Toyama Prefecture

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Toyama Prefecture (富山県 Toyama-ken)

Capital	Toyama City
Region	Chūbu
Island	Honshū
Governor	Takakazu Ishii
Area (rank)	4,247.22 km² (33rd)
- % water	0.1%
Population  (Estimated as of February 1, 2008)
- Population	1,104,239 (38th)
- Density	260 /km²
Districts	2
Municipalities	15
ISO 3166-2	JP-16
Website	Official Toyama Prefecture Homepage (English)
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Tulip (Tulipa)
- Tree	Tateyama Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)
- Bird	Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus)
Symbol of Toyama Prefecture

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

Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources. The Itai-itai disease occurred in Toyama around 1950.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Municipalities 3.1 Niikawa Region 3.2 Takaoka Region 3.3 Tonami Region 3.4 Toyama Region 3.5 Mergers 4 Economy 4.1 Agriculture 4.2 Manufacturing 4.3 Energy 5 Demographics 6 Friendship Relationships 7 Transportation 7.1 Train 7.2 Expressway 7.3 Flight 8 Culture 8.1 UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites 8.2 National Treasures of Japan 8.3 Festivals 8.4 Regional Foods 8.5 Regional Sake 9 Sports 10 Tourism 11 External links 12 References

[edit] History

Historically, Toyama Prefecture was Etchū Province.

[edit] Geography

[edit] Municipalities

Due to the mergers in the 2000s, Toyama has the fewest municipalities of any prefecture in Japan with 10 cities, 2 districts, 4 towns, and 1 village (before the mergers took place, the prefecture had 9 cities, 18 towns, and 8 villages).

[edit] Niikawa Region

• Kurobe
• Uozu
• Shimoniikawa District
  • Asahi
  • Nyuzen

[edit] Takaoka Region

• Himi
• Imizu
• Takaoka

[edit] Tonami Region

• Nanto
• Oyabe
• Tonami

[edit] Toyama Region

• Namerikawa
• Toyama (capital)
• Nakaniikawa District
  • Funahashi
  • Kamiichi
  • Tateyama

[edit] Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Toyama Prefecture

[edit] Economy

[edit] Agriculture

[edit] Manufacturing

Toyama is famous for it's historical pharmaceutical industry which remains a top manufacturing industry in the prefecture in terms of manufacturing shipment value followed by electronic parts and devices (industrial robots, general machinery, etc.), and metal products (aluminum, copper etc.) manufacturing.^[1]

[edit] Energy

The Kurobe dam generates electricity for the Kansai Electric Power Company. It is located on the Kurobe River in Toyama Prefecture.

[edit] Demographics

Population: 1,104,239 (estimated as of Feb. 1, 2008)

[edit] Friendship Relationships

•  China, Liaoning Province - May 9, 1984
•  Brazil, São Paulo State - July 18, 1985
•  United States, Oregon State - October 19, 1991
•  Russia, Primorsky Region - August 26, 1992

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Train

Tokyo: 3 hr 8 min via Joetsu Shinkansen , transfer to Hokuriku Main Line via the Hakutaka Limited Express at Echigo Yuzawa

Osaka: 3 hr 5 min via Thunderbird Limited Express

• The Hokuriku Shinkansen Line is expected to be completed in 2014 and will shorten the Tokyo-Toyama trip to approximatley 2 hrs 7 min and the Osaka-Toyama trip to approximatley 1 hr 40 min.

[edit] Expressway

Tokyo: 5 hr

Osaka: 4 hr 10 min

Nagoya: 3 hr 15 min

[edit] Flight

Toyama Airport (TOY)

Domestic:

Tokyo   1 hr
Sapporo 1 hr 20 min
Fukuoka 1 hr 30 min

International:

Shanghai    2 hr 30 min Via Shanghai Airlines 
Dalian      2 hr 30 min Via Southern China Airlines
Seoul       1 hr 50 min Via Asiana Airlines
Vladivostok 2 hr 40 min Via Vladivostok Airlines

• As of April 2008 all international carriers have 3 flights a week with additional flights during peak seasons

[edit] Culture

[edit] UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites

Gokayama Historical Village (Nanto City)

[edit] National Treasures of Japan

Zuiryū-ji Temple (Takaoka City)

[edit] Festivals

Spring

• All Japan Chindon Competition (Toyama City (Toyama Castle Park), Mid April

• Tonami Tulip Fair (Tonami City), May

• Marumage Festival (Himi City), May 17

Summer

• Sassa Narimasa Sengoku Era Festival (Toyama City), Late July

Fall

• Toyama Festival (Toyama City), Sept. 1

• Owara Kaze no Bon (Toyama City (Yatsuo Area)), Sept. 1-3

• Mugiya Festival (Nanto City (Johana Area)), Mid Sept.

• Kokiriko Festival (Nanto City (Hakusan Shrine)), Sept. 25-26

Winter

• Nanto Toga Soba Festival (Nanto City (Toga Village Area)), Mid Feb.

[edit] Regional Foods

• Trout Sushi (Masu no Sushi)
• White Shrimp (Shiro Ebi)
• Matured Yellow Tail (Buri)
• Firefly Squid (Hotaru Ika)
• Fish Paste (Kamaboko)

[edit] Regional Sake

• Tateyama (立山)
• Narimasa (成政)
• Masuizumi (満寿泉)

[edit] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Toyama.

Football (soccer)

• Kataller Toyama (Toyama City)

Basketball

• Toyama Grouses (Toyama City)

Baseball

• Toyama Thunderbirds (Toyama City)

Rugby Union

• Takaoka Mariners (Takaoka)

[edit] Tourism

[edit] External links

• Official Toyama Prefecture Homepage (English)
• Toyama Prefecture International Center (English)
• National Archives of Japan Toyama Map (1891)
• Toyama JETs

[edit] References

Toyama Prefecture
Cities
Himi | Imizu | Kurobe | Namerikawa | Nanto | Oyabe | Takaoka | Tonami | Toyama (capital) | Uozu
Districts
Nakaniikawa | Shimoniikawa
See also: Towns and villages by district edit

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Coordinates: 36°43′N, 137°9′E