Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県, Shizuoka-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.

§History

Shizuoka Prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.

The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun. Tokugawa Ieyasu held the region until he conquered the lands of the Hōjō clan in the Kantō region and placed land under the stewardship of Oda Nobunaga. After becoming shogun, Tokugawa took the land back for his family and put the area around modern-day Shizuoka city under the direct supervision of the shogunate. With the creation of Shizuoka han in 1868, it once again became the residence of the Tokugawa family.

§Geography

Shizuoka Prefecture is an elongated region following the coast of the Pacific Ocean at the Suruga Bay. In the west, the prefecture extends deep into the Japan Alps. In the east, it becomes a narrower coast bounded in the north by Mount Fuji, until it comes to the Izu Peninsula, a popular resort area pointing south into the Pacific.

As of 1 April 2012, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Fuji-Hakone-Izu and Minami Alps National Parks; Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Park; and four Prefectural Natural Parks.

§Tokai earthquakes

Throughout history, every 100 to 150 years, a disastrous earthquake called the Tokai Earthquake has hit Shizuoka. On Tuesday, March 15, 2011, Shizuoka Prefecture was hit with a magnitude 6.2 earthquake approximately 42 km (26 mi) NNE of Shizuoka City.

§Cities

Twenty-three cities are located in Shizuoka:

§Towns

These are the towns in each district:

§Mergers

§Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Shizuoka.

§Motorsport

• Fuji International Speedway

§Rugby

• Yamaha Jubilo (Iwata)

§Soccer (association football)

• Shimizu S-Pulse (Shimizu, Shizuoka City)
• Júbilo Iwata (Iwata)
  • Matches between the above two teams, both currently in the top flight of the J. League, are known as the Shizuoka Derby.
• Honda F.C. (Hamamatsu)
• Fujieda MyFC (Fujieda)

§Volleyball

• Toray Arrows (men's volleyball team) (Mishima city)

§Transportation

§Rail

• JR East
  • Tokaido Line (Atami - Odawara)
  • Ito Line
• JR Central
  • Tokaido Shinkansen
  • Tokaido Line (Atami - Toyohashi)
  • Gotenba Line
  • Minobu Line
  • Iida Line
• Izukyu
• Izuhakone Railway
  • Daiyuzan Line
  • Sunzu Line
• Gakunan Railway
• Shizuoka Railway
• Oigawa Railway
• Enshu Railway
• Tenryu Hamanako Railroad

§Roads

§Expressways

• Tomei Expressway

§Toll roads

• Shizuoka East-West Road
• Shizuoka South-North Road
• West Fuji Road (not a toll road anymore as of 2012)
• Fujinomiya Road

§National highways

§Airports

• Shizuoka Airport

§Ports

• Shimizu Port
• Atami Port and Shimoda Port - Mainly ferry route to Izu Island

§Education

§Universities

• Mishima
  • Juntendo University - Mishima Campus
  • Nihon University - Mishima Campus
  • The Graduate University for Advanced Studies - Mishima Campus
• Numazu
  • Tokai University - Numazu Campus
• Fuji
  • Fuji Tokoha University
• Shizuoka
  • Shizuoka University
  • Shizuoka Eiwa Gakuin University
  • Tokai University - Shimizu Campus
  • Tokoha Gakuen University
• Yaizu
  • Shizuoka University of Welfare
• Fukuroi
  • Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology
• Kakegawa
  • Tokyo Women's Medical - Kakegawa Campus
• Iwata
  • Shizuoka Sangyo University
• Hamamatsu
  • Hamamatsu University
  • Hamamatsu Gakuin University
  • Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
  • Shizuoka University - Hamamatsu Campus
  • Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
  • Shizuoka Prefectural University

§Senior high schools

• Shizuoka Prefectural Susono High School
• Shizuoka Prefectural High School

§Festivals and events

• Shimoda Black Ship Festival, held in May
• Shimizu Port Festival, held on August 5 to 7
• Shizuoka Festival, held in April
• Daidogei World Cup in central Shizuoka City, held in November
• Enshu Daimyo Festival in Iwata, held in April

§Notes

§References

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

§External links

• Official Shizuoka Prefecture website
• Official Shizuoka Guide