Chubu Wide-area Tourism Portal Site -- Travel to Ten Thrilling Scenic Sites This showcases sightseeing destinations in Japan's Chubu region (the prefectures of Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, and Shiga).

Mie Prefecture Iseshima Area

From times long past, the two offshore rocks known as Meoto-iwa have been revered as a sacred place for welcoming the sunrise. On a clear day, you can even see Mount Fuji. The “wedded rocks ” rise from the seabed about 700 meters from Okitama Shrine and serve as a gateway for shrine.
The larger ‘male’ rock is nine meters high and the smaller “female” rock is four meters. A regularly replaced large ceremonial rope made of straw weds the rocks. It is 35 meters long: looped 16 metres around the male rock and ten meters around the female rock, the rope spans the nine-meter gap between the couple. In May to July, with the best views around the summer solstice, you can see beautiful sun rises between the rocks. Other special times include May 5, September 5, and mid-December, when the ceremonial rope is replaced.
In the shrine precincts, Okitama Shinseki is venerated as a site where deities descend to the earth and is said to be a place in our world where you can get close to divine power.