Fukuoka Prefecture Explained

Fukuoka Prefecture
Settlement Type:Prefecture
Translit Lang1:Japanese
Translit Lang1 Type:Japanese
Translit Lang1 Info:Japanese: 福岡県
Translit Lang1 Type1:Rōmaji
Translit Lang1 Info1:Japanese: Fukuoka-ken
Flag Size:100px
Image Blank Emblem:Emblem of Fukuoka Prefecture.svg
Blank Emblem Size:80px
Blank Emblem Type:Symbol
Coordinates:33.6°N 165°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Japan
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Kyushu
Subdivision Type2:Island
Subdivision Name2:Kyushu
Seat Type:Capital
Seat:Fukuoka
Parts Type:Subdivisions
Parts Style:para
P1:Districts

12

P2:Municipalities

60

Leader Title:Governor
Leader Name:Seitaro Hattori[1] (since April 2021)
Area Total Km2:4986.52
Area Water Percent:2.3
Area Rank:29th
Population Total:5109323
Population As Of:June 1, 2019
Population Rank:9th
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type2:GDP
Demographics2 Footnotes:[2]
Demographics2 Title1:Total
Demographics2 Info1:JP¥19,942 billion
US$183.0 billion (2019)
Iso Code:JP-40
Website:www.pref.fukuoka.lg.jp/somu/
multilingual/english/top.html
Module:
Embedded:yes
Country:Japan
Bird:Japanese bush warbler (Cettia diphone)
Flower:Ume blossom (Prunus mume)
Tree:Azalea (Rhododendron tsutsusi)
Anthem:Kibō no Hikari
Population Blank1 Title:Dialects
Population Blank1:Chikuzen・Buzen・Chikuho

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū.[3] Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km2 (1,925 sq mi).[4] Fukuoka Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the southwest, Kumamoto Prefecture to the south, and Ōita Prefecture to the southeast.

Fukuoka is the capital and largest city of Fukuoka Prefecture, and the largest city on Kyūshū, with other major cities including Kitakyushu, Kurume, and Ōmuta.[5] Fukuoka Prefecture is located at the northernmost point of Kyūshū on the Kanmon Straits, connecting the Tsushima Strait and the Seto Inland Sea across from Yamaguchi Prefecture on the island of Honshu, and extends south towards the Ariake Sea.

History

See also: List of Historic Sites of Japan (Fukuoka). Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen.[6]

Shrines and temples

Kōra taisha, Sumiyoshi-jinja, and Hakozaki-gū are the chief Shinto shrines (ichinomiya) in the prefecture.[7]

There are several historically important Buddhist temples in the Prefecture. Monks would sail back from China after completing their studies and establish temples in the heart of Hakata (now Fukuoka) City.Monk Eisai founded Shōfuku-ji which is known today as the oldest zen temple in Japan,monk Kukai established Tocho-ji, and Joten-ji was built by Enni who is also known for bringing Udon noodles first to Japan.The oldest temple is Kanzeon-ji that was founded by the Emperor in Dazaifu during the 7th century to honor his mother. Kanzeon-ji together with Kaidan-in, that used to be part of the former, was one of the three distinct places in Japan where Buddhist monks could ordain.

During the Tokugawa shogunate when the country was ruled by 300 local feudal lords (daimyo), an important daimyo, Arima Toyōji was relocated to this region and thus he moved his family temple to Kurume City. This zen temple is known today as Bairin-ji and is a main temple for zen practice in Fukuoka Prefecture and Kyushu. It is located on the West bank of Chiguko River, next to the Shinkansen station of Kurume city.

