Okage Yokocho.
Yakuyoke-machi is a shopping street about 800 meters long located in front of the entrance to the Inner Shrine of Ise Jingu. The most bustling part of Yakuyoke-machi is the central area of Okage Yokocho. Formerly known as Ise Road, it was laid out for the convenience of worshippers visiting Ise Jingu. Since ancient times, Yakuyoke-machi has prospered due to Ise Jingu, and since the Edo period, countless devotees have come to visit every year. At that time, people known as 'Onshi' would exorcise evil spirits from travelers or perform Kagura dances here. The name Yakuyoke-machi comes from this tradition. After many years of relocation and reconstruction, Yakuyoke-machi was completed in 1993, recreating the Ise Road of the Edo period. The 800-meter-long road is flanked by traditional wooden buildings such as Kirizuma, Irimoya, and Tsuma-iri, and the antique streetscape takes you back to the Edo period. The most lively Okage Yokocho recreates the atmosphere of the Ise Festival from the late Edo period, with regular Taiko drum performances and Kamishibai, traditional Japanese storytelling. There's also a nostalgic toy shop and Japan's smallest brewery, offering a condensed version of life scenes from the Edo period. Along the road, shops are lined up offering food, fun, and shopping all in one, making it one of Japan's most famous snack streets. Besides Akafuku rice cakes, Akafuku ice, and Kaeru Manju, there are also local delicacies such as Ise lobster, creating an amusement park-like atmosphere that both adults and children can enjoy.
Okage Yokocho
Address: 52 Uji Nakanokiricho, Ise City, Mie Prefecture