Visit to Ise Shrine in 2024 with a Porsche 911 GT3

A day trip to Ise Shrine from Tokyo

Last year in December, I made a day trip from Tokyo to Ise Jingu Shrine to make a pilgrimage, and this year I was able to make the same pilgrimage just before the end of the year.

This time we will be driving a Porsche 911 GT3 (997.1).

I left my home in Tokyo at 4:30 in the morning.I stopped by Gifu Prefecture before going to Ise Shrine.Because of this, when we arrived at Ise Shrine, the closest parking lot was already full.

So this time I parked in the "B3" parking lot, which was my first time parking there.

However, by parking in this B3 parking lot, I was able to go through the underground passage called "Naiku Okage Sando" for the first time.

After this approach, you have to walk all the way down Okage Yokocho to reach Ise Shrine.

I usually enjoy buying various things at Okage Yokocho and eating them while walking around, but on this day I had lunch plans so I held back from eating while walking around. This was probably the hardest part (lol).

Thankfully, whenever I go to Ise Shrine the weather is always great and I am very grateful for this.

We were blessed with perfect weather that day as well, and even though it was the end of November, it was warm enough that we didn't need coats.

I really love going to Ise Shrine.

Just walking among the trees makes me feel like my soul is cleansed and it gives me an indescribable feeling.

Even if there are many things that irritate you or make you feel tense on a daily basis, just making a pilgrimage to Ise Shrine, walking among these trees, will make those tense feelings disappear in an instant.

It is said that the basic purpose of visiting Ise Shrine is to "express your gratitude," but after expressing your gratitude, Ise Shrine also says that it is okay to make a personal request.

But.

Actually, before I arrived at Ise Shrine, I was planning to pray for the frame of the Porsche that I want now (a mass of earthly desires (lol)), but when I actually prayed at the shrine, I felt it was presumptuous to pray for such an earthly desire, so I couldn't make the wish.

But I think it was a good thing.

I was able to leave Ise Shrine feeling refreshed, as I was able to be grateful for the various things, encounters, and connections I had every day.

Next year will be the Shikinen Sengu (the main hall and other buildings, as well as the sacred costumes and treasures, are all replaced with new ones and the Great Deity is moved to the New Shrine), so it was good that I was able to go just before that.

This day was also a time to think about the concept of "fate."

Since I started this Porsche blog, I have had so many wonderful encounters, and I feel a connection with each one of them.

Again during lunch that day, a group at the table next to me started talking to me and asked, "Oh, you're from Tokyo?" which led to conversations with everyone in the restaurant, and at other places I stopped off afterwards, someone was very kind to me and at the end gave me their business card, saying, "This is also a sign of fate."

And the best part was that while I was driving through Mie Prefecture (I think it was still Mie Prefecture?), I happened to come across a Porsche 911 Cabriolet that was connected to me by X.

I was driving and when I came across this person's car, I thought, "Oh, there's a cool 911!" and drove along, not realizing at the time that he was connected to me through X. Later, he commented to me, "I see we've met," and I was really surprised.

Because, is there really such a coincidence?

If we had been off by even a minute, we would never have met while riding. And what's more, we met while riding in Mie Prefecture when I was traveling there from Tokyo.

This is a spy shot of my GT3 sent to me by the person I encountered! Unfortunately I wasn't able to take a photo of the person because I was driving (tears and tears). ↓

But come to think of it, I've had several other encounters while riding in the past.

Just the other day, while I was driving in Tokyo, a Spider RS belonging to a friend of mine came right next to me, and before that, on the highway heading to Saitama Prefecture, I encountered someone who I had been with in a Porsche rally, and also in Aichi Prefecture or Yokkaichi? I encountered someone who I had been with in a Porsche and Lamborghini.

I think it's amazing how many chance encounters like this can happen while driving.

I am always grateful for the wonderful connections I have made through Porsche, and I am happy to receive messages and emails from people I have never met through my blog.

I'm glad I was able to visit Ise Shrine again in 2024. I was even more grateful than usual for the many connections I made during this visit.

The 997 GT3 was also great! This day trip was 1,055 km. It was fun!

Related article:
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◆Camper experience 2: Ise Jingu, ferry, Hamamatsu
◆Drive to Ise Jingu with Porsche 718 Cayman ... From ~ Hamamatsu eel! !!

◆Drive 1,100 km in a Porsche 911 GT3 (997.1)
◆The 997 Porsche 911 GT3 has been delivered