Mie Prefecture


Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 and has a geographic area of. Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture to the northwest, Nara Prefecture to the west, Wakayama Prefecture to the southwest, and Aichi Prefecture to the east.
Tsu is the capital and Yokkaichi is the largest city of Mie Prefecture, with other major cities including Suzuka, Matsusaka, Ise, and Kuwana. Mie Prefecture is located on the eastern coast of the Kii Peninsula, forming the western side of Ise Bay which features the mouths of the Kiso Three Rivers. Mie Prefecture is a popular tourism destination home to Nagashima Spa Land, Suzuka International Racing Course, and some of the oldest and holiest sites in Shinto, the traditional religion of Japan, including the Ise Grand Shrine and the Tsubaki Grand Shrine.

History

Until the Meiji Restoration, the area that is now Mie Prefecture was made up of Ise Province, Shima Province, Iga Province, and part of Kii Province.
Evidence of human habitation in Mie dates back more than 10,000 years. During the Jōmon and Yayoi periods, agricultural communities began to form along the river and coastal areas of the region. Ise Shrine is said to have been established during the Yayoi period, and in the 7th century the Saikū Imperial Residence was built in what is now Meiwa Town to serve as both a residence and administrative centre for the Saiō, an Imperial Princess who served as High Priestess of Ise Shrine.
During the Edo period, the area now known as Mie Prefecture consisted of several feudal domains, each ruled by an appointed lord. Transport networks, including the Tokaido and Ise Roads, were built. Port towns such as Ohminato, Kuwana and Anōtsu, posting stations and castle towns flourished. Pilgrimages to Ise Shrine also became very popular.
After the Meiji Restoration, the former provinces of Ise, Shima and Iga as well as a portion of eastern Kii, were organized and reorganized repeatedly. In 1871, the area from the Kiso Three Rivers in the north to present-day Tsu became Anōtsu Prefecture, and the area south of that became Watarai Prefecture. In 1872, the Anōtsu prefectural seat moved from Tsu to Yokkaichi, and the prefecture itself was renamed Mie. For a variety of reasons, including the strong likelihood that Mie would eventually merge with Watarai, the prefectural seat returned to Tsu the following year, and Mie Prefecture took its present-day form in 1876, when it merged with its southern neighbor.
The name Mie supposedly was taken from a comment about the region made by Yamato Takeru on his way back from conquering the eastern regions.
In 1959, many people died as parts of Mie were devastated by the Ise-wan Typhoon, the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in recorded history. Crops were destroyed, sea walls ruined, roads and railways damaged and a substantial number of people were injured or left homeless.
In May 2016, the city of Shima hosted the 42nd G7 summit, the third summit without the presence of Russia.

Geography

Mie Prefecture forms the eastern part of the Kii Peninsula, and borders on Aichi, Gifu, Shiga, Kyoto, Nara, and Wakayama. It is considered part of the Kansai and Tōkai regions due to its geographical proximity to Aichi Prefecture and its cultural influence from Kansai, such as the fact that Kansai dialect is spoken in Mie. Traditionally, though, the Iga region of Mie is considered to have always been a part of Kansai.
Mie Prefecture measures from north to south, and from east to west, and includes five distinct geographical areas:
  1. the north-west of Mie consists of the Suzuka Mountains
  2. along the coast of Ise Bay from the Aichi border to Ise City lies the Ise Plain, where most of the population of Mie live
  3. south of the Ise Plain is the Shima Peninsula
  4. bordering Nara in the central-west is the Iga Basin
  5. running from central Mie to its southern borders is the Nunobiki Mountainous Region.
Mie has a coastline that stretches and, as of 2000, Mie's landmass is 64.8 percent forest, 11.5 percent agriculture, 6 percent residential area, 3.8 percent roads, and 3.6 percent rivers. The remaining 10.3 percent are not classified.
The Ise Plain has a relatively moderate climate, averaging for the year. The Iga Basin has more daily temperature variance and averages temperatures 1 to 2 degrees cooler than the Ise Plain. Southern Mie, south of the Shima Peninsula, has a warmer Pacific marine climate, with Owase Region having one of the heaviest rainfall figures for all of Japan.
36% of the total area of the prefecture comprised designated Natural Parks, namely:
Since 2006, Mie consists of 29 municipalities: 14 cities and 15 towns.

Mergers

When the modern municipalities were introduced in 1889, Mie initially consisted of 336 municipalities: 1 city and 21 districts with 18 towns and 317 villages. With the Great Shōwa mergers of the 1950s, the number of municipalities in Mie had dropped to 88 by 1956. The Great Heisei mergers of the 2000s reduced the total from 69 to 29 between 2000 and 2006.

Economy

Mie Prefecture has traditionally been a link between east and west Japan, thanks largely to the Tokaido and Ise Pilgrimage Roads. Traditional handicrafts such as Iga Braid, Yokkaichi Banko Pottery, Suzuka Ink, Iga Pottery and Ise Katagami flourished. With 65% of the prefecture consisting of forests and with over of coastline, Mie has a long been associated with forestry and seafood industries. Mie also produces tea, beef, cultured pearls and fruit, mainly mandarin oranges. Food production companies include Azuma Foods.
Northern Mie is home to a number of manufacturing industries, mainly transport machinery manufacturing and heavy chemical industries such as oil refineries. As well as this, Mie Prefecture is expanding into more advanced industries including the manufacture of semiconductors and liquid crystal displays. In Suzuka, the Honda Motor Company maintains a factory established in 1960 that built the Honda Civic, as well as other vehicles.

Demographics

Total population1,820,491
Male population886,362
Female population934,129
Population aged under 15240,263
Population aged 15 to 641,076,257
Population aged over 64491,779
Households721,344
Population density 315.3

Culture

Universities

Rail

  • JR Central
  • *Kansai Line
  • *Kisei Line
  • *Sangu Line
  • JR West
  • *Kansai Line
  • *Kusatsu Line
  • Kintetsu
  • *Nagoya Line
  • *Osaka Line
  • *Yamada Line
  • *Toba Line
  • *Shima Line
  • *Yunoyama Line
  • *Uchibe Line
  • *Hachioji Line
  • *Suzuka Line
  • Yoro Railway
  • Iga Railway
  • Ise Railway
  • Sangi Railway

    Road

Expressways and toll roads

  • East Meihan Expressway
  • Ise Bayside Expressway
  • Ise Expressway
  • Ise Futami Toba Road
  • Ise Shima Skyline
  • Kisei Expressway
  • Kumano Owase Road
  • Meihan National Highway
  • Second Meishin Expressway

    National highways

  • Route 1
  • Route 23
  • Route 25
  • Route 42
  • Route 163
  • Route 164
  • Route 165
  • Route 167
  • Route 258
  • Route 301
  • Route 311
  • Route 365
  • Route 421
  • Route 422
  • Route 425
  • Route 477

    Ports

  • Matsuzaka Port - Hydrofoil ferry route to Centrair
  • Toba Port - Ferry route to Ira Cape
  • Tsu Port - Hydrofoil ferry route to Centrair airport
  • Yokkaichi Port - International and domestic container and goods hub port

    Air

In terms of air travel, the prefecture is served by Chubu International Airport.

Tourism

Notable places