Mie

Mie exists because gods need homes and industries need ports. Ise Grand Shrine—holiest site in Shinto, dedicated to sun goddess Amaterasu, rebuilt completely every 20 years for 1,240 years—anchors the prefecture's spiritual identity. The 62nd reconstruction was completed in 2013; the 63rd comes in 2033. Pilgrimages have drawn Japanese to Ise for two millennia.

But modern Mie is an industrial powerhouse. The Yokkaichi Industrial Complex stretches along Ise Bay with oil refineries, chemical plants, and material manufacturers—one of Japan's most significant heavy industrial zones. Honda, Toyota, and Toshiba operate manufacturing plants here. The Japan Center for Economic Research once projected Mie would achieve Japan's highest economic growth rate. The prefecture produces more manufactured goods per capita than any other region.

The combination seems paradoxical: ancient shrine and petrochemical complex, spiritual pilgrimage and semiconductor production. But the logic connects through infrastructure. Ise Bay provides port access; proximity to Nagoya and Osaka provides markets and talent; the shrine provides cultural identity that attracts workers who might otherwise choose Tokyo. By 2026, Mie pushes into hydrogen and next-generation energy—the prefecture where gods are rebuilt every 20 years now rebuilds its industrial base on similar cycles. Tradition and transformation, on the same timeline.