Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県, Shizuoka-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. As of September 2023, Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of 7,777.42 km² (3,002.88 sq mi). Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northeast, Nagano Prefecture to the north, and Aichi Prefecture to the west.

Shizuoka is the capital and Hamamatsu is the largest city in Shizuoka Prefecture, with other major cities including Fuji, Numazu, and Iwata. Shizuoka Prefecture is located on Japan's Pacific Ocean coast and features Suruga Bay formed by the Izu Peninsula, and Lake Hamana which is considered to be one of Japan's largest lakes. Mount Fuji, the tallest volcano in Japan and cultural icon of the country, is partially located in Shizuoka Prefecture on the border with Yamanashi Prefecture. Shizuoka Prefecture has a significant motoring heritage as the founding location of Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha, and is home to the Fuji International Speedway.

History

Shizuoka Prefecture was established from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.

The area was the home of the first Tokugawa shōgun. Tokugawa Ieyasu held the region until he conquered the lands of the Hōjō clan in the Kantō region and placed land under the stewardship of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After becoming shōgun, Tokugawa took the land back for his family and put the area around modern-day Shizuoka City under the direct supervision of the shogunate. With the creation of the Shizuoka han from the Sunpu Domain in 1868, it once again became the residence of the Tokugawa family.

Geography

Shizuoka Prefecture is an elongated region following the coast of the Pacific Ocean at the Suruga Bay. In the west, the prefecture extends deep into the Japan Alps. In the east, it becomes a narrower coast bounded in the north by Mount Fuji, until it comes to the Izu Peninsula, a popular resort area pointing south into the Pacific.

As of April 2012, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as natural parks, namely the Fuji-Hakone-Izu and Minami Alps National Parks; Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Park; and four Prefectural Natural Parks.

Climate

In Shizuoka prefecture, the temperature, over the course of the year, typically varies from 34 °F to 87 °F and is rarely below 28 °F or above 93 °F. The summers in Shizuoka are warm, oppressive, and mostly cloudy; the winters are very cold, windy, and mostly clear.

Disaster

On 15 March 2011, Shizuoka Prefecture was hit with a magnitude 6.2 earthquake approximately 42 km (26 mi) NNE of Shizuoka City. It is said, that throughout history, Shizuoka area has experienced a large earthquake every 100 to 150 years.

Demographics

3,635,220 people live in Shizuoka Prefecture, according to the 2020 census.

Municipalities

Since 2010, Shizuoka has consisted of 35 municipalities: 23 cities and 12 towns.

Mergers

After the introduction of modern municipalities in 1889, Shizuoka consisted of 337 municipalities: 1 (by definition: district-independent) city and 23 districts with 31 towns and 305 villages. The Great Shōwa mergers of the 1950s reduced the total from 281 to 97 between 1953 and 1960, including 18 cities by then. The Great Heisei mergers of the 2000s combined the 74 remaining municipalities in the year 2000 into the current 35 by 2010.

List of governors of Shizuoka (since 1947)

Industry

Motorcycles

Shizuoka-based companies are world leaders in several major industrial sectors. Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki all have their roots in Shizuoka prefecture and are still manufacturing here. Thanks to this, Shizuoka pref. accounts for 28% of Japanese motorcycle exports.

Musical instruments

Yamaha and Kawai are both global piano brands. Yamaha has the largest share in the global piano market. Kawai has the second largest share. They both got their start in Shizuoka pref. in the early twentieth century.

Yamaha and Roland are major brand for electronic musical instruments. In the electronic piano world market, Yamaha has the world's largest share. Roland and Kawai have the second and third place share. Roland and Yamaha also manufacture high-quality synthesizers and drum machines for professional musicians.

In addition, various instruments such as wind instruments and guitars are manufactured in this prefecture. There are about 200 companies that manufacture musical instruments, in this prefecture.

Most of these musical instruments are especially produced in Hamamatsu City.

Transportation

Rail

• JR East
  • Tōkaidō Line (Atami–Odawara)
  • Itō Line
• JR Central
  • Tōkaidō Shinkansen
  • Tōkaidō Line (Atami–Toyohashi)
  • Gotenba Line
  • Minobu Line
  • Iida Line
• Izukyū
• Izuhakone Railway
  • Daiyūzan Line
  • Sunzu Line
• Gakunan Railway
• Shizuoka Railway
• Ōigawa Railway
• Enshū Railway
• Tenryū Hamanako Railroad

Roads

Expressways

• Tōmei Expressway
• Shin-Tōmei Expressway
• Chūbu-Ōdan Expressway
• Izu-Jūkan Expressway
• San-en Nanshin Expressway

Toll roads

• Shizuoka East-West Road
• Shizuoka South-North Road
• West Fuji Road (not a toll road anymore as of 2012)
• Fujinomiya Road
• Nishi-Fuji Road

National highways

Airports

• Shizuoka Airport

Ports

• Shimizu Port
• Atami Port and Shimoda Port - Mainly ferry route to Izu Island
• Numazu Port

Education

Universities

National universities

• Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
• Shizuoka University
• Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Mishima Campus, National Institute of Genetics)

Public universities

• Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
• University of Shizuoka

Private universities

• Fuji Tokoha University
• Hamamatsu University
• Hamamatsu Gakuin University
• Juntendo University (Mishima Campus)
• Nihon University (Mishima Campus)
• Seirei Christopher University
• Shizuoka Eiwa Gakuin University
• Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology
• Shizuoka Sangyo University
• Shizuoka University of Welfare
• Tokyo Women's Medical University (Daito Campus)
• Tokai University (Shimizu and Numazu Campuses)
• Tokoha Gakuen University

Senior high schools

• Hiryū High School
• Numazu Commercial High School
• Shizuoka Prefectural Susono High School
• Shizuoka Prefectural High School

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Shizuoka.

Basketball

• San-en NeoPhoenix

Motorsport

• Fuji International Speedway

Rugby

• Yamaha Júbilo (Iwata)

Football

• Shimizu S-Pulse (Shimizu, Shizuoka)
• Júbilo Iwata (Iwata)
  • Matches between the above two teams, both currently in the top flight of the J. League, are known as the Shizuoka Derby.
• Honda F.C. (Hamamatsu)
• Azul Claro Numazu (Numazu)
• Fujieda MYFC (Fujieda)

Volleyball

• Toray Arrows (men's volleyball team) (Mishima city)

Tourism

Notable people

Motoo Kimura (木村 資生, 1924–1994), biologist and theoretical population geneticist, died in Shizuoka Prefecture

Museums

• Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art
• Museum of Natural and Environmental History, Shizuoka

Theme parks

• Air Park Japan Air Self-Defense Force Hamamatsu Public Information Building)
• Shimizu Sushi Museum

Festivals and events

• Shimoda Black Ship Festival, held in May
• Shimizu Port Festival, held on August 5 to 7
• Shizuoka Festival, held in April
• Daidogei World Cup in central Shizuoka City, held in November
• Enshu Daimyo Festival in Iwata, held in April
• Numazu Festival, held in July
• Mishima Festival, held in August

Notes

References

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

External links

• Official Shizuoka Prefecture website
• Official Shizuoka Guide