Okayama Prefecture

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**Okayama Prefecture (岡山県; *Okayama-ken*)**

Capital	Okayama (city)
Region	Chūgoku
Island	Honshū
Governor	Masahiro Ishii
Area	7,112.32 km² (15^th)
- % water	0.3%
Population (October 2005)
- Population	1,957,056 (21^st)
- Density	275 /km²
Districts	12
Municipalities	29
ISO 3166-2	JP-33
Website	www.pref.okayama.jp/ kikaku/kokusai/momo/e/
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Peach blossom (Prunus persica var. vulgaris)
- Tree	Red pine (Pinus densiflora)
- Bird	Lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
Symbol of Okayama Prefecture

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

1 History
2 Geography
3 Transportation
- 3.1 Railways
4 Culture
- 4.1 Pottery
5 Sports
6 Tourism
7 Miscellaneous topics
- 7.1 Anime and manga
- 7.2 Notables
8 External links

[edit] History

Okayama Prefecture was formerly divided into Bitchu Province, Bizen Province, and Mimasaka Province until the Meiji Restoration.

[edit] Geography

Map of Okayama Prefecture:

Okayama Prefecture borders Hyogo 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, and the northern mountains are declining in population.

[edit] Cities

Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:

Akaiwa
Asakuchi
Bizen
Ibara
Kasaoka
Kurashiki
Maniwa
Mimasaka

[edit] Towns and villages

Towns and villages in each district:

Aida District

Nishiawakura

Akaiwa Districtǂ

Setoǂ

Asakuchi District

Satosho

Kaga District

Kibichūō

Katsuta District

Nagi

Shoo

Kume District

Kumenan

Misaki

Maniwa District

Shinjo

Mitsu Districtǂ

Takebeǂ

Oda District

Yakage

Tomata District

Kagamino

Tsukubo District

Hayashima

Wake District

Wake

ǂ Scheduled to be dissolved following mergers.

[edit] Mergers

(as of March 21, 2006)

On October 1, 2004, the city of Takahashi and the towns of Ukan, Nariwa, Kawakami, and Bitchu merged to form the new city of Takahashi. As a result of this merger, Kawakami District was dissolved.

On October 1, 2004, the towns of Kamogawa and Kayo merged to form the town of Kibichuo. The new town belongs to Kaga District, founded upon this merger.

On November 1, 2004, the towns of Ushimado, Oku, and Osafune from Oku District merged to form the city of Setouchi. As a result of this merger, Oku District was dissolved.

On February 28, 2005, the towns of Kamo, Shoboku, and Kume and the village of Aba from Tomata District merged into the city of Tsuyama.

On March 1, 2005, the towns of Yoshii from Shitsuki District and Bisei from Oda District merged into the city of Ibara. As a result of this merger, Shitsuki District was dissolved.

On March 1, 2005, the towns of Okutsu and Kagamino and the villages of Kamisaibara and Tomi from Tomata District merged to form the new town of Kagamino.

On March 7, 2005, the towns of San'yo, Akasaka, Yoshii and Kumayama (all from Akaiwa District) merged to form the new city of Akaiwa.

On March 22, 2005, the towns of Mitsu and Nadasaki merged into the city of Okayama. As a result of this merger, Kojima District was dissolved.

On March 22, 2005, the city of Soja merged with the villages of Yamate, and Kiyone from Tsukubo District to form the new city of Soja.

On March 22, 2005, the city of Bizen and the towns of Hinase, and Yoshinaga merged to form the new city of Bizen.

On March 22, 2005, the towns of Chuo, Asahi, and Yanahara merged to form the new town of Misaki.

On March 31, 2005, the city of Niimi and the towns of Osa, Shingo, Tetta, and Tessei merged to form the new city of Niimi. As a result of this merger, Atetsu District was dissolved.

On March 31, 2005, the town of Hokubo from Jobo District and the towns of Katsuyama, Ochiai, Yubara, and Kuse and the villages of Mikamo, Kawakami, Yatsuka, and Chuka (all from Maniwa District) merged to form the new city of Maniwa. As a result of this merger, Jobo District was dissolved.

On March 31, 2005, the town of Katsuta from Katsuta District and the towns of Ohara, Mimasaka, Sakuto, and Aida and the village of Higashiawakura (all from Aida District) merged to form the new city of Mimasaka.

On August 1, 2005, the town of Funao from Asakuchi District and the town of Mabi from Kibi District merged into the city of Kurashiki. Kibi District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

On March 1, 2006, the towns of Wake and Saeki from Wake District merged to form the new town of Wake.

On March 21, 2006, the towns of Konko, Kamogata and Yorishima from Asakuchi District merged to form the new city of Asakuchi.

[edit] Future mergers

Both Akaiwa District and Mitsu District are scheduled to get absorbed by the city of Okayama on January 22, 2007. Both districts will be extinct if the merger is successful.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Railways

(Japanese) List of railway stations in Okayama Prefecture

[edit] Culture

[edit] Pottery

Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery).

[edit] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama.

Football(soccer)

Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima F.C. (Kurashiki)

Volleyball

Okayama Seagulls (Okayama city)

[edit] 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.
Tivoli Park (チボリ公園, Chibori Kōen^?), located in Kurashiki City.
Bisei Astronomical Observatory (美星天文台, Bisei Tenmondai^?), located in Ibara Town (following dissolution of Bisei Town).

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

[edit] 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.