Okayama Prefecture

Okayama Prefecture
	Okayama Prefecture
Japanese:	岡山県
	Okayama-ken
Capital	Okayama (city)
Region	Chūgoku
Island	Honshū
Governor	Masahiro Ishii
Area (rank)	7,112.32 km² (15th)
- % water	0.3%
	Population (October 2005)
- Population	1,957,056 (21st)
- Density	275 /km²
Districts	10
Municipalities	27
ISO 3166-2	JP-33
Website	www.pref.okayama.jp/; kikaku/kokusai/momo/e/
	Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Peach blossom (Prunus persica var. vulgaris)
- Tree	Red pine (Pinus densiflora)
- Bird	Lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
- Fish	{{{Fish}}}
	; Symbol of Okayama Prefecture
	Template ■ Discussion ■ WikiProject Japan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Okayama Prefecture (岡山県, Okayama-ken^?) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.

[edit] History

During the Meiji Restoration; Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province were combined to form Okayama Prefecture.

[edit] Geography

Map of Okayama Prefecture:

Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture. 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^[1].

[edit] Cities

Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:

[edit] Towns and villages

Towns and villages in each district:

Aida District

Nishiawakura

Asakuchi District

Satoshō

Kaga District

Kibichūō

Katsuta District

Nagi

Shōō

Kume District

Kumenan

Misaki

Maniwa District

Shinjō

Oda District

Yakage

Tomata District

Kagamino

Tsukubo District

Hayashima

Wake District

Wake

[edit] Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Okayama Prefecture

[edit] Economy

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Railways

(Japanese) List of railway stations in Okayama Prefecture

[edit] Culture

[edit] Pottery

Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery).

[edit] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama.

Association Football (soccer)

Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima F.C. (Kurashiki)

Volleyball

Okayama Seagulls (Okayama city)

[edit] Tourism

Some tourist attractions are:

The Koraku-en Japanese garden (後楽園, Kōraku-en^?) located in Okayama City.
Okayama Castle (岡山城, Okayama-jō^?) located in Okayama City.
Shizutani School (閑谷学校, Shizutani Gakkō^?), located in Bizen City.
Bikan Historical Area (倉敷美観地区, Kurashiki Bikan Chiku^?), located in Kurashiki City.
Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, located in Takahashi City
Kakuzan Park, located in Tsuyama City
Bisei Astronomical Observatory (美星天文台, Bisei Tenmondai^?), located in Ibara Town (following dissolution of Bisei Town).

[edit] Anime and manga

The anime and manga series Tenchi Muyo! take place in this part of Japan, and many characters are named after geographical features and landmarks of the area. In the anime and manga series "Nerima Daikon Brothers," the character Mako speaks with an Okayama accent.