Aichi Prefecture (愛知県, Aichi-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the ChÅ«bu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the TÅkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the ChÅ«kyÅ Metropolitan Area.
History
Originally, the region was divided into the two provinces of Owari and Mikawa. After the Meiji Restoration, Owari and Mikawa were united into a single entity. In 1871, after the abolition of the han system, Owari, with the exception of the Chita Peninsula, was established as Nagoya Prefecture, while Mikawa combined with the Chita Peninsula and formed Nukata Prefecture. Nagoya Prefecture was renamed to Aichi Prefecture in April 1872, and was united with Nukata Prefecture on November 27 of the same year.
The government of Aichi Prefecture is located in the Aichi Prefectural Government Office in Nagoya, which is the old capital of Owari.
The Expo 2005 World Exposition was held in Seto and Nagakute.
Etymology
In the third volume of the Man'yÅshÅ« there is a poem by Takechi Kurohito that reads: "The cry of the crane, calling to Sakurada; it sounds like the tide, draining from Ayuchi flats, hearing the crane cry". Ayuchi is the original form of the name Aichi, and the Fujimae tidal flat is all that remains of the earlier Ayuchi-gata. It is now a protected area.
For a time, an Aichi Station existed on the Kansai Line (at the time the Kansai Railway) between Nagoya and Hatta stations, but its role was overtaken by Sasashima-Live Station on the Aonami Line and Komeno Station on the Kintetsu Nagoya Line.
Geography
Located near the center of the Japanese main island of Honshu, Aichi Prefecture faces the Ise and Mikawa Bays to the south and borders Shizuoka Prefecture to the east, Nagano Prefecture to the northeast, Gifu Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture to the west. It measures 106 km east to west and 94 km south to north and forms a major portion of the NÅbi Plain. With 5,153.81 km² it accounts for approximately 1.36% of the total surface area of Japan. The highest spot is Chausuyama at 1,415 m above sea level.
The western part of the prefecture is dominated by Nagoya, Japan's third largest city, and its suburbs, while the eastern part is less densely populated but still contains several major industrial centers. Due to its robust economy, for the period from October 2005 to October 2006, Aichi was the fastest growing prefecture in terms of population, beating Tokyo, at 7.4 per cent.
As of April 1, 2012, 17% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Aichi KÅgen, Hida-Kisogawa, Mikawa Wan, and TenryÅ«-Okumikawa Quasi-National Parks along with seven Prefectural Natural Parks.
Cities
Thirty-eight cities are located in Aichi Prefecture.
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district:
Mergers
Economy
Companies headquartered in Aichi include the following.
Companies such as Fuji Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Motors, Pfizer, Sony, Suzuki, Bodycote, and Volkswagen Group also operate plants and/or branch offices in Aichi.
Demographics
As of 2001, Aichi Prefecture's population was 50.03% male and 49.97% female. 139,540 residents (nearly 2% of the population) are of foreign nationality.
Population by age (2001)
Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Aichi.
Football (soccer)
- Nagoya Grampus !Nagoya Grampus (Nagoya)
- FC Kariya !FC Kariya (Kariya)
Baseball
- Chunichi Dragons (Nagoya)
Volleyball
- Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza (Nishikasugai District)
- Denso Airybees (Nishio)
- Toyota Auto Body Queenseis (Kariya)
Rugby
- Toyota Verblitz (Toyota)
Tourism
Notable sites in Aichi include the Meiji Mura open-air architectural museum in Inuyama, which preserves historic buildings from Japan's Meiji and TaishÅ periods, including the reconstructed lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright's old Imperial Hotel (which originally stood in Tokyo from 1923 to 1967).
Other popular sites in Aichi include the tour of the Toyota car factory in the city by the same name, the monkey park in Inuyama, and the castles in Nagoya, Okazaki, Toyohashi, and Inuyama.
Because of Aichi's location along the Eastern seacoast, there are some scenic spots, but other than the Atsumi Peninsula surf beaches there are no significant beach destinations when compared to neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture. Most attractions are man-made destinations, dealing with the region's history or modern marvels.
Transport
Road
Expressways and toll roads
National highways
Rail
- JR Central
- Tokaido Shinkansen
- Tokaido Line
- ChūŠMain Line
- Kansai Line
- Taketoyo Line
- Meitetsu
- Nagoya Line
- Inuyama Line
- Komaki Line
- Centrair Line
- Tokoname Line
- Seto Line
- Toyokawa Line
- Gamagori Line
- Toyota Line
- Chita Line
- Mikawa Line
- Bisai Line
- Chikko Line
- Tsushima Line
- Kintetsu
- Nagoya Line
- Aonami Line
- Nagoya Municipal Subway
- Higashiyama Line
- Meijo Line
- Tsurumai Line (connecting to Meitetsu Toyota and Inuyama Line)
- Sakura-dori Line
- Meiko Line
- Kamiiida Line (connecting to Meitetsu Komaki Line)
- Toyohashi Railroad
- Aichi Loop Line
People movers and tramways
- Nagoya Guideway Bus
- Linimo
- Toyohashi Railroad
Airports
- Chubu Centrair International Airport
- Nagoya Airfield
Ports
- Nagoya Port - International Container hub and ferry route to Sendai and Tomakomai, Hokkaido
- Mikawa Port - mainly automobile and car parts export and part of inport base
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
- Aichi travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Official website
- Aichi Prefectural Tourist Association
- Aichi, HOME of the Samurai Spirit
- Oda, Nobunaga
- Tokugawa, Ieyasu
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