About Japan from... manhole covers, Ise Pilgrimage

During the Edo Period, with the development of roads and stations offering accommodation, all the conditions were met for the development of pilgrimage. One of the most popular destinations was the Shinto shrine of Ise, the most important sanctuary in Japan, and to visit Ise Jingu at least once in the lifetime became a tangible dream for many people.

It is said that during that era the shrine was receiving about 200-300 thousand pilgrims monthly, and during the main celebrations the number of visitors was of several millions, an astonishing figure for those times.

Of course, today the pilgrimage to Ise is still an important event, and the manholes of the city are decorated with this drawing, representing pilgrims from the Edo Period...