Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture (福岡県, Fukuoka-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.

History

Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen.

Shrines and temples

Kōra taisha, Sumiyoshi-jinja, Hakosagi-gū and Usa jinjū are the chief Shinto shrines (ichinomiya) in the prefecture.

Geography

Fukuoka Prefecture faces the sea on three sides, bordering on Saga, ÅŒita, and Kumamoto prefectures and facing Yamaguchi Prefecture across the Kanmon Straits.

As of 1 April 2012, 18% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Setonaikai National Park, Genkai, Kitakyūshū, and Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Parks, and Chikugogawa, Chikuhō, Dazaifu, Sefuri Raizan, and Yabegawa Prefectural Natural Parks.

Fukuoka includes the two largest cities on Kyūshū, Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, and much of Kyūshū's industry. It also includes a number of small islands near the north coast of Kyūshū.

Cities

Twenty-eight cities are located in Fukuoka Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers

Economy

Fukuoka prefecture's main cities form one of Japan's main industrial centers, accounting for nearly 40% of the economy of Kyūshū. Major industries include automobiles, semiconductors, and steel. Fukuoka prefecture is noteworthy as the place where tire manufacturer Bridgestone[1] and consumer electronics chain Best Denki were founded.

Universities

Demographics

According to the latest Japanese population estimates (01 June 2013), population in Fukuoka Prefecture reached 5,088,483 habitants, making the prefecture the 9th most populated of Japan's 47 prefectures.

Culture

• Fukuoka Art Museum â€" In Ohori Park; contains a wide selection of contemporary and other art from around the world.
• Fukuoka Asian Art Museum â€" contains art from various countries of Asia.
• Fukuoka City Museum â€" displays a broad range of items from the region's history, including a spectacular gold seal.
• Genko Historical Museum (元寇史料館; Museum of the Mongol Invasion) in Higashi Koen (East Park) displays Japanese and Mongolian arms and armor from the 13th century as well as paintings on historical subjects. Open on weekends.
• Hakata Machiya Folk Museum â€" Dedicated to displaying the traditional ways of life, speech, and culture of the Fukuoka region.
• Fukuoka Masjid Al Nour Islamic Culture Center, Dedicated to share Islamic subjects and culture.
• HKT48 Theater, local theater where the Idol group HKT48 performs everyday.

Major events and festivals

• Hakata Dontaku Harbour Festival, Tenjin, Fukuoka on May 3 and 4
• Hakata Gion Yamagasa, Kushida Shrine, Fukuoka on July
• Kokura Gion Yamagasa, Kitakyushu on July
• Tobata Gion Yamagasa, Kitakyushu on July
• Kurosaki Gion Yamagasa, Kitakyushu on July
• Kitahara Hakushu Festival, Yanagawa on November 1 to 3

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Fukuoka.

Football (soccer)

• Avispa Fukuoka (Fukuoka City)
• Giravanz Kitakyushu (KitakyÅ«shÅ« City)

Baseball

• Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (Fukuoka City)

Basketball

• Fukuoka Rizing (Fukuoka City)

Rugby

• Coca Cola West Red Sparks (Fukuoka City)
• Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Munakata)
• Kyuden Voltex
• Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament

The prefecture has two significant annual athletics events: the Fukuoka International Cross Country and the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship. The marathon race has been held in Fukuoka since 1959 and has seen a number of world records broken during its history.

Crime and safety

Fukuoka Prefecture has the largest number of designated yakuza groups among all of the prefectures, at 5; the Kudo-kai, the Taishu-kai, the Fukuhaku-kai, the Dojin-kai and the Kyushu Seido-kai. Between 2004 and 2009, and in early 2011, Fukuoka Prefecture leads the nation in gun-related incidents. These incidents were mostly related to the local yakuza syndicates, specifically the Kudo-kai, the Dojin-kai and the Kyushu Seido-kai.

Fukuoka Prefecture has had the highest frequency of youth crime among all of the prefectures of Japan since 2003.

• Kokura prefectural office
• New Kitakyushu airport

Tourism

The most popular place for tourism is Fukuoka City, especially at the time of the Dontaku festival, and Dazaifu, although Kitakyūshū has also tried to attract tourists.

Transportation

Train

• West Japan Railway Company(=JR Nishinihon)
  • Sanyō Shinkansen
  • Hakata Minami Line

• JR Kyushu
  • KyÅ«shÅ« Shinkansen, Kagoshima Main Line, Chikuhō Main Line, Nippō Main Line, Kyudai Main Line
  • Chikuhi Line, Gotōji Line, Kashii Line, Hitahikosan Line, Sasaguri Line
• Nishi-Nippon Railroad
  • Tenjin ÅŒmuta Line, Dazaifu Line, Nishitetsu Amagi Line, Kaizuka Line
• Amagi Railway
  • Amagi Railway Amagi Line
• Heisei Chikuhō Railway
  • Ita Line, Itota Line, Tagawa Line
• Fukuoka City Subway
  • KÅ«kō Line, Hakozaki Line, Nanakuma Line
• Kitakyushu Monorail

Sister regions

• Hawaii, United States
• Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
• Delhi, India
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Hanoi, Vietnam

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

• Fukuoka Prefecture travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official Fukuoka Prefecture website (English)
• Official Fukuoka Tourism Association website (English)
• Fukuoka information homepage (English)
• Fukuoka Talk (English)
• English labelled map of Fukuoka Prefecture (English)
• National Archives of Japan ... Fukuoka map (1891)