Aomori Prefecture

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**Aomori Prefecture (青森県 *Aomori-ken*)**

Capital	Aomori (city)
Region	Tōhoku
Island	Honshū
Governor	Shingo Mimura
Area	9,606.26 km² (8^th)
- % water	1.2%
Population (October 1, 2000)
- Population	1,475,728 (28^th)
- Density	154 /km²
Districts	8
Municipalities	40
ISO 3166-2	JP-02
Website	www.pref.aomori.jp/home-e.html
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Apple blossom (Malus domestica)
- Tree	Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata)
- Bird	Bewick's Swan (Cygnus bewickii)
Symbol of Aomori Prefecture

Aomori Prefecture (青森県, Aomori-ken^?) is located in the Tōhoku Region of Japan. The capital is the city of Aomori. Aomori was named after the Aomori Bay (青森湾; Aomori-wan), which the Ainu described simply as the "big bay" (大湾/アオモイ; Ao-moi).

1 History
2 Geography
3 Economy
4 Demographics
5 Culture
6 Tourism attractions
7 Prefectural symbols
8 Miscellaneous topics
9 Medias
- 9.1 TV
10 External links

[edit] History

This section is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding this section.

The Aomori Prefecture came into existence in 1871. Aomori Town was established in 1889. The town was incorporated as a city in 1898 with a population of 28,000.

Around one o'clock in the afternoon of May 3, 1910 a fire broke out in the Yasukata district. Fanned by strong winds, in four short hours the fire devastated the whole city. The conflagration claimed 26 lives and injured a further 160 residents. It destroyed 5,246 houses and burnt 19 storage sheds and 157 warehouses.

At 10:30 p.m. on July 28, 1945 a squadron of American B29 bombers approached Aomori from the west. As the planes passed over the center of the city, their incendiary rain turned Aomori into in a sea of flames. In less than two hours 90% of the city was razed to the ground, its losses measured in human lives and cultural heritage.

Radio Aomori (RAB) made its first broadcast in 1951. Four years later, the first fish auctions were held. 1958 saw the completion of the Municipal Fish Market as well as the opening of the Citizen's Hospital. In the same year, the Tsugaru Line established a rail connection with Minmaya Village at the tip of the peninsula.

Meanwhile, various outlying towns and villages were being incorporated into the growing city and with the absorption of Nonai Village in 1962, Aomori became the largest city in the prefecture.

In March 1985, after 23 years of unremitting labor and an enormous financial investment of 700 billion yen, the Seikan Undersea Tunnel finally linked the islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō, thereby becoming the longest tunnel of its kind in the world. Almost exactly three years later, on March 13, railroad service was inaugurated on the Tsugaru Kaikyo Line.

That same day saw the end of the Seikan Ferry service, thus closing a chapter of history which began in 1908. During their 80 years of service, the familiar ferries of the Seikan line sailed between Aomori and Hakodate some 720,000 times, carrying 160 million passengers.

In April 1993, the enthusiasm of Aomori City and a group of six other local communities was rewarded with the opening of Aomori Public College. Defining its mission as "turning out graduates with an awareness both of their own city and of the world beyond it", the college has assumed the core functions necessary to provide such learning and culture. At the same time, it strives to serve the local community at large and to play a leading role in this age of internationalization and information exchange.

In August 1994, Aomori City penned an "Education, Culture and Friendship Exchange Pact" with Kecskemet in Hungary. One year later a similar treaty was signed with Pyongtaek City in South Korea, and cultural exchange activities began with exchanges of woodblock prints and paintings.

Also, in April 1995, Aomori Airport became the first airport in the northern Tohoku region to offer regular international air service to Seoul to, Korea, and Khabarovsk, Russia.

http://www.city.aomori.aomori.jp/english/engc01.html

[edit] Geography

Map of Aomori Prefecture.

Aomori Prefecture is the northernmost prefecture on Honshū and faces Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait. It borders Akita and Iwate in the south. Oma, at the northwestern tip of the axe-shaped Shimokita Peninsula, is the northernmost point of Honshū. The Shimokita and Tsugaru Peninsulas enclose Mutsu Bay. Between those peninsulas lies the Natsudomari Peninsula, the northern end of the Ōu Mountains. The three peninsulas are prominently visible in the prefecture's symbol, a stylized map.

Lake Towada, a crater lake, straddles Aomori's boundary with Akita.

[edit] Cities

Ten cities are located in Aomori Prefecture:

[edit] Towns and villages

Osorezan, the Mountain of Dread, in Mutsu.

Hirosaki Castle, a reminder of the Edo period.

Lake Towada

These are the towns and villages in each district.

