Eat your way around Ise Shrine! Visit 9 recommended restaurants in Okage Yokocho and Oharaimachi

So in this article, we will introduce some recommended gourmet spots that you should definitely visit when you come to Ise Shrine. It's easy to get distracted by the many restaurants lined up, but you can't go wrong by visiting these places!

*Please refrain from eating while walking. Please enjoy the alley by making use of benches and free rest areas where you can take off your shoes and relax, and by observing good manners.
*Prices include tax.

Recharge your tired body with some sweets!

The vast grounds of the Inner Shrine of Ise Jingu are about 800 meters from the entrance, Ujibashi Bridge, to the main shrine, and if you also visit the auxiliary shrines within the shrine grounds, it will take about an hour of walking. Since you will be walking on a gravel path rather than a paved road, you may want to rest your feet for a while. When you feel tired, nothing beats something sweet. We will introduce some sweets that you can find in Torii-mae-cho.

[Akafuku Main Store] Relax your mind and body with Akafuku Mochi, a specialty of Ise

If you come to Ise, you should definitely visit Akafuku Main Store.

Founded in 1707, the shop has been welcoming many visitors to the Naiku Shrine since ancient times. Many people shop here looking for souvenirs, but after visiting the shrine, why not rest your feet and enjoy some freshly made Akafuku mochi?

The main store is the only place where you can get a close-up look at how Akafuku mochi is made.

The "Omeshiagari bon" (300 yen), available for dining in the store, comes with a set of two Akafuku mochi and roasted green tea.
Akafuku mochi is made with a special red bean paste made from Hokkaido red beans and soft rice cakes. Its unique shape is modeled after the murmuring of the Isuzu River that flows through the grounds of Ise Shrine, with the three stripes of bean paste representing the flow of the river and the white rice cake representing the pebbles on the riverbed.

Inside the restaurant, you can relax your mind and body while enjoying the clear waters of the Isuzu River flowing right in front of you.

Of course, don't forget to buy some souvenir boxes (8 pieces starting at 900 yen).

Akafuku Main Store

[Dangoya] Ise specialty "Brown sugar syrup dango" filled with plenty of brown sugar syrup

The name of the store, "Dango-ya," describes the products it sells and sells freshly baked skewers of dumplings.

The dumplings made from rice flour which is made from domestically produced non-glutinous rice are soft yet crisp, with a rich rice flavor. The "Brown Sugar Mitsu Dango" (200 yen), pouring a generous amount of special brown sugar syrup made from brown sugar over such dumplings, has a simple taste that is popular in the Ise region.

The rich sweetness of the brown sugar syrup and the flavor of the freshly baked dumplings are perfectly combined, making this a snack loved by everyone, from adults to children.

Other items available include the sweet and salty "Mitarashi Dango" (150 yen) and "Mitarashi Hanako" (180 yen), soft dumplings filled with mitarashi sauce, perfect for a quick snack.

Many customers are drawn to the shop by the fragrant aroma of rice dumplings being grilled outside the store.

Dango-ya

[Yokocho Yaki no Mise] Warm and steaming "Yokocho Panju"

Ise has a famous snack that has been known since the Meiji period and is called "panju." It is a warm baked manju with sweet wheat flour dough wrapped around red bean paste with the aroma of green laver.

"Yokocho Yaki no Mise" offers this type of panju as its original "Yokocho Panju (smooth red bean paste)" (100 yen).
The dough is made from wheat flour produced in Mie Prefecture and is then wrapped around smooth red bean paste made from Hokkaido red beans before being baked.

When cooking on the hot plate, green laver is added before the wheat flour batter is poured in, which adds a fragrant roasted green laver flavor and makes for a full-bodied flavor.

In addition to the standard smooth red bean paste, Yokocho Panju also offers seasonal limited editions such as sweet potato paste (autumn/winter only), matcha paste (spring only), and brown sugar paste, so be sure to enjoy them when you come across them.

Yokochoyaki no Mise

[Isuzuchaya Main Store] "Twenty-four Solar Terms Sweets" express the changing of the seasons with delicate Japanese sweets

Why not take a break and relax at this teahouse where you can enjoy Japanese sweets, each one carefully crafted by a craftsman, as well as Western sweets such as sables and roll cakes?

At Isuzuchaya Honten, a charming Japanese architecture built in a restored traditional Ise merchant's house, you can enjoy sweets with matcha green tea or coffee.

A must-try here is the "Sekkigashi (drink set)" (1,000 yen). These delicate Japanese sweets are based on the 24 solar terms that are still used to describe the seasons, such as the beginning of spring, the summer solstice, the autumnal equinox, and the coldest day of the year.

The "Winter Solstice" Japanese sweets that will be offered from December 21, 2024 to December 31, 2024 are three types: "Wabisuke," "Shinen no Matsu," and "Toshikoshi Manju." The beautiful Japanese sweets express seasonal scenery, events, flowers, and more, and the designs are so appealing that you'll be reluctant to eat them.

Isuzu Chaya Main Store

[Ise Pudding no Tetsujin Oharaimachi Main Branch] Freshly baked "Pudding Toast" at Ise's first pudding specialty store

"Ise Pudding no Tetsujin" is the first pudding specialty store in Ise and is gaining popularity on Oharaimachi Street. It produces and sells authentic puddings supervised by Chef Hiroshi Tokoro, the master of Japanese puddings and owner chef of the Western-style confectionery shop "Plesic" in Gifu City.

