Hyōgo Prefecture

Hyōgo Prefecture
兵庫県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese 兵庫県
 • Rōmaji Hyōgo-ken

Symbol of Hyōgo Prefecture
Country Japan
Region Kansai
Island Honshu
Capital Kobe
Government
 • Governor Toshizo Ido
Area
 • Total 8,396.13 km2 (3,241.76 sq mi)
Area rank 12th
Population (November 1, 2011)
 • Total 5,582,978
 • Rank 7th
 • Density 660/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-28
Districts 8
Municipalities 41
Flower Nojigiku (Chrysanthemum japonense)
Tree Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
Bird Oriental White Stork (Ciconia boyciana)
Website web.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/fl/english/
Himeji Castle in Himeji, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Hyōgo Prefecture (兵庫県 Hyōgo-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshu island.[1] The capital is Kobe.[2]

The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.

History

Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes the former provinces of Harima, Tajima, Awaji, and parts of Tamba and Settsu.[3]

In 1180, near the end of the Heian Period, Emperor Antoku, Taira no Kiyomori, and the Imperial court moved briefly to Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital remained for five months.

Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in the city of Himeji.

Southern Hyōgo Prefecture was severely devastated by the magnitude 7.2 Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, which destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji, as well as Takarazuka and neighboring Osaka Prefecture, killing nearly 6,500 people.

Geography

Map of Hyōgo Prefecture.
Kobe
Takarazuka
Sumoto
Tasuno
Shiso

Hyōgo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the Sea of Japan, to the south, the Seto Inland Sea. The northern portion is sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka, and the central highlands are only populated by tiny villages. Most of Hyōgo's population lives on the southern coast, which is part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area. Awaji Island is an island that separates the Inland Sea and Osaka Bay, lying between Honshu and Shikoku.

Summertime weather throughout Hyōgo is hot and humid. As for winter conditions in Hyōgo, the north of Hyōgo tends to receive abundant snow, whilst the south receives only the occasional flurry.

Hyōgo borders on Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture.

As of March 31, 2008, 20% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Sanin Kaigan and Setonaikai National Parks; Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park; and Asago Gunzan, Harima Chūbu Kyūryō, Inagawa Keikoku, Izushi-Itoi, Kasagatayama-Sengamine, Kiyomizu-Tōjōko-Tachikui, Onzui-Chikusa, Seiban Kyūryō, Seppiko-Mineyama, Tajima Sangaku, and Taki Renzan Prefectural Natural Parks.[4]

Cities

Twenty-nine cities are located in Hyōgo Prefecture:

Towns

These are the towns in each district:

Islands

Two major artificial islands are located Hyōgo Prefecture:

National parks

Mergers

Future mergers

The city of Akō and the only town in Akō District (Kamigōri), were scheduled to merge and the city would still retain the name Akō. Akō District would be defunct if the merger was successful.[5] However, the merger hasn't taken place.

Economy

Hyōgo Prefecture has many heavy industries, metal and medical, and Kobe Port is one of the largest ports in Japan.

Hyōgo is a part of the Hanshin Industrial Region. There are two research institute of Riken, natural sciences research institute in Japan, in Kobe and Harima. It has "SPring-8",a synchrotron radiation facility in Harima.

Kobe Port

Culture

National Treasures of Japan

Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings in Japan

Museums

Education

Universities

Amagasaki

Takarazuka

Sanda

Nishinomiya

Ashiya

Kobe

Kato

Akashi

Kakogawa

Himeji

Akō

High schools

There are 163 public and 52 private high schools within Hyogo prefecture. Of the public high schools, some are administered by the Hyogo prefectural government, whilst the others are administered by local municipalities.

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Hyōgo.

Football (soccer)

Baseball

Volleyball

Rugby

Basketball

Tourism

Hyogo Prefecture enjoys a beautiful expanse of land, stretching from the North Coast with natural ohnsens and seafood delicacies, gentle inland mountains and valleys with world-famous Izushi Soba,[6] to Awaji Island in the Inland Sea to the south. Serviced by two international airports, five shinkansen stations, and several ferry ports, and an excellent railway and road network, Hyogo is very convenient for foreign and domestic tourists alike. Historic villages and towns abound in Hyogo, which boasts the "Maccu Piccu of Japan", the ruins of an early Castle set atop a mountain range, seemingly floating on the clouds.[7] Many younger tourists prefer the urban mainstream tourism, for which Kobe city remains very attractive, with its shopping centres, "Harbourland", and the world`s fastest supercomputer.

Kobe city remains a popular tourist destination. The region symbolizes Japan's earliest contact with the outside world. Many homes of early foreign merchants stand on the bluff overlooking the harbor. The vista of Osaka Bay remains a "million-dollar view".

A popular troupe of Takarazuka Revue plays in Takarazuka.

The north of Hyogo Prefecture has sightseeing spots such as Kinosaki Onsen, Izushi, and Yumura Onsen, and the Matsuba Crab,and Tajima Beef are both national delicacies.[8]

Festival and events

Dekansho Bon Dancing Festival
Castle Festival in Himeji

Transportation

Rail

People movers

Road

Expressways

National highways

  • Route 2
  • Route 9
  • Route 28
  • Route 29
  • Route 43
  • Route 171
  • Route 173
  • Route 174 (Sannomiya-Kobe Port)
  • Route 175
  • Route 176
  • Route 178
  • Route 179
  • Route 250
  • Route 312
  • Route 372
  • Route 373
  • Route 426
  • Route 427
  • Route 428
  • Route 429
  • Route 436
  • Route 477
  • Route 482
  • Route 483

Ports

Airport

Notable people

Sister state agreement with Western Australia

In 1981, a sister state agreement was drawn up between Hyogo and the state of Western Australia in Australia.[9] To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this agreement in 1992, the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre was established in Perth.[10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hyōgo prefecture" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 363-365, p. 363, at Google Books; "Kansai" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 477, p. 477, at Google Books.
  2. ↑ Nussbaum, "Kobe" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 537, p. 537, at Google Books.
  3. ↑ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
  4. ↑ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ http://izushi-soba.com/
  7. ↑ http://www.city.asago.hyogo.jp/kankou/eng/TakedaCastle.html
  8. ↑ http://www.eg.jal.com/world/en/guidetojapan/detail/index.html?spot_code=matsubacrab
  9. ↑ http://www.perth.wa.gov.au/council/national-and-international-relations/sister-cities
  10. ↑ http://www.hyogo.com.au/centre_introduction.htm

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hyogo prefecture.

Coordinates: 34°41′26.94″N 135°10′59.08″E / 34.6908167°N 135.1830778°E