Higashitsugaru District
- Hiranai
- Imabetsu
- Sotogahama
- Yomogita
Kamikita District
- Noheji
- Oirase
- Rokkasho
- Rokunohe
- Shichinohe
- Tohoku
- Yokohama

Kitatsugaru District
- Itayanagi
- Nakadomari
- Tsuruta
Minamitsugaru District
- Fujisaki
- Inakadate
- Owani
Nakatsugaru District
- Nishimeya
Nishitsugaru District
- Ajigasawa
- Fukaura

Sannohe District
- Gonohe
- Hashikami
- Nanbu
- Sannohe
- Shingō
- Takko
Shimokita District
- Higashidori
- Kazamaura
- Oma
- Sai

[edit] Mergers

Main article: Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan

(as of March 1, 2006)

On July 1, 2004 the village of Kuraishi from Sannohe District was merged into the town of Gonohe.

On January 1, 2005 the town of Towadako from Kamikita District was merged with the old city of Towada to form the new city of Towada.

On February 11, 2005 the town of Kizukuri and the villages of Inagaki, Kashiwa, Morita, and Shariki, (all from Nishitsugaru District) were merged to form the new city of Tsugaru.

On March 14, 2005 the towns of Kawauchi and Ohata and the village of Wakinosawa (all from Shimokita District) were merged into the city of Mutsu.

On March 28, 2005 the town of Kanagi and the village of Shiura from Kitatsugaru District were merged with the old city of Goshogawara (1st generation) to form the new city of Goshogawara (2nd generation).

On March 28, 2005 the town of Kanita and the villages of Tairadate and Minmaya (all from Higashitsugaru District were merged to form the new town of Sotogahama.

On March 28, 2005 the town of Fujisaki merged with the village of Tokiwa from Minamitsugaru District to form the new town of Fujisaki.

On March 28, 2005 the town of Nakasato and the village of Kodomari from Kitatsugaru District were merged to form the new town of Nakadomari.

On March 31, 2005 the village of Nangou from Sannohe District was merged into the city of Hachinohe.

On March 31, 2005 the village of Iwasaki from Nishitsugaru District was merged with the old town of Fukaura to form the new town of Fukaura.

On March 31, 2005 the town of Shichinohe merged with the village of Tenmabayashi from Kamikita District to form the new town of Shichinohe.

On March 31, 2005 the town of Kamikita from Kamikita District was merged into the town of Tohoku.

On April 1, 2005 the town of Namioka from Minamitsugaru District was merged with the old city of Aomori to form the new city of Aomori.

On January 1, 2006 the town of Nanbu merged with the town of Nagawa and the village of Fukuchi from Sannohe District to form the new town of Nanbu.

On January 1, 2006 the towns of Hiraka and Onoe and the village of Ikarigaseki from Minamitsugaru District were merged to form the new city of Hirakawa.

On February 27, 2006 the town of Iwaki and the village of Souma from Nakatsugaru District were merged with the old city of Hirosaki to form the new city of Hirosaki.

On March 1, 2006 the towns of Momoishi and Shimoda from Kamikita District merged to form the new town of Oirase.

[edit] Economy

Like much of Tōhoku, the Aomori region remains dominated by traditional industries such as farming, forestry, and fishing.

[edit] Demographics

Many young people depart Aomori for cities such as Tokyo or Sendai, looking for jobs and entertainment. Aomori records its population as having peaked in 1983.

[edit] Culture

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[edit] Tourism attractions

Monument to soldiers who perished in Hakkoda Mountains.

Aomori is especially famous for its apple orchards.

Lake Towada, a beautiful caldera, lies on the boundary between Akita and Aomori Prefectures. The Oirase river drains Lake Towada; in the summer it is refreshing and in the autumn the leaves are breathtaking.

Mount Osore, the Mountain of Dread, is near Mutsu on the Shimokita Peninsula.

The Hakkoda Mountains in Aomori provide excellent hiking in the warmer seasons. However, the winter proved disastrous to over 200 soldiers who died during a military maneuver in the area in deep snow.

Asupamu
Hakkoda Ship
Aomori Bay Bridge
Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art
Aomori City Forestry Museum
Aomori Prefectural Folk Museum
Aomori City History and Folk Arts Museum
Nebuta-no-sato Museum
Mount Hakkoda
Oirase Mountain Stream
Sannai-Maruyama Remains
Shirakami-Sanchi Mountain Range

There is a localized Japanese legend that Jesus Christ did not die on the cross but made his way to Shingo, Aomori where he became a rice farmer, married, and had a family [1]. The legend owes its existence to a supposed 1930s discovery, "the discovery of what were claimed to be ancient Hebrew documents detailing Jesus' life and death in Japan" [2]; the local legend also posits that his grave is located in Aomori.

[edit] Prefectural symbols

The Aomori prefectural symbol is a stylized map of the prefecture, showing the crown of Honshū: the Tsugaru, Natsudomari and Shimokita Peninsulas.

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

The two major dialects of Japanese spoken in Aomori Prefecture are Tsugaru-ben (津軽弁) and Nambu-ben (南部弁); the former is prevalent in the area around Aomori City, and the latter is heard in and around the city of Hachinohe.