Current Time in Tsu, Japan

Tsu is the capital of Mie Prefecture, on the eastern coast of the Kii Peninsula in central Japan, facing the calm waters of Ise Bay. The city stretches from the shoreline inland across a plain of rice fields and small rivers to the wooded slopes of the Nunobiki and Aoyama highlands. The climate is mild, and the bay in front of the city has been an important sea route for well over a thousand years, linking the region with Nagoya, Osaka and the shrines of Ise.

About two hundred and seventy thousand people live here. Tsu is the administrative centre of a prefecture known for manufacturing, and its economy includes shipbuilding and heavy engineering along the coast, electronics, chemicals, food processing and pearl and fishery industries, alongside government offices, education and services. Agriculture produces rice, tea and beef, and Mie is nationally famous for its wagyu beef and cultured pearls.

The city has a curious distinction, since its name written in Japanese consists of a single character and a single syllable, making it one of the shortest place names in the world. That name simply means port, and it reflects the history of the place. Under the name Anotsu it was one of the three great ports of medieval Japan, handling pilgrims and cargo for the Ise shrines, until an earthquake and tsunami in 1498 destroyed the harbour. In 1608 the warlord Todo Takatora, one of the finest castle builders of his age, was granted the domain and rebuilt Tsu around a new castle, laying out the streets that still shape the centre. The castle town prospered through the Edo period, and the city was heavily bombed in 1945.

The grounds of Tsu Castle survive as a public park with reconstructed turrets, stone walls, moats and gardens, and a statue of Takatora on horseback. Tsu Kannon temple, properly known as Onsanji, is one of the three great Kannon temples of Japan and stands in a lively shopping quarter, its precincts busy with festivals and markets. The Mie Prefectural Art Museum holds a fine collection of Japanese and Western painting, and the beach at Gotenba offers views across the bay. Inland, the hot springs of Hisai and Aoyama and the deep valleys of the Nunobiki falls reward exploration.

Tsu is best known to Japanese travellers as the gateway to the Ise Grand Shrine, the most sacred site in Shinto, a short journey to the south, and to the pearl islands and rugged coastline of Ise-Shima National Park. Local specialities include grilled eel, for which the city has an unusual passion, and large gyoza dumplings that have become a regional trademark.

Fast trains on the Kintetsu and JR lines connect Tsu with Nagoya, Osaka and Ise, and a high-speed ferry crosses the bay to Chubu Centrair International Airport in about forty minutes. Mie University, with its medical and marine science faculties, is based here.

Tsu is worth visiting for its castle park, its temples and its position at the doorway to Ise.