Mie exists at the intersection of Japan's most sacred geography and its finest food culture, and the combination is difficult to resist. The Ise Grand Shrine (Ise Jingu) — actually two main shrines surrounded by 125 smaller ones, set in ancient cypress forests — is the most sacred site in Shinto, where the sun goddess Amaterasu is enshrined and where the Japanese imperial family has worshipped for over 1,000 years. The shrine buildings are rebuilt every 20 years using exactly the same ancient techniques, with a new site beside the old one used alternately — a practice of ritual renewal that has continued without interruption since 690 CE. Millions of Japanese visit in a lifetime, and many visit repeatedly.
Getting There
The Kintetsu Railway connects Nagoya to Ise city in about 90 minutes and Osaka Uehonmachi to Ise in about 100 minutes. The Kisei Main Line runs along the dramatic Pacific coast south toward the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage region. Tsu city (the capital, with a notably small sign at its train station — the shortest-named capital in Japan) connects to Nagoya in 40 minutes. A car is essential for exploring the Ago Bay pearl area and the Kumano coast.
Daily Life
Matsusaka beef — from cattle raised in the Matsusaka area on a diet that has been refined for centuries — is generally considered Japan's finest wagyu, producing the intensest marbling and the most complex fat flavour of any beef in the country. The Toba and Ago Bay area is the birthplace of cultured pearls: Mikimoto Kokichi discovered and perfected the technique here in 1893, transforming the global jewellery industry. Pearl diving by ama — the women free-divers who harvest oysters and abalone, some of whom still practice in traditional white cotton suits — is still alive in Toba as both a working and cultural tradition.
Festivals & Culture
The Kumano Kodo, Mie's section of the ancient pilgrimage network, passes through landscapes of extraordinary drama — pine forest, coastal cliffs, waterfall valleys, and isolated villages that have changed little in centuries. The pilgrimage is UNESCO-listed and shares that status only with the Camino de Santiago; it is the only two sites in the world where pilgrimage routes from different cultures share World Heritage status.
Buying Property Here
For property buyers, Mie is unexpectedly affordable given its sacred geography and food culture. Tsu and Yokkaichi (the northern industrial and commercial towns) have houses at ¥5M–¥15M. The Ise-Shima peninsula — near the shrines, near the sea — offers ¥3M–¥12M for older residential properties. The Kumano coast south of Owase has some of Japan's most dramatic coastal scenery and akiya from ¥1M–¥5M with limited commercial infrastructure but extraordinary natural setting.
Circle K - 8 min walk / 2 min drive
