About Mie
Mie Prefecture curves along the Pacific coast of the Kii Peninsula, facing Ise Bay and the deep Pacific Ocean. Its rugged coastline, ancient forests, and sacred mountains have made it a pilgrimage destination for over 2,000 years — Ise Jingu, Japan's most sacred Shinto shrine, has drawn emperors, samurai, and ordinary pilgrims throughout Japan's history and continues to receive over eight million visitors annually.
The Ise-Shima region is famous worldwide for the Ama diving women — female free-divers who plunge to depths of up to 20 meters without equipment to harvest abalone, sea urchin, and shellfish from the sea floor. This tradition, practiced for at least 2,000 years and predominantly by women (who are believed to have more subcutaneous fat to resist the cold), is now a living cultural performance as well as a working livelihood.
Mikimoto Kōkichi, born in Toba in 1858, revolutionized the jewelry world by discovering how to cultivate pearls artificially — a process developed by inserting an irritant into an oyster to trigger pearl formation. The Mikimoto Pearl Island in Toba Bay celebrates his discovery with a museum, pearl cultivation demonstrations, and ama diving shows. Mie's lobster, abalone, and sea bream are equally celebrated as the prefecture's seafood treasures.
Featured Spot: Ise Grand Shrine
Ise Jingu is not one shrine but a complex of 125 separate shrines and subsidiary shrines scattered across the Ise-Shima region, with two principal sanctuaries: Naiku (the Inner Shrine) dedicated to Amaterasu, the sun goddess and divine ancestor of the imperial family, and Geku (the Outer Shrine) dedicated to Toyouke, deity of agriculture and industry. The shrines are rebuilt identically every 20 years in a ceremony called Shikinen Sengu, maintaining construction techniques unchanged for over 1,300 years. The solemn cypress-forested approaches create an atmosphere of timeless spiritual gravity.
What to Experience
- Walk the ancient forested approach to Ise Jingu, Japan's most sacred Shinto shrine
- Watch Ama women free-divers harvest abalone and sea urchin off the rocky coast
- Visit Mikimoto Pearl Island and see the world's first cultured pearl demonstration
- Taste Ise lobster, fresh abalone, and Akafuku mochi sweets along the Okage Yokocho lane
Best Seasons to Visit
Spring (April–May) brings pleasant weather and cherry blossoms to the shrine approaches. Autumn (October–November) is ideal with comfortable temperatures and vivid foliage in the Kii mountain forests. Summer, though humid, is the best season for coastal activities and watching ama divers. The New Year period sees massive pilgrimage crowds at Ise Jingu; the January Oshie-sai ceremony is one of Japan's most important Shinto events.