Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
• Japanese	三重県
• Rōmaji	Mie-ken
Symbol of Mie Prefecture
Coordinates: 34°42′N 136°30′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Island	Honshū
Capital	Tsu
Government
• Governor	Eikei Suzuki (since April 2011)
Area
• Total	5,777.22 km2 (2,230.60 sq mi)
Area rank	25th
Population (April 1, 2010)
• Total	1,855,177
• Rank	23rd
• Density	321/km2 (830/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	JP-24
Districts	7
Municipalities	29
Flower	Iris (Iris ensata)
Tree	Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)
Bird	Snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Fish	Japanese spiny lobster ("Panulirus japonicus")
Website	www.pref.mie.jp/ ENGLISH/

Mie Prefecture (三重県, Mie-ken) is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.

History

"Ise Shrine"

Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province, Shima Province, Iga Province and 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 lives were lost 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.

Geography

Map of Mie Prefecture.

Mie Prefecture forms the eastern part of the Kii Peninsula, and is bordered by Aichi, Gifu, Shiga, Kyoto, Nara, and Wakayama. It is considered to be a 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 coastline, near Toba

Mie Prefecture measures 170 km (106 mi) from north to south, and 80 km (50 mi) from east to west, and is made up of 5 distinct geographical areas. The north-west of Mie consists of the Suzuka Mountains, along the coast of Ise Bay from the Aichi border to Ise City is the Ise Plain, where most of the population of Mie live, south of the Ise Plain is the Shima Peninsula, bordering Nara in the central-west is the Iga Basin, and running from central Mie to its southern borders is the Nunobiki Mountainous Region.

Mie has a coastline that stretches 1,094.9 km (680.3 mi) and, as of 2000, Mie's 5,776.44 km² (2,230.30 sq mi) landmass is comprised of 64.8% forest, 11.5% agriculture, 6% residential area, 3.8% roads, and 3.6% rivers. The remaining 10.3% are not classified. The Ise Plain has a relatively moderate climate, averaging 14 to 15 degrees Celsius 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.

As of 31 March 2008, 35% of the total area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Ise-Shima and Yoshino-Kumano National Parks; Murō-Akame-Aoyama and Suzuka Quasi-National Parks; and Akame Ichishikyō, Ise-no-Umi, Kahadakyō, Okuise Miyagawakyō and Suigō Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Fourteen cities are located in Mie Prefecture:

Iga Inabe Ise Kameyama Kumano Kuwana Matsusaka

Nabari Owase Shima Suzuka Toba Tsu (capital) Yokkaichi

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district.

Inabe District Tōin Kitamuro District Kihoku Kuwana District Kisosaki

Mie District Asahi Kawagoe Komono Minamimuro District Kihō Mihama

Taki District Meiwa Ōdai Taki Watarai District Minamiise Taiki Tamaki Watarai

Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Mie Prefecture

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 1,000 km (600 mi) of coastline, Mie has a long been associated with forestry and seafood industries. As well as this, Mie 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 (vehicles and ships) 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.

Demographics

Mie Prefecture Demographics (as of 2006)
Total Population	1,867,696
Male Population	908,440
Female Population	959,256
Population Age Under 15	263,697
Population Aged 15 to 64	1,190,615
Population Aged Over 64	411,063
Number of Households	688,088
Population Density (per km2)	323.3

Culture

Universities

• Yokkaichi
  • Yokkaichi University
  • Yokkaichi Nursing and Medical Care University
• Suzuka
  • Suzuka International University
  • Suzuka University of Medical Science
  • Suzuka National College of Technology
• Tsu
  • Mie University
  • Mie Prefectural College of Nursing
• Matsuzaka
  • Mie Chukyo University
• Ise
  • Kogakkan University
• Toba
  • Toba National College of Maritime Technology

Tourism

Famous places

• Ise Grand Shrine - Japan's holiest Shinto shrine.
• Kumano Kodō - World Heritage Site. Ancient road in southern Mie once used by pilgrims.
• Iga-Ueno - Birthplace of the ninja and home to the Iga Ninja Museum.
• Ise-Shima National Park
• Yoshino-Kumano National Park
• Sakakibara Onsen - Famous onsen near Tsu. Rumored to be the 3rd best onsen in Japan.
• Yunoyama Onsen - Famous onsen near Yokkaichi that sits atop Mount Gozaisho.
• Nagashima Spa Land - One of the largest amusement parks in Japan, located in Kuwana.
• Mikimoto Pearl Island - Museum in Toba that is dedicated to Kōkichi Mikimoto, inventor of pearl cultivation.
• The Wedded Rocks of Okitama Shrine in Futami (now part of the city of Ise)
• Suzuka Circuit - Japan's most famous racetrack.
• Saikū - Site of Heian Imperial residence, with modern museum and reconstructed Heian building.

Famous citizens

• Kōdayu Daikokuya, a Japanese castaway who spent eleven years in Russia.
• Hakaru Hashimoto, medical scientist.
• Kōkichi Mikimoto, founder of the cultured pearl industry.
• Matsuo Bashō, the most famous poet of the Edo period, renowned for his haiku.
• Mitsui Takatoshi, founder of the Mitsui Group.
• Norinaga Motoori, a Japanese scholar of Kokugaku during the Edo period.
• Ranpo Edogawa, famous mystery novelist.
• Takeshiro Matsuura, an explorer who gave the name "Hokkaidō" to Japan's northern island.
• Yukio Ozaki, a politician said to be the father of Japan's constitutional government.
• Zuiken Kawamura, a powerful businessman during the early Edo Period.
• Keiichi Yabu, Relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants
• Die (musician), Guitarist for Dir en grey
• Aoi (musician), Guitarist for the GazettE
• Yumehito (musician), Guitarist for Ayabie
• Hiroshi Okuda, Chairman of the Toyota Motor Corporation, chairman of the Japan Business Federation
• Yasujirō Ozu, famous filmmaker
• Norinaga Motoori, Scholar of Kokugaku during the Edo period
• Mizuki Noguchi, the Gold Medalist in the Women's Marathon event in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens,
• Miwa Asao, beach volleyball player
• Ken Hirai, Japanese R&B and pop singer.
• Katsuya Okada, former Foreign Minister, current DPJ Secretary General.
• Nishino Kana, Japanese Singer

Famous products

• Akafuku, a sweet made with mochi and sweet red bean paste.
• spiny lobster, known as Ise ebi (伊勢えび), named after the old province.
• Matsusaka beef.

Sister states

• São Paulo, Brazil
• Henan, China
• Valencia, Spain

Transportation

Rail

• JR Central
  • Kansai Line (Nagoya-Kameyama)
  • Kisei Line
  • Sangu Line
• JR West
  • Kansai Line (Kameyama-Nara)
  • Kusatsu Line (Tsuge Station)
• 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

Expressway and Toll Road

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

National Highway

• Route 1
• Route 23 (Ise-Yokkaichi-Nagoya-Gamagori-Toyohashi)
• Route 25
• Route 42
• Route 163
• Route 164 (Yokkaichi)
• Route 165
• Route 167 (Shima-Toba -Ise)
• Route 258
• Route 301
• Route 311
• Route 365
• Route 421
• Route 422
• Route 425 (Owase-Totsukawa-Gobo)
• Route 477

Port

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

References

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

External links

• Mie Prefecture official homepage
• Kanko Mie tourist information
• Outdoor Japan - Section Mie
• Mie International Exchange Foundation