Okayama Prefecture
Okayama Prefecture 岡山県 |
||
---|---|---|
Prefecture | ||
Japanese transcription(s) | ||
• Japanese | 岡山県 | |
• Rōmaji | Okayama-ken | |
|
||
Country | Japan | |
Region | Chūgoku (Sanyō) | |
Island | Honshu | |
Capital | Okayama | |
Government | ||
• Governor | Ryūta Ibaragi | |
Area | ||
• Total | 7,113.21 km2 (2,746.43 sq mi) | |
Area rank | 15th | |
Population (May 1, 2015) | ||
• Total | 1,920,654 | |
• Rank | 21st | |
• Density | 270/km2 (700/sq mi) | |
ISO 3166 code | JP-33 | |
Districts | 10 | |
Municipalities | 27 | |
Flower | Peach blossom (Prunus persica var. vulgaris) | |
Tree | Red pine (Pinus densiflora) | |
Bird | Lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus) | |
Website | www |
Okayama Prefecture (岡山県 Okayama-ken?) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on the main island of Honshu.[1] The capital is the city of Okayama.[2][3][4]
Contents
History
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Prior to the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the area of present-day Okayama Prefecture was divided between Bitchū, Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces. Okayama Prefecture was formed and named in 1871 as part of the large-scale administrative reforms of the early Meiji period (1868–1912), and the borders of the prefecture were set in 1876.[3][5]
Geography
Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Hiroshima Prefecture.[3] It faces Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea and includes 90 islands in the sea.
Okayama Prefecture is home to the historic town of Kurashiki. Most of the population is concentrated around Kurashiki and Okayama. The small villages in the northern mountain region are aging and declining in population - more than half of the prefectures municipalities are officially designated as depopulated.[6]
As of 1 April 2014, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Daisen-Oki and Setonaikai National Parks; the Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park; and seven Prefectural Natural Parks.[7]
Cities
Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district:
Mergers
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Education
Universities in Okayama Prefecture
- Okayama
- Kurashiki
- Soja
- Tsuyama
High schools in Okayama Prefecture
- Okayama
- Okayama Ichinomiya Senior High School
- Okayama Asahi Senior High School
- Okayama Sozan Senior High School
- Hosen Senior High School
Transportation
Rail
- JR West
- JR West and JR Shikoku
- Chizu Express
- Ihara Railway
- Mizushima Rinkai Railway
Tramways
Roads
Expressways
- Sanyo Expressway
- Chugoku Expressway
- Seto Central Expressway
- Yonago Expressway
- Okayama Expressway
- Tottori Expressway
National highways
- Route 2 (Osaka-Kobe-Himeji-Bizen-Okayama-Kurashiki-Asakuchi-Onomichi-Hiroshima-Shunan-Shimonoseki-Kitakyushu)
- Route 30 (Okayama-Uno-Takamatsu
- Route 53 (Okayama-Tsuyama-Tottori)
- Route 179
- Route 180 (Okayama-Takahashi-Niimi)
- Route 181 (Tsuyama-Maniwa-Yonago-Yasugi-Matsue)
- Route 182
- Route 183
- Route 250 (Okayama-Setouchi-Ako-Aioi-Takasago-Akashi)
- Route 313 (Fukuyama-Takahashi-Maniwa-Kurayoshi)
- Route 373
- Route 374
- Route 429
- Route 430
- Route 482 (Kyotango-Toyooka-Wakasa-Kagamino-Maniwa-Kofu of Tottori
- Route 484
Airport
Culture
- Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery)
- Bizen Osafune/Bitchu Aoe swords
Association with Momotarō legend
Okayama Prefecture is closely associated with the folklore hero, Momotarō. This tale is said to have roots in the legendary story of Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto and Ura which explains that the Prince Ura of Kudara used to live in Kinojo (castle of the devil) and was a cause of trouble for the people living in the village. The emperor's government sent Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto(Momotarō) to defeat Ura. The city of Okayama holds an annual Momotarō-matsuri, or Momotarō Festival.[4][8]
Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama.
Football
Volleyball
Tourism
Some tourist attractions are:
- Koraku-en Japanese garden in Okayama
- Okayama Castle, Okayama
- Ki Castle, Sōja
- Shizutani School, Bizen
- Bikan Historical Area (倉敷美観地区 Kurashiki Bikan Chiku?), Kurashiki
- Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, Takahashi
- Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama
- Bisei Astronomical Observatory (美星天文台 Bisei Tenmondai?), Ibara Town (following dissolution of Bisei Town)
- Maki-do Cave, in Niimi
Notable people from Okayama Prefecture
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Shin Koyamada, Hollywood actor[9]
- Yuko Arimori, marathon runner[10]
- Tesshō Genda, voice actor
- Ryutaro Hashimoto, Kiichiro Hiranuma, Inukai Tsuyoshi, Kan Naoto and Hatoyama Yukio former Prime Ministers of Japan
- Sen'ichi Hoshino, baseball manager
- Koshi Inaba, singer
- Ichiyo Izawa, pianist and former member of Tokyo Jihen
- Yoshio Nishina, known as the Father of Physics in Japan
- Yumeji Takehisa, famous and influential early 20th century artist
- Sesshu Toyo, suiboku master
- Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, boxer
- Haruka Fukushima, manga artist
- Masashi Kishimoto, manga artist and creator of Naruto[11]
- Seishi Kishimoto, manga artist
- Daisuke Takahashi, Olympic figure skater
- Dorlis, jazz musician
- Miyamoto Musashi, samurai
- Megumi Fujii, MMA Fighter
- Masaki Kajishima, creator of Tenchi Muyo!
- Morihiro Hashimoto, darts player
Notes
- ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Okayama-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 745, p. 745, at Google Books; "Chūgoku" at p. 127, p. 127, at Google Books.
- ↑ Nussbaum, "Okayama" at p. 745, p. 745, at Google Books.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
- ↑ Okayama official website accessed Nov. 2007
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
References
- Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Okayama prefecture. |
- Official website
- Official tourism site
- Official account's channel on YouTube
- I Love Okayama - Okayama Brand
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.