#visitmie – Collaboration with Mie Tourism

In 2019 I was approached by Mie Prefecture and asked to create a portfolio that could be used to help raise awareness about the area and its people. I was asked to create a body of photographic images to be used to promote Mie as a tourist destination for domestic and international travelers alike.
The prefecture of Mie is located in the Kansai region of Japan’s main island, Honshu, bordering the prefectures of Aichi, Gifu, Shiga, Kyoto, Nara and Wakayama. It is home to the Ise shrines, perhaps Japan’s most sacred Shinto shrines, which are already a great basis for attracting visitors, but there’s a lot more to Mie than just the Ise shrines. I jumped at the chance to spend a six month long period exploring, discovering and photographing what else the area has to offer from large industrialized towns to forgotten villages nestled deep in the mountains and everything in between.
I got to hang out in surfing communities, hike the ancient Kumano Kodo Buddhist pilgrimage route, experience local matsuri festivals and watch craftspeople hard at work, as well as a whole lot more.

Here is a collection of some of my favourite places, locations and moments from this project. To learn more about Mie you can search for them on social media using the hashtag #visitmie