Okage Yokocho Ancient Street (おかげ横丁) or simply Okage Yokocho is a recreated Edo and Meiji Era miniature town located at 52 Ujinakanokiricho, Ise City, Mie Prefecture. It currently serves as a shopping district and tourist destination for the city.
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| Okage Yokocho |
Okage Yokocho details
During the Edo Period, Uji District, where the current Okage Yokocho now stands is visited by millions of pilgrims per year. However, through time these numbers dwindled to as low as 200,000 people in the 1980s.
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| Okage Yokocho - Ise City, Mie Prefecture |
In an attempt to overcome this situation, one of the long-established Japanese confectionery stores in the district, Akafuku, led the way and formed the "Ise Onaraimachi Conference". The conference aimed to revitalize the town hence the birth of Okage Yokocho.
Okage Yokocho opened in the summer of 1993. This 3.2-acre site presents a beautiful array of buildings that were constructed to recreate the Edo and Meiji atmosphere. Some of the buildings here have been reproduced using traditional construction methods while others were structures that were relocated from different areas along the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails in both Mie and Wakayama Prefecture.
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| Part of the street nearest Ise Jinja Naiku |
The word okage means "thankfulness" while yokocho means side street. This stems from the period when thousands of people would go to Ise on pilgrimages. Many of them came from faraway lands and often had long and difficult journeys. The townspeople of Ise would often welcome these weary pilgrims with kindness and generosity.
Some stores in Okage Yokocho
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| 神話の館 |
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| Ise Ushiwakamaru - 伊勢 牛若丸 |
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| 松阪まるよし 伊勢おはらい町店(松阪牛専門店) |
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| Iseman 伊勢萬 内宮前酒造場 |
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| Akafuku - 赤福本店 |
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| おかげ横丁 志州ひらき屋 |
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| 白鷹三宅商店 |
Although we live in a very different generation, Okage Yokocho still defines that century-old feeling of shinon kansho, or a deep sense of gratitude. Today, the locals who work in Okage Yokocho operate with the same feeling.
Some more photos around Okage Yokocho
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| Check out this compass |
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| Just a random corner at Okage Yokocho |
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| Walking along Ohairimachi Street |
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| Check out those monkeys on Iseman |
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| Your friendly neighborhood Rickshawman |
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| 神恩太鼓 |
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| Checking out what souvenirs to bring home |
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| We tried the famed zanzai and macha at the Akafuku Naiku-mae branch |
We did a lot of window shopping in Okage Yokocho. Before heading back home, we tried the famed zanzai and macha at the Akafuku Naiku-mae branch near the parking lot.
Okage Yokocho Fees
It's FREE to enter and explore Okage Yokocho but bring enough money for souvenir shopping and food tripping.
Okage Yokocho Operating Hours
Okage Yokocho is open 24/7 but stores usually operate
1. 9:30AM - 5:30PM March - July and October
2. 9:30AM - 6:00PM August and September
3. 9:30AM - 5:00PM November - February
Why visit Okage Yokocho?
Okage Yokocho is a perfect day-ender destination after exploring Ise Jingu Naiku and Geku. It is the best place to buy souvenirs and also to go food tripping.
Getting to Okage Yokocho
From Nagoya, ride the JR Rapid Mie going to Ise platform 12 or 13. Once you arrive, walk for 5 minutes going to Ise Jingu Geku. Ride the Mie Kotsu Naiku Bus from Geku-mae to Naiku-mae.
Okage Yokocho is just in front of the Naiku-mae bus stop.
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