1. About how many people visit Ise Jingu every year?

	Over 6 million people visited the
        naiku and geku of Ise Jingu in 1995.
	Of this number, one third visited in January. During the Thanksgiving
	Year of the Yedo period, it is said that over 5 million people, or
	roughly one sixth of the population of Japan, made the pilgrimage to
	Ise Jingu.

2. About how many workers are there at the Ise Jingu?

	There are approximately 600 people working here; approximately 120
    	priests and 480 laymen--such as musicians, carpenters, gardeners,
    	craftsmen who make sacred objects and
    	food for offering to the kami,and craftsmen 
    	who make sacred gifts for the pilgrims.

3. Are only two meals offered to the kami every day?

	Yes. And this has been continuing for the last 1500 years.
	This adheres to the tradition that ancient
	people ate only two meals a day, at 8 in the morning and at 4 in
	the evening in summer, and at 9 and 3 in the winter.  It takes about
	20 minutes to serve six plates for each kami,
	starting from the Amaterasu-omikami located
	in the naiku, then Toyouke-daijingu
	located in the geku, and so on.

4. Obviously, you need fire to cook. How many minutes does it take to start a fire using the fire-making tool?

	It is the responsibility of the priest on guard at the altar for
	that night to make the fire after taking a bath at 5 in the morning in
	summer (6 in winter). If he is an experienced priest, he can make the
	fire in a matter of minutes. The same fire-making tool as the one used
	here was discovered in the Noro remains, dating back to the Yayoi period.

5. What kind of food do the people at Ise Jingu eat?

	Basically, a bowlful of rice, salt, water, dried bonito (fish), sea bream
	 (in summer, dried food and dried cuttlefish), seaweed, fruit and vegetables
	in season, and three small glasses of sake.  All of these
	food are processed or grown on the compounds.  The earthenware dishes
	and bowls are made by the same ancient method.
	Once used, the earthenware is buried and returned to the earth.

6. How many kinds of vegetables are grown on the compounds?

	80 different kinds. So that the food does not become deconsecrated,
	animal dung is not used as a fertilizer.  A modern electronic
	water-ionizing machine is installed for water purification, however.

7. Why is the Jingu reconstructed every 20 years?

	It is to preserve the yuiitsu shinmei zukuri, a unique architectural
	style, said to be the purest and simplest style of Shinto
	architecture, and also to reassert one's faith. Another concept is that
	the maximum time for preserving rice is 20 years.  In either case,
	20 years is a suitable cycle for such a big event.

8. How large is the Jingu forest?

	Jingu comprises about one-third of Ise City and is 5,500 hectares. This
	is equal to the Setagaya Ward of Tokyo or 1,300 times the size of the
	Koshien Ball Park.

9. Where do the cypress trees used in the construction come from?

	In ancient times, all the trees used in the construction were cut from
	the Jingu forest, but now, due to a shortage of big trees, the cypress
	trees of Kiso are used.  The social turmoil of the Muromachi period,
	which led to the felling of trees, is blamed for the present shortage.
	New trees were planted during the Taisho era (1912-1926), so that
	they may be used may be used in the century after next.

10. How many trees are required for reconstruction?

	About 10,000, or an area of about 10,000 square meters. The biggest
	tree must have a diameter of 1.4 meters. Such a tree is nearly 500 years
	old.  Fine-quality cypress trees in Kiso are cut 8 years before the
	reconstruction, and are soaked in water, dried, and processed.

11. Are the trees used in the shrines reused?

	Yes. For example, the main pillar used in the Goshoden
	(main sanctuary) is used as the otorii (big arch) on the
	Uji Bridge spanning the Isuzu River.  Other cypress pillars used are
	sent to shrines all over Japan for local shrines to make their own
	toriis (arches).

12. How is the straw used on roofs collected?

	It is collected from the hills within the compounds, covering an area
	of 230 hectares, over a period of 10 years.

