Okageyokocho Lane

Ise city

Search for souvenirs while encountering historic buildings!

When visiting the Ise Shrine, you should always stop at Okageyokocho Lane, located in the Oharaimachi area near the Naiku shrine zone. Built from the Edo era to the Meiji era, this small alleyway extending across 13,200 square meters has relocated and reproduced some historic Japanese architecture. It’s a kind of theme park where you can slip back to the Japan of several hundred years ago. You can look for specialty souvenirs such as yasunaga rice cakes and akafuku, and enjoy strolling around the gourmet restaurants associated with Mie Prefecture.

Ise’s popular sweets, soft rice cake in fine-textured bean paste.

For the Japanese, the souvenir of Ise that first comes to mind is the akafuku. This sweet treat consists of smooth-textured bean jam and a soft rice cake in it. The akafuku was created in the area around Ise Shrine in 1707. Streaks of red bean paste on the surface are said to represent the flow of the Isuzugawa River, and visitors to Ise Shrine have been enjoying the sweet taste of akafuku for over 300 years. Due to the Ise Shrine’s visiting hours, the stores all open at 5 am. These venerable establishments have accompanied Ise Shrine pilgrims for years.

Fukusuke udon noodles with the rich fragrance of natural stock

If you’re hungry, the specialty dish of fukusuke udon noodles comes highly recommended. With its thick soft noodles simmered gently over time added to a combination of soy sauce and soup stock, simple udon is often enjoyed with toppings such as green onions. The fukusuke version of udon has a richer soup, benefiting from the deeper taste of natural soup stock. The soup is dark, with a delicate flavor—enough to make you want to drain it to the last drop. Okageyokocho Lane is home to a variety of stores, including the Kitcho Shofukutei store where you can buy sell popular maneki neko cat-themed items. There is a wide range of souvenir shops here with an array of specialty souvenirs and crafts, not to mention restaurants where you can enjoy delicious cuisine.

For reference

Okageyokocho Lane 

Address

Okageyokocho, Ujinakanokiri-cho, Ise-shi, Mie-ken
Open hours

 Open 7 days a week 
URL 

http://www.okageyokocho.co.jp/

Access

Chubu Centrair International Airport is a 1-hour flight from Haneda Airport.

Chubu Centrair International Airport is a 100-minute flight from Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport.

Chubu Centrair International Airport is a 75-minute flight from Sendai Airport.

Chubu Centrair International Airport is a 65-minute flight from Matsuyama Airport.

Matsusaka Port is 75 minutes from Chubu Centrair International Airport via the Tsu Airport Line.  Matsusaka Station is 12 minutes by bus from Matsusaka Port. Iseshi Station is 12 minutes via Kintetsu line from Matsusaka Station.