on some of these roads, which are in farm fields. This is significant especially on a hot day when you don’t want to miss shade and rest stops. I didn’t see anything in the side roads to recommend them, certainly no beauty nor poetry.

Weather: sunny, hot

Transfer to start: Train from Nagoya to Ise-shi, then bus to Naiku

Overnight: Gokatsuraike furusato mura holiday park

Ise Jingu Naiku

Surrounded by a river and hills, it is easy to see why the site became significant. Simply stunning to walk in.

Furuichi 古市

The walk now really starts. According to the information board about the pilgrimage path between the inner and outer sanctuaries (Naiku and Geku) there were 7000 prostitutes plying their trade in brothels en route in its heyday. It is now a drab walk.  

Ise Jingu Geku

Another pleasant stroll. These forested shrines are beautiful and lovingly maintained. They are enough to make anyone feel spiritual. But I couldn’t quite bring myself to pray and clap my hands at this point. Going through the ritual without the belief in it seems pointless.

Tamaki 玉城

Gokatsuraike 御桂池

The holiday park in Gokatsuraike is a 20 min walk off the trail. I rented a log cabin for the night, which came with a futon, fridge and toilet. The shared shower block was spotless. I didn’t even mind the coin-operated shower: 300 yen gave you 10 minutes, which I found to be the longest 10 minutes I ever had.

But the highlight was certainly the sushi and fruit I bought from the Gooday supermarket I stumbled on just after Tamaru station. The sweetest, juiciest persimmon, and the sweetest and most flavoursome grapes!