Okage Yokocho Street is a shopping area near Ise Jingu Shrine. It is part of the historical town of Oharai that accommodated pilgrims to the shrine in the Edo period (1600-1867). Oharai literally means purification and refers to the ritual cleaning that pilgrims undergo before praying at a Shinto shrine. Okage Yokocho is a reconstruction of a traditional Japanese townscape which was opened in 1993. Its motto, as expressed in the word 'okage' (thanks to you), is to express gratitude for nature's generosity. The street offers food and drink, specialty food stores, arts and crafts shops, and cultural experiences to visitors.

Photgraph provided by ”Visit ISESHIMA” Bureau