Okayama Prefecture

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Okayama Prefecture

岡山県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese岡山県
 • RōmajiOkayama-ken
Flag of Okayama Prefecture
Flag		Official logo of Okayama Prefecture
Symbol
Location of Okayama Prefecture
CountryJapan
RegionChūgoku (Sanyō)
IslandHonshu
CapitalOkayama
Government
 • GovernorRyūta Ibaragi
Area
 • Total7,113.21 km2 (2,746.43 sq mi)
Area rank15th
Population
(February 1, 2018)
 • Total1,906,464
 • Rank21st
 • Density270/km2 (690/sq mi)
ISO 3166 codeJP-33
Districts10
Municipalities27
FlowerPeach blossom (Prunus persica var. vulgaris)
TreeRed pine (Pinus densiflora)
BirdLesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
Websitewww.pref.okayama.jp

Okayama Prefecture (岡山県, Okayama-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on the main island of Honshu.[1] The capital is the city of Okayama.[2][3][4]

History[edit]

See also: Historic Sites of Okayama Prefecture

Prior to the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the area of present-day Okayama Prefecture was divided between Bitchū, Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces. Okayama Prefecture was formed and named in 1871 as part of the large-scale administrative reforms of the early Meiji period (1868–1912), and the borders of the prefecture were set in 1876.[3][5]

Geography[edit]

Map of Okayama Prefecture
     Government Ordinance Designated City      City      Town

Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Hiroshima Prefecture.[3] It faces Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea and includes 90 islands in the sea.

Okayama Prefecture is home to the historic town of Kurashiki. Most of the population is concentrated around Kurashiki and Okayama. The small villages in the northern mountain region are aging and declining in population - more than half of the prefectures municipalities are officially designated as depopulated.[6]

As of 1 April 2014, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Daisen-Oki and Setonaikai National Parks; the Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park; and seven Prefectural Natural Parks.[7]

Cities[edit]

Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:

Okayama City
Tsuyama
Takahashi
Niimi

Towns and villages[edit]

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers[edit]

Main article: List of mergers in Okayama Prefecture

Education[edit]

Universities[edit]

High schools[edit]

  • Okayama
    • Okayama Ichinomiya Senior High School
    • Okayama Asahi Senior High School
    • Okayama Sozan Senior High School
    • Okayama Hosen Senior High School
    • Okayama Joto Senior High School
    • Okayama Sakuyo High School[8]
    • Kurashiki High School

Transportation[edit]

Rail[edit]

Tramways[edit]

Roads[edit]

Expressways[edit]

National highways[edit]

Airport[edit]

Culture[edit]

  • Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery)
  • Bizen Osafune/Bitchu Aoe swords

Association with Momotarō legend[edit]

Okayama Prefecture is closely associated with the folklore hero, Momotarō. This tale is said to have roots in the legendary story of Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto and Ura which explains that the Prince Ura of Kudara used to live in Kinojo (castle of the devil) and was a cause of trouble for the people living in the village. The emperor's government sent Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto(Momotarō) to defeat Ura. The city of Okayama holds an annual Momotarō-matsuri, or Momotarō Festival.[4][9]

Sports[edit]

The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama.

Soccer[edit]

Volleyball[edit]

Tourism[edit]

Okayama Korakuen Park and Okayama Castle
Hiruzen Plateau and Hiruzen Joyful Park in Maniwa
Hinase Island and Seto Inlandsea in Bizen

Some tourist attractions are:

Notable people[edit]

Shin Koyamada, Hollywood actor from The Last Samurai

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Okayama-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 745, p. 745, at Google Books; "Chūgoku" at p. 127, p. 127, at Google Books.
  2. ^ Nussbaum, "Okayama" at p. 745, p. 745, at Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c "Okayama Prefecture". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  4. ^ a b "岡山（県）" [Okayama Prefecture]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  5. ^ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
  6. ^ Okayama official website Archived 2013-01-02 at the Wayback Machine accessed Nov. 2007
  7. ^ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. 1 April 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  8. ^ "岡山県作陽高等学校". www.sakuyo-h.ed.jp. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Okayama History". Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  10. ^ "Shin Koyamada's IMDB Biography". Archived from the original on 2013-03-27.
  11. ^ "Yuko Arimori's profile".
  12. ^ "Masashi Kishimoto's Biography on TV.com". Archived from the original on 2013-08-17.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 34°42′N 133°51′E / 34.700°N 133.850°E / 34.700; 133.850

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Okayama_Prefecture&oldid=877234538"