--- title: Ise-Jingu: World’s Greatest Places 2026 description: Find out why Ise-Jingu is on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2026. canonical: https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/ise-jingu/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-03-12T10:56:42.888Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-12T10:56:43.022Z article:section: World og:title: Ise-Jingu: World's Greatest Places 2026 og:description: Find out why Ise-Jingu is one of the World's Greatest Places 2026 og:url: https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/ise-jingu/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd45030d959f4a396/69ae9abdfca7bc2bf6bd3406/Ise-Jingu_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Ise-Jingu: World's Greatest Places 2026 og:type: article twitter:card: summary twitter:title: Ise-Jingu: World's Greatest Places 2026 twitter:description: Find out why Ise-Jingu is one of the World's Greatest Places 2026 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd45030d959f4a396/69ae9abdfca7bc2bf6bd3406/Ise-Jingu_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Mar 12, 2026 # Ise-Jingu Ise, Japan by [Adam H. Graham](https://time.com/author/adam-graham/) ## Adam H. Graham Contributor  iStock/Getty Images “There’s nothing to see and they won’t let you see it.” So wrote 19th-century Japan-based author Basil Chamberlain after visiting [Ise-Jingu](https://www.isejingu.or.jp/en/), the country’s most important Shinto shrine—and still a pinnacle of architectural understatement today. But looks can be deceiving. Set about two hours from Kyoto, the densely forested grounds span an area approximately the size of Manhattan and encompass 125 shrines, along with sacred torii gates, wooden bridges, moss-covered walls, and shrines nested within shrines. At its heart stands the unadorned Inner Shrine, Kōtai Jingū, believed to have been founded some 2,000 years ago by Princess Yamatohime to enshrine the sun goddess Amaterasu. Built entirely of Japanese cypress and assembled without metal nails or screws, it has been ritually dismantled and rebuilt every 20 years for more than 1,300 years, in keeping with Shinto tradition. This year marks a rare shift in access. Visitors have been invited to take part in select ceremonies tied to the ongoing Shikinen Sengu rebuilding cycle, including hauling freshly cut lumber and donning white _happi_ clothing. Those not participating can still observe key moments in the process, including the Okihiki ceremonies scheduled on select dates from April through August 2026, with additional events planned for 2027\. Watching the solemn processions—or joining in the traditional work chants—is free and open to the public, though arriving early is advised to secure a spot along the Isuzu River near the Inner Shrine and witness a ritual that has quietly shaped Japan’s spiritual life for centuries. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/ise-jingu/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/ise-jingu/"},"headline":"Ise-Jingu","datePublished":"2026-03-12T10:56:42.888Z","dateModified":"2026-03-12T10:56:43.022Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/ise-jingu/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","Japan","list","franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd45030d959f4a396/69ae9abdfca7bc2bf6bd3406/Ise-Jingu_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Adam H. Graham","jobTitle":"Contributor","url":"https://time.com/author/adam-graham/"}],"creator":"Adam H. Graham","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd45030d959f4a396/69ae9abdfca7bc2bf6bd3406/Ise-Jingu_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/worlds-greatest-places/","name":"World's Greatest Places"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/ise-jingu/","name":"Ise-Jingu"}}]}] ```