13. I have heard that new costumes and accessories are made at reconstruction. What happens to the old ones?

	There are over 800 kinds (over 25,000 items) of costumes and accessories
	newly made at reconstruction. Before the Meiji era, these were burned
	and buried,  but now are preserved in the
	Jingu Chukokan (antique) Museum.

14. How do you worship?

	The usual custom is to bow twice, clap your hands in succession twice,
	then bow again slowly and say a prayer.  The people of Ise usually
	squat down and clap their hands four times while bowing their heads.

15. About how many festivals are there during the year?

	It varies on how you count, but usually a couple of thousand.  Every
	festival is performed very solemnly. The festival at Jingu differs
	from the ordinary festivals like the summer festival.  It is more of a
	ceremony. Only priests can attend it.

16. Is it true that the sacred bird sleeps up on a tree?

	Yes. This is to protect itself from foxes and badgers. 
	The sacred bird is considered a messenger from the kami and plays an
	important role at reconstruction.  In the relocation ceremony, the
	sacred bird is trained to cry out three times,
	after which the saishi (master of ceremonies) announces
	"Shutsugyo" (god has transferred to the new location).

17. I have heard that the Uji Bridge is rebuilt every 20 years and undergoes periodic repairs. Is this true?

	Yes. Over 4 million people cross this bridge, located at the
	entrance to the naiku, every year. Over 20 years, roughly
	100 million people cross this bridge and the 15-centimeter thick
	cypress boards wear down to less than 10 centimeters.
	The bridge is 102 meters long.

18. Is it true that Buddhist monks could not enter Ise Jingu?

	Yes, not until the Meiji restoration were the Buddhist monks and nuns
	allowed to enter Ise Jingu.  Such great monks as
	Saigyou and Bashou could not cross the Izusu River.  They had to pray
	from a small house built made for monks and nuns
	on the bank of the river and pray toward the shrine. Saigyou left
	this famous saying, "I know not what I have done wrong, but
	here I stand on the opposite bank of the river and pray to the shrine in tears.

19. During the Yedo period the usual okage-mairi (thanksgiving pilgrimage) was a fad among the Yedo people. This literally means "Thank you, God, for my good health." There was another kind of pilgrimage called nuke-mairi (secret pilgrimage). What does this mean?

	A young servant would disappear from his duties, leaving his employer
	and family behind, to visit Ise Jingu with his friends in secret.  He
	took along practically nothing with him. The nuke-mairi occurred
	several times during the Yedo period.

20. About how many days did the nuke-mairi take?

	In those days it took 15 days from Yedo and 5 days from Osaka and
	Kyoto. Nowadays, of course, the trip takes only a few hours by train.
	Today, the nuke-mairi pilgrims spend
	only a few hours at Ise Jingu and hurriedly return home. 
	However, we recommend that you walk the pavements
	of Ise at a slow pace, to forget your everyday worries, and breathe the
	nice air.

21. Is it true that there are mattress used by the gods in the Outer Treasury?

	Yes, there are all together 150 mattresses of various designs stored
	in the Outer Treasury.  Of course there are pillows also.
	It is said that these pillows are copies of the porcelain pillows used
	by the high class of the Tang Dynasty in China. The design and
	size is exactly the same but their color and material have been adapted
	to the Japanese culture.

22. Isn't the work of the craftsmen making the treasures very cumbersome?

	Yes. Although there are many craftsmen who make these treasures, 
	the work is very tough. For instance, it takes one year to make a strand 
	of rope used to string the sword. One craftman can only make about 1 cm
	everyday.

23. I heard that shipbuilding craftsmen help in making the Uji Bridge, is this true?

	Yes, prior to Shikinensengu (reconstruction), the Uji Bridge is 
	also rebuild every 20 years. Over 9000 shrine-building carpenters and
	shipbuilding craftsmen participated in the previous reconstruction. 
	It may be strange to outsiders but the traditional Japanese shipbuilding
	techniques are used on the Uji Bridge. The railings are mainly done 
	by the carpenters and the walking platform is done by shipbuilders. 
	Special technique is used to combine the wooden floors to lengthen
	its life-span.