It's easier as a foreigner to become a Shinto priest than a miya-daiku trainee. BC carpentry is a serious religion.
Aside: When Jobs said great artists steal [from Picasso], he forgot to mention that theft is the heart of apprenticeship:
https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q12...
(As you can see, it's semi-formalized in that culture)
New sengu has just started, btw
Incidentally, Mie Prefecture ranked 37 out of 47 Japanese prefectures for overnight stays by foreign tourists in 2024, but it has a lot to offer in addition to Ise Jingu. For those seeking the "real Japan" beyond Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. If you want to explore, consider Kintetsu's 5-day plus pass and fit this into your itinerary between Nagoya and Osaka, Kyoto, or Nara.