Toyama Prefecture

Toyama Prefecture
富山県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese 富山県
 • Rōmaji Toyama-ken

Flag
Symbol
Coordinates: 36°43′N 137°9′E / 36.717°N 137.150°E / 36.717; 137.150Coordinates: 36°43′N 137°9′E / 36.717°N 137.150°E / 36.717; 137.150
Country Japan
Region Chūbu (Hokuriku)
Island Honshu
Capital Toyama
Government
 • Governor Takakazu Ishii
Area
 • Total 4,247.22 km2 (1,639.86 sq mi)
Area rank 33rd
Population (Estimated as of March 1, 2018)
 • Total 1,053,555
 • Rank 38th
 • Density 248.06/km2 (642.5/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-16
Districts 2
Municipalities 15
Flower Tulip (Tulipa)[1]
Tree Tateyama Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)[1]
Bird Ptarmigan[1]
Fish Japanese amberjack
Pasiphaea japonica
Firefly squid[1]
Website pref.toyama.jp
Toyama Prefectural Office Building

Toyama Prefecture (富山県, Toyama-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island.[2] The capital is the city of Toyama.[3]

Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity from abundant hydroelectric resources. It also contains East Asia's only known glaciers outside Russia, first recognized in 2012.[4]

History

Historically, Toyama Prefecture was Etchū Province.[5] Following the abolition of the han system in 1871, Etchū Province was renamed Niikawa Prefecture, but Imizu District was given to Nanao Prefecture. In 1872 Imizu District was returned by the new Ishikawa Prefecture.

In 1876, Niikawa Prefecture was merged into Ishikawa Prefecture but the merger was void in 1881 and the area was re-established as Toyama Prefecture.

The Itai-itai disease occurred in Toyama around 1950.

Geography

Toyama Prefecture is bordered by Ishikawa Prefecture to the west, Niigata to the northeast, Nagano to the southeast, Gifu to the south and Sea of Japan to the north.

As of April 1, 2012, 30% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Chūbu-Sangaku and Hakusan National Parks; Noto Hantō Quasi-National Park; and six Prefectural Natural Parks.[6]

Municipalities

Map of Toyama Prefecture
     City      Town      Village

Due to the mergers in the 2000s, Toyama has the fewest municipalities of any prefecture in Japan with 10 cities, 2 districts, 4 towns, and 1 village (before the mergers took place, the prefecture had 9 cities, 18 towns, and 8 villages).

Cities

Ten cities are located in Toyama Prefecture:

City of Toyama

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers

Economy

Agriculture

In 2014 Toyama contributed approximately 2.5% of Japan's rice production [7] and makes use of abundant water sources originating from Mount Tate. It also has many fisheries along its Sea of Japan coastline.

Manufacturing

Toyama is famous for its historical pharmaceutical industry which remains a top manufacturing industry in the prefecture in terms of manufacturing shipment value followed by electronic parts and devices (industrial robots, general machinery, etc.), and metal products (aluminum, copper etc.) manufacturing.

Energy

Kurobe Dam

Kurobe Dam generates electricity for the Kansai Electric Power Company. It is located on the Kurobe River in Toyama Prefecture.

Demographics

As of 2010, the population of the prefecture was 1,090,367.[8]

Transportation

Rail

Tokyo: 2 hr 7 min via Hokuriku Shinkansen

Osaka: 3 hr via Hokuriku Shinkansen and Thunderbird Limited Express

  • The Hokuriku Shinkansen line is scheduled to extend to Osaka in the future, and will shorten the Osaka-Toyama trip to approximately 1 hr 40 min.

Expressway

Air

Domestic

International

Culture

UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites

Gokayama Historical Village (Nanto City)

National Treasures of Japan

Zuiryū-ji Temple (Takaoka City)

Festivals

Spring

Tonami Yotaka Festival (June)
Uozu Tatemon Festival (August)

Summer

  • Sassa Narimasa Sengoku Era Festival (Toyama City), Late July
  • Japan Wildlife Film Festival (Toyama Prefecture), Early August

Fall

Winter

Regional Foods

  • Trout Sushi (Masu Zushi)
  • White Shrimp (Shiro Ebi)
  • Matured Yellow Tail (Buri)
  • Firefly Squid (Hotaru Ika)
  • Fish Paste (Kamaboko)

Regional sake

  • Tateyama (立山)
  • Narimasa (成政)
  • Masuizumi (満寿泉)
  • Sanshoraku (三笑楽）

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Toyama.

Football (soccer)

Basketball

Baseball

Rugby Union

Sister Regions

Tourism

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 富山県の魅力・観光>シンボル. Toyama Prefectural website (in Japanese). Toyama Prefecture. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Toyama prefecture" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 991, p. 991, at Google Books; "Hokuriku" at p. 344, p. 344, at Google Books.
  3. ↑ Nussbaum, "Toyama" at p. 991, p. 991, at Google Books.
  4. ↑ First glaciers of Japan recognised
  5. ↑ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
  6. ↑ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "米の生産　〔2014年〕" (in Japanese). Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Location - Area - Population". Toyama Prefecture. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  9. 1 2 Sister/Friendship Affiliation
  10. ↑ Oregon State Archives Copy, Governor's Office Press Releases

References

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