Hyōgo Prefecture Explained

Hyōgo Prefecture
Settlement Type:Prefecture
Translit Lang1:Japanese
Translit Lang1 Type:Japanese
Translit Lang1 Info:Japanese: 兵庫県
Translit Lang1 Type1:Rōmaji
Translit Lang1 Info1:Japanese: Hyōgo-ken
Flag Size:100px
Image Blank Emblem:Emblem of Hyogo Prefecture.svg
Blank Emblem Size:80px
Blank Emblem Type:Symbol
Coordinates:34.6908°N 135.1831°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Japan
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Kansai
Subdivision Type2:Island
Subdivision Name2:Honshu, Awaji
Seat Type:Capital
Seat:Kobe
Parts Type:Subdivisions
Parts Style:para
P1:Districts

8

P2:Municipalities

41

Leader Title:Governor
Leader Name:Motohiko Saitō (from August 2021)
Area Total Km2:8,400.94
Area Water Percent:0.6
Area Rank:12th
Population Total:5469762
Population As Of:1 June 2019
Population Rank:7th
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type2:GDP
Demographics2 Footnotes:[1]
Demographics2 Title1:Total
Demographics2 Info1:JP¥ 22,195 billion
US$ 203.6 billion (2019)
Iso Code:JP-28
Module:
Embedded:yes
Country:Japan
Bird:Oriental white stork (Ciconia boyciana)
Flower:Nojigiku (Chrysanthemum japonense)
Tree:Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
Anthem:Hyōgo Kenminka[2] [3]

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu.[4] Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 and a geographic area of 8400km2. Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, and Okayama and Tottori prefectures to the west.

Kobe is the capital and largest city of Hyōgo Prefecture, and the seventh-largest city in Japan, with other major cities including Himeji, Nishinomiya, and Amagasaki.[5] Hyōgo Prefecture's mainland stretches from the Sea of Japan to the Seto Inland Sea, where Awaji Island and a small archipelago of islands belonging to the prefecture are located. Hyōgo Prefecture is a major economic center, transportation hub, and tourist destination in western Japan, with 20% of the prefecture's land area designated as Natural Parks. Hyōgo Prefecture forms part of the Kobe metropolitan area and Osaka metropolitan area, the second-most-populated urban region in Japan after the Greater Tokyo area and one of the world's most productive regions by GDP.

History

Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes the former provinces of Harima, Tajima, Awaji, and parts of Tanba and Settsu.[6]

In 1180, near the end of the Heian period, Emperor Antoku, Taira no Kiyomori, and the Imperial court moved briefly to Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital remained for five months. Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in the city of Himeji.

Southern Hyōgo Prefecture was severely devastated by the 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, which destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji, as well as Nishinomiya and Ashiya and the neighboring Osaka Prefecture, killing nearly 6,500 people.

Geography

Hyōgo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the Sea of Japan, to the south, the Seto Inland Sea. On Awaji Island, Hyōgo borders the Pacific Ocean coastline in the Kii Channel. The northern portion is sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka, The central highlands are only populated by tiny villages. Most of Hyōgo's population lives on the southern coast, which is part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area. Awaji is an island that separates the Inland Sea and Osaka Bay, lying between Honshu and Shikoku.

Summertime weather throughout Hyōgo is hot and humid. As for winter conditions, the north of Hyōgo tends to receive abundant snow, whilst the south receives only the occasional flurry.

Hyōgo borders on Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture.

20% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Sanin Kaigan and Setonaikai National Parks; Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park; and Asago Gunzan, Harima Chūbu Kyūryō, Inagawa Keikoku, Izushi-Itoi, Kasagatayama-Sengamine, Kiyomizu-Tōjōko-Tachikui, Onzui-Chikusa, Seiban Kyūryō, Seppiko-Mineyama, Tajima Sangaku, and Taki Renzan Prefectural Natural Parks.[7]

Islands

Two major artificial islands are located Hyōgo Prefecture:

National parks

Mergers

See main article: List of mergers in Hyōgo Prefecture.

Future mergers

The city of Akō and the only town in Akō District (Kamigōri), were scheduled to merge and the city would still retain the name Akō. Akō District would be defunct if the merger was successful.[8] However, the merger has not taken place.