Geography

Fukuoka Prefecture faces the sea on three sides, bordering Saga, Ōita, and Kumamoto prefectures and facing Yamaguchi Prefecture across the Kanmon Straits.As of 1 April 2012, 18% of the land area of the prefecture was designated as natural parks: Setonaikai National Park, Genkai, Kitakyūshū, and Yaba-Hita-Hikosan quasi-national parks, and Chikugogawa, Chikuhō, Dazaifu, Sefuri Raizan, and Yabegawa Prefectural Natural Parks.[8]

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

See also: List of cities in Fukuoka Prefecture by population. Twenty-nine cities are in Fukuoka Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers

See main article: article and List of mergers in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Economy

Fukuoka prefecture's main cities form one of Japan's main industrial centers, accounting for nearly 40% of the economy of Kyūshū.[9] GDP exceeds 154 billion US dollars, comparable to that of a medium-sized country.[10] Major industries include automobiles, semiconductors, and steel. Fukuoka prefecture is where tire manufacturer Bridgestone[11] and consumer electronics chain Best Denki were founded.

Well-known company headquartered in Fukuoka are as follows: [12]

Universities

One of Japan's top 5 universities, Kyushu University, is located in Fukuoka.

Institution Location
Fukuoka
Kurume
Kyushu Institute of TechnologyKitakyūshū and Iizuka
Fukuoka and Kasuga
Fukuoka
Dazaifu
Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Munakata

Demographics

According to October 2018 estimates, the population in Fukuoka Prefecture reached 5,111,494 inhabitants, making the prefecture the 9th most populated of Japan's 47 prefectures. It is one of the few prefectures with a steadily increasing population.[13]

Culture

Major events and festivals

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Fukuoka.

Football (soccer)
Baseball
Basketball
Rugby

The prefecture hosts the Fukuoka International Cross Country competition. The prefecture also hosted the Fukuoka Marathon, which was an elite marathon in which marathon world records were established twice during its 75 year existence.[14] Its final race took place in 2021.[15]

Crime and safety

Fukuoka Prefecture has the most designated yakuza groups among all of the prefectures, at five: the Kudo-kai, the Taishu-kai, the Fukuhaku-kai, the Dojin-kai and the Namikawa-kai.[16] Between 2004 and 2009, and in early 2011,[17] Fukuoka Prefecture led the nation in gun-related incidents.[18] These incidents were mostly related to the local yakuza syndicates, specifically the Kudo-kai, the Dojin-kai, and the Kyushu Seido-kai.[17]

Fukuoka Prefecture had the highest frequency of youth crime among the prefectures of Japan from 2003 to 2007.[19]

According to statistics from the national police, the crime rate in Fukuoka was the eighth-highest in 2017, lower than in Osaka, Tokyo, Hyogo, Aichi, Saitama, Chiba and Ibaraki.[20]

Tourism

See also: Kyushu National Museum, List of Historic Sites of Japan (Fukuoka) and List of Places of Scenic Beauty of Japan (Fukuoka).

The most popular place for tourism is Fukuoka City, especially during the Dontaku festival, which attracts millions of visitors from across Japan during Golden Week.[21] Fukuoka is the main shopping, dining, transportation and entertainment hub in Kyushu.

Dazaifu is popular for its many temples and historical sites, as well as the Kyushu National Museum.

Yanagawa is sometimes called "the Venice of Japan" for its boat tours on the abundant, calm rivers that wind through the city.[22]

Kitakyushu features one of the famous night views of Japan from atop Mt. Sarakura, accessible via cablecar. The Mojiko area features waterfront dining, a market, and several preserved historical buildings. The Kanmon Kaikyo Tunnel which connects Kyushu (Moji ward, Kitakyushu) and Honshu (Shimonoseki) is free to walk through. The city center in Kokurakita ward contains the Riverwalk and Itsutsuya shopping complexes, Kokura castle, and the Uomachi Gintengai shopping arcade, the oldest shopping arcade in Japan.[23]

In the "19 best places to visit in 2019" published by the U.S. CNN, Fukuoka Prefecture was chosen as the only destination in Japan. [24]

