Akita, Japan

 

Akita Prefecture (秋田県 Akita-ken)

Capital	Akita (city)
Region	Tōhoku
Island	Honshū
Governor	Sukeshiro Terata
Area	11,612.11 km² (6th)
- % water	0.7%
Population  (January 1, 2003)
- Population	1,174,905 (35th)
- Density	101 /km²
Districts	6
Municipalities	25
ISO 3166-2	JP-05
Website	www.pref.akita.jp/e/
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Fuki (a kind of butterbur, Petasites japonicus)
- Tree	Akita-sugi (Cryptomeria japonica)
- Bird	Copper pheasant (Phasianus soemmerringii)
Symbol of Akita Prefecture

Akita Prefecture (秋田県, Akita-ken^?) is located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.

History

The famous Heian period waka poet, Ono no Komachi, is said to have been born here (but the true location of her birth is uncertain).

Geography

Located in the north of Honshū Island, Akita Prefecture faces the Sea of Japan in the west and is bordered by Aomori in the north, Iwate in the east, Miyagi in the south east, and Yamagata in the south.

Akita Prefecture is rectangular in shape, roughly 181 km from north to south and 111 km from west to east. The Ōu Mountains mark the eastern border of the prefecture, and the higher Dewa Mountains run parallel through the center of the prefecture. Like much of northern Japan, the prefecture has cold winters, particularly away from the sea.

The Oga Peninsula is a prominent feature of the coastline.

Cities

Thirteen cities are located in Akita Prefecture:

• Akita (capital)
• Daisen
• Katagami
• Kazuno
• Kitaakita
• Nikaho
• Noshiro
• Oga
• Odate
• Semboku
• Yokote
• Yurihonjo
• Yuzawa

Towns and villages

These are all of the towns and villages in each district.

Kazuno District Kosaka Kitaakita District Kamikoani Minamiakita District Gojome Hachirogata Ikawa Ogata

Ogachi District Higashinaruse Ugo Senboku District Misato Yamamoto District Fujisato Happo Mitane

Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Akita Prefecture

Economy

Like much of Tōhoku, Akita's economy remains dominated by traditional industries, such as agriculture, fishing, and forestry. This has led many young people to migrate to Tokyo and other large cities. Akita is famous for its Sake breweries.

Culture

Akita is renowned for having the highest consumption of sake in Japan.^[1]

Tourism

Near Lake Tazawa, there are a number of hot springs resorts (onsen), these are popular with tourists from all over Japan. In addition there are a number of seasonal festivals (matsuri) which offer a glimpse of rural or traditional Japan. Some famous festivals are the Akita Kanto festival, the Omagari fireworks festival, and the Yokote Kamakura festival.

Kakunodate is a particularly charming old town, full of preserved samurai houses. The Aoyagi house is the former residence of Odano Naotake, the man who illustrated Japan's first modern guide to the human anatomy. The house is now a museum and gallery of medical illustrations and traditional crafts.

Medias

Television

• Akita Broadcasting System(ABS)
• Akita Television(AKT)
• Akita Asahi Broadcasting(AAB)

References

1. ^ The Appellation System for Sake in Akita Prefecture and Development Program for Akita Shun-ginjo, Kyuichi Saito, Journal of the Brewing Society of Japan; Vol. 87, No.11, 1992

External links

• (English) Official Akita Prefecture homepage
• (English) Links.net Akita - Travel Reporting
• (English) Akitafan
• (English) Akita Sightseeing Guide

Regions and administrative divisions of Japan

Regions Hokkaidō · Tōhoku · Kantō · Chūbu (Hokuriku • Kōshin'etsu • Tōkai • Chūkyō) · Kansai · Chūgoku · Shikoku · Kyūshū · Ryūkyū Prefectures Aichi · Akita · Aomori · Chiba · Ehime · Fukui · Fukuoka · Fukushima · Gifu · Gunma · Hiroshima · Hokkaidō · Hyōgo · Ibaraki · Ishikawa · Iwate · Kagawa · Kagoshima · Kanagawa · Kōchi · Kumamoto · Kyoto · Mie · Miyagi · Miyazaki · Nagano · Nagasaki · Nara · Niigata · Ōita · Okayama · Okinawa · Osaka · Saga · Saitama · Shiga · Shimane · Shizuoka · Tochigi · Tokushima · Tokyo · Tottori · Toyama · Wakayama · Yamagata · Yamaguchi · Yamanashi Designated cities Special wards of Tokyo · Chiba · Fukuoka · Hamamatsu · Hiroshima · Kawasaki · Kitakyushu · Kobe · Kyoto · Nagoya · Niigata · Osaka · Saitama · Sakai · Sapporo · Sendai · Shizuoka · Yokohama

Coordinates: 39°40′N, 140°10′Ezh-yue:秋田縣

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