The classic "Ise Pudding" made with natural vanilla beans is of course popular, but here we will introduce the "Ise Pudding Toast" which is baked fresh in the store.

The specially made, chewy bread is soaked in the pudding liquid and baked on a hot plate in front of the store after an order is placed, resulting in a crispy, fluffy, and creamy texture. When you bite into it, the gentle sweetness of the pudding oozes out, giving you a feeling of bliss.

You can also top the warm pudding toast with fresh cream and Hokkaido soft serve ice cream, which goes perfectly with it, so be sure to try it while it's freshly made and baked.

Ise Pudding no Tetsujin Oharaimachi Main Branch

[Fruit Labo] "Fruit juice" made with natural treasures from Ise

How about refreshing yourself with some seasonal fruit juice?

"Fruit Labo," located at the back of the winding alleys of Okage Yokocho, is popular for its fresh juices made with seasonal fruits. They use a slow juicer to squeeze the juice at a slow speed, so that you can enjoy the full nutritional value of the fruit.

In the season from autumn to winter, we recommend the "Rendaiji Kaki Au Lait" (370 yen), made with the "Rendaiji Kaki", a natural treasure of Ise City, and Ouchiyama milk from Mie Prefecture. The gentle sweetness of the persimmon and milk will refresh your body.

They actively use seasonal fruits harvested in Ise-Shima, such as locally grown "Kaorino" strawberries from winter to spring, and pears and Kyoho grapes from the neighboring town of Tamaki, and mandarin oranges from Minamiise in autumn.

All of the juices are squeezed individually from the fruits displayed in the display case at the store, so they are all incredibly fresh.

Fruit Labo

I want to fill my stomach with something salty!

After soothing your tiredness from walking with something sweet, you can then shift to some savory gourmet food to fill you up even more.

Ise, surrounded by abundant nature, is a treasure trove of ingredients, blessed with both seafood and mountain produce. It is said that Amaterasu Omikami chose this land, blessed with the bounty of the mountains and sea, to be enshrined in Ise.

From here, we will introduce various Ise gourmet foods, both new and old.

[Wakamatsuya] "Ise Hiryozu" - Fried tofu with nine different ingredients

Wakamatsuya is a long-established Ise kamaboko store founded in 1905. Made with fresh fish paste and containing no preservatives, Ise kamaboko is renowned for allowing you to taste the natural flavor of the fish.

At the shop in Okage Yokocho, you can enjoy freshly fried Satsumaage.

The "Ise Hiryozu" (400 yen), which is as big as a child's fist, is a very satisfying dish made with tofu and fish paste as a base, and nine different ingredients including quail eggs, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, burdock, carrots, edamame, wood ear mushrooms, wakame seaweed, and hijiki seaweed.

When you bite into a freshly fried one, you'll be sure to be completely satisfied with the chewy, steaming paste dough and the taste and texture of the various ingredients.

They also have ready-to-eat Satsumaage such as "cheese sticks" (400 yen) and "octopus sticks" (400 yen).

There are also various gift sets available, so you can enjoy this flavor at home.

Wakamatsuya

[Ise Kadoya Beer Naikuumae Branch] Enjoy "fried oyster skewers" with craft beer

This is the store of Ise Kadoya Beer, a craft beer maker in Ise-Shima, and the only brewery in Japan to have won the gold medal at the International Brewing Awards, also known as the "Oscars of the beer world," for three consecutive years.

At the store, you can enjoy dishes made with Uramura oysters from Toba along with a variety of craft beers.

The most popular dish is the "Fried Oyster Skewer" (2 oysters for 380 yen and up), a crispy fried oyster skewer is it easy to eat and that is fried after the order is placed. The freshly fried oysters that the rich flavor of Uramura oysters overflow from the hot batter, and they go perfectly with beer.

They also offer steamed oysters (720 yen for 2 oysters) and grilled oysters (720 yen for 2 oysters), so be sure to enjoy the seasonal Uramura oysters, which are full of the essence of the sea.

We also recommend trying the "4-Beer Tasting Set" (1,280 yen), which allows you to compare four different types of craft beer.

Inside the restaurant, you can leisurely dine on set meals such as oysters and eel.

Ise Kadoya Beer Naikuumae Branch

[Butasute] Croquettes from a long-established butcher shop made with Japanese black beef lavishly

Buta-sute is a long-established butcher shop founded in 1909. For many years, they had been selling croquettes at their butcher shop, but when they started selling them at Okage Yokocho, they became a huge hit!

The "Croquette" (120 yen) is made with a generous amount of minced Japanese Black beef, and the potatoes are also infused with the flavor of Japanese beef, so try eating it as is without adding any sauce. Although it is fried, it is not oily, and its small size makes you want to eat two or three.

The store also sells take-out menu items such as minced cutlet (300 yen).

Inside the shop, you can relax and enjoy beef dishes such as "Beef Bowl (regular)" (1,200 yen) and "Beef Hotpot (Sugi)" (2,500 yen).

Butasute

A pilgrimage to Ise Shrine has been a dream of people since ancient times. There are many other attractive shops in front of the Inner Shrine of Ise Jingu, so please take the time to walk around, eat, and find your favorite!

Interview and text: Mio Ieda

Originally posted: December 22, 2022
*Some content was updated on March 5, 2024.

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