| Aomori Prefecture | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese transcription(s) | |||
| • Japanese | 青森県 | ||
| • Rōmaji | Aomori-ken | ||
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| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Tōhoku | ||
| Island | Honshū | ||
| Capital | Aomori (city) | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Shingo Mimura | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 9,606.26 km2 (3,709 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 8th | ||
| Population (2010-10-01[1]) | |||
| • Total | 1,373,164 | ||
| • Rank | 28th | ||
| • Density | 154/km2 (398.9/sq mi) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | JP-02 | ||
| Districts | 8 | ||
| Municipalities | 40 | ||
| Flower | Apple blossom (Malus domestica) | ||
| Tree | Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata) | ||
| Bird | Bewick's Swan (Cygnus bewickii) | ||
| Website | Official site | ||
Aomori Prefecture (青森県 Aomori-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region.[2] The capital is the city of Aomori.[3]
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Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province.[4]
The 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. On May 3, 1910 a fire broke out in the Yasukata district. Fanned by strong winds, the fire quickly 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 bombed over 90% of the city.
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.
Various outlying towns and villages were 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 labor and a financial investment of 700 billion yen, the Seikan 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. 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, Aomori Public College opened. In August 1994, Aomori City made an "Education, Culture and Friendship Exchange Pact" with Kecskemet in Hungary. One year later a similar treaty was signed with Pyongtaek in South Korea, and cultural exchange activities began with exchanges of woodblock prints and paintings.
In April 1995, Aomori Airport began offering regular international air service to Seoul, South Korea, and Khabarovsk, Russia.[5]
In June 2007, four North Korean defectors reached Aomori Prefecture, after having been at sea for six days, marking the second known case ever where defectors have successfully reached Japan by boat.[6]
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.
Ten cities are located in Aomori Prefecture:
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These are the towns and villages in each district.
Aomori Prefecture is host to the Misawa Air Base, the only combined, joint U.S. service installation in the western Pacific servicing Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
Like much of Tōhoku, the Aomori region remains dominated by traditional industries such as farming, forestry, and fishing.
Many young people depart Aomori for cities such as Tokyo or Sendai, looking for jobs, entertainment, and husbands. Aomori records its population as having peaked in 1983.
Aomori is well known for its tradition of Tsugaru-jamisen, a virtuosic style of shamisen playing.
Aomori is especially famous for its apple orchards.
Lake Towada, a 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 Hakkōda Mountains in Aomori provide excellent hiking in the warmer seasons. However, the winter of 1902 proved disastrous to 199 of 210 soldiers who died during a military maneuver in the area in deep snow.
There is a localized Japanese legend that Jesus Christ did not die on the cross but made his way to Shingō, Aomori where he became a rice farmer, married, and had a family.[7] The legend owes its existence to a supposed 1930s discovery of what were claimed to be "ancient Hebrew documents detailing Jesus' life and death in Japan". The legend also claims that his grave is located in Aomori.[8]
The Aomori prefectural symbol is a stylized map of the prefecture, showing the crown of Honshū: the Tsugaru, Natsudomari and Shimokita Peninsulas.
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 Hirosaki City, and the latter is heard in and around the city of Hachinohe. There is also the dialect Shimokita-ben (下北弁), which was used in the early Russian–Japanese Dictionary made by a Japanese Russian man whose father came from the Shimokita Peninsula.[9]
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