Ise Jingu is one of the most sacred places in Japan. This sprawling shrine complex, set within a primordial forest, is home to Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and ancestor of the Imperial family. It is thought to have been founded some 2,000 years ago (approximately 5 B.C.E.)

The shrine buildings at Naikū and Gekū, as well as the Uji Bridge, are rebuilt every 20 years as a part of the Shinto belief in tokowaka (常若), which means renewing objects to maintain a strong sense of divine prestige in pursuit of eternity, and as a way of passing building techniques from one generation to the next.

Ise Jingu is a sanctuary to pray for public happiness. If someone have personal wish, he or she can dedicate a prayer by offering kagura to kami of Jingu. Amulets of Jingu can be obtained here. Here is the alternate site where the previous divine palace stood.

Ise Grand Shrine has been the most important shrine in Japan. The Ise Grand Shrine in Mie prefecture is, with Izumo-taisha, the most representative and historically significant shrine in Japan. The kami the two enshrine play fundamental roles in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, two texts of great importance to Shinto.