Economy

As in all prefectures nationwide, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries play a big role in the economy of Hyogo Prefecture.[9] Hyōgo Prefecture also has an IT industry, many heavy industries, metal and medical, Kobe Port being one of the largest ports in Japan. Kobe Port also hosts one of the world's fastest supercomputers,[10] and Hyogo Prefecture passed laws to keep Kobe Port free of nuclear weapons (a nuclear-free zone) since the year 1975.

Hyōgo is a part of the Hanshin Industrial Region. There are two research institutes of Riken, natural sciences research institute in Japan, in Kobe and Harima. "SPring-8", a synchrotron radiation facility, is in Harima.

Culture

National Treasures of Japan

Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings in Japan

Museums

Education

Universities

Amagasaki

Takarazuka

Sanda

Nishinomiya

Ashiya

Kobe

Kato

Akashi

Kakogawa

Himeji

Akō

High schools

There are 163 public and 52 private high schools within Hyogo prefecture. Of the public high schools, some are administered by the Hyogo prefectural government, whilst the others are administered by local municipalities.

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Hyōgo.

Football (soccer)

Baseball

Volleyball

Rugby

Basketball

Tourism

A popular troupe of Takarazuka Revue plays in Takarazuka.

Arima Onsen in the south of the province in Kita-ku, Kobe is one of the Three Ancient Springs in Japan. The north of Hyogo Prefecture has sightseeing spots such as Kinosaki Onsen, Izushi, and Yumura Onsen. Takeda Castle in Asago is often referred to locally as the "Machu Picchu of Japan". The matsuba crab and Tajima beef are both national delicacies.[11]

Festivals and events

Transportation

Rail

People movers

Road

Expressways

National highways

Ports

Airport

Notable people

Sister regions

Hyogo entered a sister state relationship with Washington state in the United States on October 22, 1963, the first such arrangement between Japan and the United States.[12] [13]

In 1981, a sister state agreement was drawn up between Hyogo and the state of Western Australia in Australia.[14] To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this agreement in 1992, the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre was established in Perth.[15]

See also

General references

External links

Notes and References

  1. 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.
  2. The Hyōgo Prefectural Government has expressed the view that the "Prefectural song does not exist" and denied the fact that currently, this song has been enacted in 1947.
  3. News: 2015-01-01. 布く新憲法 ゆくては明かるし…幻の兵庫県民歌. Kobe Shimbun. 2015-01-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160309062646/http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/shakai/201501/0007625977.shtml. 2016-03-09. 金旻革.
  4. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hyōgo prefecture" in ; "Kansai" in .
  5. Nussbaum, "Kobe" in .
  6. Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in .
  7. Web site: General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture . . 4 February 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120421180819/http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/doc/files/np_6.pdf . 21 April 2012 .
  8. http://www.city.ako.hyogo.jp/akosigun_gappei/index.html City.ako.hyogo.jp
  9. Web site: XII Income of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries . Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries . 2017-10-02 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150919175947/http://www.maff.go.jp/e/tokei/kikaku/nenji_e/87nenji/pdf/n490_491.pdf . 2015-09-19 .
  10. Web site: RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science . 2017-10-02 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170926160843/http://www.aics.riken.jp/jp/ . 2017-09-26 .
  11. Web site: JAL Guide to Japan – Matsuba Crab. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150405112135/http://www.eg.jal.com/world/en/guidetojapan/detail/index.html?spot_code=matsubacrab. 2015-04-05. 2015-04-02.
  12. News: Camden . Jim . August 20, 2013 . Washington, Japan celebrate 50 years . . March 11, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180311201744/http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/aug/20/washington-japan-celebrate-50-years/ . March 11, 2018 .
  13. Web site: August 19, 2013 . Celebrating 50 years with Hyogo, Japan . . March 11, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180311202557/https://blogs.sos.wa.gov/FromOurCorner/index.php/2013/08/celebrating-50-years-with-hyogo-japan/ . March 11, 2018 .
  14. Web site: Sister Cities – City of Perth . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150530090949/http://www.perth.wa.gov.au/council/national-and-international-relations/sister-cities . 2015-05-30 .
  15. http://www.hyogo.com.au/centre_introduction.htm Hyogo.com.au