AT A GLANCE

Why go?

On a quiet bend of the Suzuka River embankment in the city of Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, stands a slender stone lantern that once burned every night to guide pilgrims on their way to Ise. The Eternal Night Lantern at the South End of Takaoka Bridge (高岡橋南詰の常夜燈, Takaokabashi Minamizume no Jōyatō) was erected in 1807 along the Ise Kaidō, the great pilgrimage road that branched off the Tōkaidō and led south through this river plain toward the shrines of Ise. Today it is a small, free and always-accessible historic landmark, and a moving stopover for anyone walking in the footsteps of old-time worshippers.↗↗↗

What makes this lantern special is that it was built so tall—around four metres—that a flight of stone steps was fitted to its base simply so someone could climb up and light the flame. The carved dedications still read "Daijingū jōyatō" (eternal night lantern of the Great Shrine of Ise) alongside prayers for peace in the land and a good harvest of the five grains. In an age long before electric streetlights, this steady fire marked the river crossing and comforted travellers moving between the post towns of Yokkaichi and Kame.