Fukui Prefecture (福井県, Fukui-ken?) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island.[1] The capital is the city of Fukui.[2]
[edit] Prehistory
The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed dromaeosaurid and a new sauropod. It also shows the coexistence of pterosaurs and birds, in the forms of comingled tracks.[citation needed]
[edit] History
Fukui originally consisted of the old provinces of Wakasa and Echizen, before the prefecture was formed in 1871.[3]
During the Edo period, the daimyō of the region was surnamed Matsudaira, and was a descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
[edit] Geography
The province faces the Sea of Japan, and has a western part (formerly Wakasa) which is a narrow plain between the mountains and the sea, and a larger eastern part (formerly Echizen) with wider plains including the capital and most of the population. The mountain side of the eastern part has much snow in winter; according to the book For Fukui's Sake the snowfalls are so heavy some winters that the weight of snow has crushed buildings. [4]
As of 31 March 2008, 15% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Hakusan National Park; Echizen-Kaga Kaigan and Wakasa Wan Quasi-National Parks; and Okuetsu Kōgen Prefectural Natural Park.[5]
[edit] Cities
Nine cities are located in Fukui Prefecture:
[edit] Towns and villages
Towns and villages in each district:
[edit] Mergers
[edit] Economy
- Sabae is known for producing 90% of Japan's domestically-made glasses.
- There are several nuclear power plants located along Wakasa Bay in Tsuruga which supply power to the Keihanshin metropolitan region. It has 14 reactors, the most of any prefecture.[1]
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Culture
- Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins is one of the most important cultural heritages in Japan.
- Eiheiji is a serene temple offering training and education to Buddhist monks. Founded by Dogen Zenji in 1244, Eiheiji is located on a plot of land of about 330,000 m².
- Myōtsū-ji's Three-storied Pagoda and Main Hall are National Treasures of Japan.
- Fukui is home to Maruoka Castle, the oldest standing castle in Japan. It was built in 1576.
- Many dinosaur fossils have been excavated in Fukui and they can been seen at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.
- Residents of Fukui Prefecture have a distinctive accent, Fukui-ben.
- Fukui has long been a center for papermaking in Japan (along with Kyoto). Its Echizen Papermaking Cooperative is a world-famous collection of papermakers making paper in the traditional Echizen style.
[edit] Friendship cities
[edit] Education
[edit] University
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Railroad
[edit] Expressway and Toll Road
- Hokuriku Expressway
- Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway
- Chubu Jukan Expressway
- Mikata Lake Rainbow Road
- Mount Hoonji Toll Road
[edit] National Highway
- Route 8
- Route 27
- Route 157
- Route 158
- Route 161
- Route 162
- Route 303
- Route 305
- Route 364
- Route 365
- Route 367
- Route 416
- Route 417
- Route 418
- Route 476
[edit] Tourism
- Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins
- Eiheiji Temple
- Tōjinbō, a scenic piece of coastline, which is also a notorious spot for suicide.
- Echizen crabs are a local delicacy available year-round, though the crabbing season is during the winter.
- Another traditional sea-side Fukui dish is genge, a small guppy-like fish, that when eaten raw as sashimi, gives the body a brief tingling sensation.
- Awara is a famous onsen in the north of the prefecture.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
 Fukui Prefecture |
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Coordinates: 35°59′N 136°11′E / 35.983°N 136.183°E / 35.983; 136.183
