Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県, Shizuoka-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu.[1] As of December 2019, Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of 7,777.42 km2 (3,002.88 sq mi). Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northeast, Nagano Prefecture to the north, and Aichi Prefecture to the west.

Shizuoka Prefecture

静岡県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese静岡県
 • RōmajiShizuoka-ken
Flag
Symbol
Coordinates: 34°55′N 138°19′E
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu (Tōkai)
IslandHonshu
CapitalShizuoka
Largest cityHamamatsu
SubdivisionsDistricts: 5, Municipalities: 35
Government
 • GovernorHeita Kawakatsu
Area
 • Total7,777.42 km2 (3,002.88 sq mi)
Area rank13th
Population
 (1 December 2019)
 • Total3,637,998
 • Rank10th
 • Density470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
ISO 3166 codeJP-22
Websitewww.pref.shizuoka.jp/a_foreign/english
Symbols
BirdJapanese paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone atrocaudata)
FlowerAzalea (Rhododendron)
TreeSweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans var. aurantiacus)

Shizuoka is the capital and Hamamatsu is the largest city in Shizuoka Prefecture, with other major cities including Fuji, Numazu, and Iwata.[2] Shizuoka Prefecture is located on Japan's Pacific Ocean coast and features Suruga Bay formed by the Izu Peninsula, and Lake Hamana which is considered to be one of Japan's largest lakes. Mount Fuji, the tallest volcano in Japan and cultural icon of the country, is partially located in Shizuoka Prefecture on the border with Yamanashi Prefecture. Shizuoka Prefecture has a significant motoring heritage as the founding location of Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha, and is home to the Fuji International Speedway.

View of Mt. Fuji from Fujinomiya

History

Shizuoka Prefecture was established from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.[3]

The area was the home of the first Tokugawa shōgun. Tokugawa Ieyasu held the region until he conquered the lands of the Hōjō clan in the Kantō region and placed land under the stewardship of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After becoming shōgun, Tokugawa took the land back for his family and put the area around modern-day Shizuoka city under the direct supervision of the shogunate. With the creation of Shizuoka han in 1868, it once again became the residence of the Tokugawa family.

Geography
Map of Shizuoka Prefecture
     Government Ordinance Designated City      City      Town

Shizuoka Prefecture is an elongated region following the coast of the Pacific Ocean at the Suruga Bay. In the west, the prefecture extends deep into the Japan Alps. In the east, it becomes a narrower coast bounded in the north by Mount Fuji, until it comes to the Izu Peninsula, a popular resort area pointing south into the Pacific.

As of April 2012, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Fuji-Hakone-Izu and Minami Alps National Parks; Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Park; and four Prefectural Natural Parks.[4]

Tokai earthquakes
Main article: Tōkai earthquakes

Throughout history, a disastrous earthquake called the Tokai earthquake has hit Shizuoka every 100 to 150 years. On 15 March 2011, Shizuoka Prefecture was hit with a magnitude 6.2 earthquake approximately 42 km (26 mi) NNE of Shizuoka City.

Cities
See also: List of cities in Shizuoka Prefecture by population
Shizuoka City
Hamamatsu City
Numazu and Mount Fuji
Fujinomiya
Atami

Twenty-three cities are located in Shizuoka:

Towns

These are the towns in each district:

Mergers
Main article: List of mergers in Shizuoka Prefecture

List of governors of Shizuoka (since 1947)
# Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Political Party
1 Takeji Kobayashi (小林武治)
(1899-1988)		 23 April, 1947 22 April, 1951 Independent
2 Toshio Saito (斎藤寿夫)
(1908-1999)		 1 May, 1951 8 January, 1967 Liberal Party (1951-1959)
Liberal Democratic Party (1959-1967)
3 Yutaro Takeyama (竹山祐太郎)
(1901-1982)		 31 January, 1967 24 June, 1974 LDP
4 Keizaburo Yamamoto (山本敬三郎)
(1913-2006)		 10 June, 1974 6 July, 1986 LDP
5 Shigeyoshi Saito (斉藤滋与史)
(1918-2018)		 7 July, 1986 23 June, 1993 LDP
6 Yoshinobu Ishikawa (石川嘉延)
(born in 1940)		 3 August, 1993 17 June, 2009 Independent
7 Heita Kawakatsu (川勝平太)
(born in 1948)		 7 July, 2009 Incumbent Independent

Transportation

Rail

Expressways

Toll roads
  • Shizuoka East-West Road
  • Shizuoka South-North Road
  • West Fuji Road (not a toll road anymore as of 2012)
  • Fujinomiya Road

National highways

Airports
Shizuoka Airport

Ports
  • Shimizu Port
  • Atami Port and Shimoda Port - Mainly ferry route to Izu Island
  • Numazu Port

Education

Universities

National universities

Public universities

Private universities

Senior high schools

Sports
IAI Stadium Nihondaira in Shimizu-ku.

The sports teams listed below are based in Shizuoka.

Basketball

Motorsport
  • Fuji International Speedway

Rugby

Football

Volleyball

Tourism
See also: Tourism in Japan

Museums

Theme parks
  • Air Park Japan Air Self-Defense Force Hamamatsu Public Information Building)[5]
  • Shimizu Sushi Museum[6]

Festivals and events
A kite festival in Hamamatsu, May 2013
  • Shimoda Black Ship Festival, held in May
  • Shimizu Port Festival, held on August 5 to 7
  • Shizuoka Festival, held in April
  • Daidogei World Cup in central Shizuoka City, held in November
  • Enshu Daimyo Festival in Iwata, held in April
  • Numazu Festival, held in July
  • Mishima Festival, held in August

Notes
  1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Shizuoka-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 876, p. 876, at Google Books; "Chūbu" in p. 126, p. 126, at Google Books
  2. Nussbaum, "Shizuoka" at p. 876, p. 876, at Google Books.
  3. Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
  4. "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  5. "About Air Park Japan Air Self-Defense Force Hamamatsu Public Information Building - Shizuoka Travel Guide | Planetyze". Planetyze. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  6. "About Shimizu Sushi Museum - Shizuoka Travel Guide | Planetyze". Planetyze. Retrieved 2017-11-17.

References
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