Ise Jingu's official FAQ refuses tripod shoots in one spot, stepladders, drones, live streaming and commercial photography in its precincts, and its English page asks visitors not to take pictures where people pray.12 Kyoto City's manners campaign asks visitors not to photograph maiko without permission.5
What are Ise Jingu's photography rules?
This is not legal advice. Rules change; check with the authority named.
Ise Jingu's official FAQ says photography and filming inside the sacred precinct are restricted, to protect its dignity and keep worshippers safe.1 It firmly refuses:1
- shooting in places where photography is prohibited;1
- long shoots in one spot using a tripod or similar;1
- using a stepladder;1
- using drones or other small unmanned aircraft;1
- live streaming, or video shooting of a similar kind;1
- photography for commercial use, including making money by publishing photos or video.1
The shrine may also ask you to stop in other cases it judges inappropriate. Media wanting to shoot for newspapers, magazines, television or websites must apply in advance for permission from the Jingu Administration Office (Jingushicho).1
Its English visitor page adds: Please do not take a picture at the area to pray.
2
How does Ise Jingu ask visitors to behave?
Ise Jingu describes temizu, the purification at the water basin, in five steps: take the dipper in your right hand and rinse your left hand; switch hands and rinse your right; take the dipper in your right hand again, pour water into your cupped left hand and rinse your mouth, without touching the dipper to your mouth; rinse your left hand once more; and tilt the dipper so the remaining water runs down and cleans the handle.23
At the sanctuary it asks visitors to bow twice deeply, clap twice, and bow once more.23
Its Japanese manners page also asks visitors to keep left at the Outer Shrine (Geku) and right at the Inner Shrine (Naiku), to smoke only in smoking areas, not to eat or drink in the precinct, and not to bring pets.3
The English page gives opening hours of 05:00 to 17:00 in October, November and December; 05:00 to 18:00 in January to April and in September; and 05:00 to 19:00 in May to August.2
Is there a general rule for all shrines?
The Association of Shinto Shrines (Jinja Honcho) says the basic form of worship across Japan is two bows, two claps and one bow, but some shrines have their own special forms, and there you should follow the shrine's practice.4
It describes the same purification at the water basin before worship, and asks you not to let water fall back into the basin and not to put your mouth to the dipper.4
Its worship page says nothing about photography.4 We found no national rule on photographing shrines, so this page reports only rules that the bodies named here publish.
What about Buddhist temples?
We did not find a national official body that publishes photography rules for Buddhist temples, so this page gives no general temple rules. Look for the temple's own website and signs.
Can I photograph maiko in Kyoto?
Kyoto City's page on manners campaigns for visitors, dated 16 February 2026, lists the 'MIND YOUR MANNERS' leaflet made by the city and the Kyoto City Tourism Association. It describes the leaflet as promoting 舞妓さんの無断撮影禁止
(no photographing maiko without permission), alongside no smoking on the street.5
The same page lists local campaigns in Gion, including manners signs by the Gion-machi Minamigawa district council near Hanamikoji Street, and an agreement on photography around Gion Shinbashi publicised by the local landscape council.5 It does not mention any fine.5
Some media report a fine for photographing on private lanes in Gion. We have left it out because we found no official body that states it.
Can I fly a drone at a shrine or temple?
Ise Jingu refuses the use of drones in its precinct.1 Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has noted that temples, shrines, tourist sites and events are increasingly restricting drone flights.6 Japan's national drone rules apply as well; see our drone rules page.
This is not legal advice. Rules change; check with the authority named.
What this page cannot tell you
- Few official sources. Only Ise Jingu, the Association of Shinto Shrines and Kyoto City are used here; other shrines and temples set their own rules.
- Rules change. Ise Jingu's FAQ is not dated. Check it, and any signs on site, before you go.
- Not legal advice. These are rules and requests published by the bodies named; follow staff instructions on the day.
Related: Drone rules for travellers: EU and Japan · What the law says about photographing people · Kyoto off-season guide · Mie off-season guide.
Key takeaways
- At Ise Jingu: no long tripod shoots in one spot, stepladders, drones, live streaming or commercial photography, and no pictures where people pray.
- Two bows, two claps and one bow is the basic form at shrines, but follow a shrine's own practice where it differs.
- In Kyoto, the city's manners campaign says do not photograph maiko without permission.
- What we would skip: repeating the Gion photo fine you may read about online. We found no official body that states it.
Sources
Everything here comes from pages published by Ise Jingu's administration, the Association of Shinto Shrines, Kyoto City and Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. See how we research.
- 神宮司庁 (Jingu Administration Office), よくあるご質問 (Ise Jingu FAQ, in Japanese): “神域内（境内）での撮影について決まりごとはありますか？” Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. © Jingushicho; summarised and briefly quoted.
- Ise Jingu, Pray (English). Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. © Jingushicho; summarised and briefly quoted.
- 伊勢神宮, 参拝の作法とマナー (Ise Jingu, worship manners, in Japanese). Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. © Jingushicho; summarised.
- 神社本庁 (Association of Shinto Shrines), 参拝方法 (how to worship, in Japanese). Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. Summarised.
- 京都市 (Kyoto City), 外国人観光客等へのマナー啓発の取組等について (manners campaigns for visitors, page 214071, dated 16 February 2026, in Japanese). Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. © Kyoto City; summarised and briefly quoted.
- 総務省 (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), 「ドローン」による撮影映像等のインターネット上での取扱いに係るガイドライン (September 2015, last revised May 2017), footnote 18. Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. 出典：総務省ホームページ (https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000487746.pdf).
Changes made. We translated and summarised the Japanese pages in our own words, with short quotations. 「「ドローン」による撮影映像等のインターネット上での取扱いに係るガイドライン」（総務省）を加工して作成. None of these bodies endorses this page.