From
outside the sanctuary as well, the most you ever see are the roofs and
projecting beams of the sacred halls within. It is precisely this hiddenness
and the sense of mystery and reverence which it inspires that is one of
the most distinctive features of Ise Shrine. From this point, in order
to get an inside view of the sanctuary, we must relied on published photographs,
which have been permitted occasionally since the 1960s.