Okayama Prefecture

Okayama Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
– Japanese	岡山県
– Rōmaji	Okayama-ken
Symbol of Okayama Prefecture
Country	Japan
Region	Chūgoku
Island	Honshū
Capital	Okayama (city)
Government
– Governor	Masahiro Ishii
Area
– Total	7,112.32 km2 (2,746.1 sq mi)
Area rank	15th
Population (October 2005)
– Total	1,957,056
– Rank	21st
– Density	275/km2 (712.2/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.pref.okayama.jp/ kikaku/kokusai/momo/e/

Okayama Prefecture (岡山県, Okayama-ken^?) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island.^[1] The capital is the city of Okayama.^[2]

History

During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.^[3]

Geography

Map of Okayama Prefecture:

Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture. 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 ageing and declining in population - more than half of the prefectures municipalities are officially designated as depopulated.^[4]

Cities

Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:

Akaiwa Asakuchi Bizen Ibara Maniwa Mimasaka Niimi

Okayama (capital) Kita-ku Naka-ku Higashi-ku Minami-ku Setouchi Sōja Takahashi Tamano Tsuyama

Towns and villages

Towns and villages in each district:

Aida District Nishiawakura Asakuchi District Satoshō Kaga District Kibichūō

Katsuta District Nagi Shōō Kume District Kumenan Misaki Maniwa District Shinjō

Oda District Yakage Tomata District Kagamino Tsukubo District Hayashima Wake District Wake

Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Okayama Prefecture

Economy

Demographics

Transportation

Railways

• (Japanese) List of railway stations in Okayama Prefecture

Culture

• Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery)
• Bizen Osafune/Bitchu Aoe swords

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama.

Football (soccer)

• Fagiano Okayama F.C. (Okayama city)
• Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima F.C. (Kurashiki)

Volleyball

• Okayama Seagulls (Okayama city)

Tourism

Some tourist attractions are:

• The Koraku-en Japanese garden (後楽園, Kōraku-en^?) located in Okayama City.
• Okayama Castle (岡山城, Okayama-jō^?) located in Okayama City.
• Shizutani School (閑谷学校, Shizutani Gakkō^?), located in Bizen City.
• Bikan Historical Area (倉敷美観地区, Kurashiki Bikan Chiku^?), located in Kurashiki City.
• Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, located in Takahashi City
• Kakuzan Park, located in Tsuyama City
• Bisei Astronomical Observatory (美星天文台, Bisei Tenmondai^?), located in Ibara Town (following dissolution of Bisei Town).

Anime and manga

The anime and manga series Tenchi Muyo! take place in this part of Japan, and many characters are named after geographical features and landmarks of the area. In the anime and manga series "Nerima Daikon Brothers", the character Mako speaks with an Okayama accent.

Notables

• Shin Koyamada, Hollywood actor.
• Yuko Arimori, marathon runner.
• 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.
• Keizo Nakanishi, singer.
• Sesshu Toyo, suiboku master.
• Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, boxer.
• Haruka Fukushima, manga artist.
• Masashi Kishimoto, manga artist and creator of Naruto.
• Seishi Kishimoto, manga artist.
• Daisuke Takahashi, Olympic figure skater.
• Dorlis, jazz musician.
• Michio Maeda, Koi breeder.
• Miyamoto Musashi, arguably the nations most famous samurai
• Megumi Fujii, MMA Fighter.
• Masaki Kajishima, creator of Tenchi Muyo!.
• Morihiro Hashimoto, darts player.

Notes

1. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Okayama-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 745 at Google Books; "Chūgoku" at p. 127 at Google Books.
2. ^ Nussbaum, "Okayama" at p. 745 at Google Books.
3. ^ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780 at Google Books.
4. ^ Okayama official website accessed Nov. 2007

References

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

External links

• Official homepage
• Official tourism site
• Official account's channel on YouTube
• Personal blog to discover Okayama Prefecture (French)

Coordinates: 34°42′N 133°51′E / 34.7°N 133.85°E / 34.7; 133.85