Transportation

Railway services

Airports

Sister regions

General and cited references

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Hattori Elected Fukuoka Governor for 1st Time . 11 May 2022 . NHK . Jiji Press . April 12, 2021 . May 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220511140057/https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2021041100378/ . dead .
  2. Web site: 2020年度国民経済計算(2015年基準・2008SNA) : 経済社会総合研究所 - 内閣府 . 2023-05-18 . 内閣府ホームページ . ja . September 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230924062316/https://www.esri.cao.go.jp/jp/sna/data/data_list/kakuhou/files/2020/2020_kaku_top.html . live .
  3. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Fukuoka-ken" in .
  4. Web site: 都道府県 人口ランキング. November 27, 2018. November 29, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181129100154/https://uub.jp/rnk/p_k.html. live.
  5. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Fukuoka" in .
  6. Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in .
  7. http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/images/uploads/EOS070712Ab.pdf "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 3
  8. Web site: General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture . . 1 April 2012 . 8 December 2013 . April 21, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120421180819/http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/doc/files/np_6.pdf . live .
  9. Web site: 九州のポテンシャル. 福岡銀行. 2023-05-16. May 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230516021814/https://www.fukuoka-fg.com/vision/03.html. live.
  10. Web site: Fukuoka. JETRO. 2023-05-16. March 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230322161707/https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/invest/region/data/fukuoka.html. live.
  11. Web site: Bridgestone Holds the Opening Ceremony for its Kitakyushu Plant. Bridgestone. August 4, 2009. September 17, 2009. October 27, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131027093852/http://bridgestone.com/corporate/news/2009080401.html. dead.
  12. Web site: 意外と知らない福岡に本社を置く有名企業13社. 2019-02-07. 2023-05-23. May 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230523054308/https://fukuoka-times.jp/matome-company/. live.
  13. Web site: Growing Cities . In Japan . List of cities that are exceeding the birth rate . www.villagehouse.jp . 13 November 2019 . 11 May 2022 . May 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220526234342/https://www.villagehouse.jp/blog/en/local-area-guides-en/growing-cities-in-japan/ . live .
  14. Nakamura, Ken. Marathon - A history of the Fukuoka International Marathon Championships by K. Ken Nakamura - Part 1 1947-1966 . IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
  15. Web site: Johnson. Len. Farewell to Fukuoka. 2021-12-06. December 8, 2021. December 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211208031224/https://www.runnerstribe.com/latest-news/farewell-to-fukuoka-by-len-johnson/. live.
  16. Web site: "福岡県内の指定暴力団" . May 15, 2023 . November 2, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221102185922/https://www.police.pref.fukuoka.jp/boutai/sotai/007.html . live .
  17. http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nnp/item/248434 "Gunfire, The worst in the nation, None has been solved"
  18. http://www.tokyoreporter.com/2010/05/04/fukuoka-yakuza-groups-tackle-police-pressure-in-all-out-war/ "Fukuoka yakuza groups tackle police pressure in all-out war"
  19. http://kyushu.yomiuri.co.jp/magazine/rupo/0709/ru_709_070913.htm 非行防げ、捜査員奮闘…少年犯罪全国ワースト1の福岡
  20. Web site: 「犯罪の県民性」大阪が全国ワースト、殺人1位、すり2位. Diamond Online. 2 June 2018. November 27, 2018. November 29, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181129100130/https://diamond.jp/articles/-/171318. live.
  21. Web site: Hakata Dontaku Festival. Japan National Tourism Organization. November 27, 2018. November 29, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181129055845/https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1972/. live.
  22. Web site: 水の国 柳川. 筑後七国よかとこ巡り旅. November 27, 2018. November 29, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181129060019/https://chikugo7koku.net/area/. live.
  23. Web site: Uomachi-gintengai Street. Kitakyushu City Travel Guide. November 27, 2018. November 29, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181129100153/https://www.gururich-kitaq.com/en/search/category/detail.php?id=55. live.
  24. Web site: CNN Travel's 19 best places to visit in 2019. CNN travel. 2 January 2019. 2023-05-16. May 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230516015501/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/places-to-visit-2019/index.html. live.
  25. Web site: Hawaii and . Fukuoka friendship agreement . HAWAII-FUKUOKA SISTER STATE RELATIONSHIP . http://hawaiifukuokakenjinkai/ . Fukuoka Keniinkai . 11 May 2022 . May 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220517021119/http://www.hawaiifukuokakenjinkai.org/hawaii-fukuoka-sister-state-relationship/ . live .