Ise (pronounced "ee-say") is a town in Mie prefecture, and is mostly known for being the site of Ise Shrine, probably the most important of all Japan's shrines. It is said to house one of the three "sacred treasures" of Japan (think Excalibur if you're from the UK). The other two, for the record, are said to be in Tokyo and Nagoya.

Anyway. History lesson over. We were in Ise with a house guest. The two places we wanted to go were the shrine and the also-famous "Wedded Rocks". These are two rocks, one large and one small, bound with a rope and symbolising marriage. I've been to both these places before, but they are always worth visiting.

Pictures from the DP3 Merrill and X100S. Enjoy.

We actually went to the "wedded rocks" first. It was windy and extremely cold, but you sort of expect that when you're right next to the sea.

I think I only took this so I could call it "the sea and the old man"

The rocks themselves, two views.

I rather blew the exposure with this one, so there's some very visible noise in the sky. Worth it, though, because you should see it up close. The Sigma keeps on producing insanely detailed files.

Then we went on (strictly speaking "back") to the shrine itself. There are in fact two: an "outer" and "inner". The outer is the larger and more famous and it is there we started.

Some shots from around, but not in, the shrine:

Next, some shots from the commercial area around the shrine...

And lastly, a couple from the entrance to the "inner" shrine.

That covers Ise. The next entry will be from Kanazawa and will be up in a few days to a week.

Thanks for looking!