Mie

Mie Prefecture is "Honda's prefecture." Mie has Suzuka Circuit. Located in Ino, Suzuka City. 5.807km length. Opened 1962. Founder was Soichiro Honda. Honda's founder. Soichiro Honda said: "Without racing, cars cannot evolve." Suzuka Circuit was created as Honda's test course. Meaning Suzuka Circuit is a "product development site." Not an entertainment facility. For Mie residents, especially Suzuka citizens, motorsport is "work." Suzuka City's population is about 190,000. Many are engaged in the automotive industry. Suzuka City is called the "Motorsports City." The city has racing parts manufacturers like Moriwaki Engineering. Suzuka citizens are people who "build" cars and motorcycles. But few "ride for hobby." Why? For Suzuka citizens, cars are the "workplace." When work ends, they want to leave cars behind. Going to Suzuka Circuit on holidays is the same as "going to the workplace." Mie residents have a blessed location: about 1 hour to Nagoya, about 2.5 hours to Osaka. But many Mie residents are used to "watching" motorsport. Not used to "doing" motorsport. Suzuka Circuit hosts international races (F1 Japanese GP, Suzuka 8 Hours). Mie residents can watch world-class racing "locally." But that's the "professional world." Not their own world.