is a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

located in the

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Ya ...

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northeast,

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

to the north, and

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

to the west. Shizuoka is the capital and

Hamamatsu is a Cities of Japan, city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. In September 2023, the city had an estimated population of 780,128 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, with a population density of over the t ...

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 The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

coast and features Suruga Bay formed by the

Izu Peninsula The is a mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsu ...

, and Lake Hamana which is considered to be one of Japan's largest lakes.

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

, the tallest

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

in Japan and

cultural icon A cultural icon is a person or an cultural artifact, artifact that is identified by members of a culture as representative of that culture. The process of identification is subjective, and "icons" are judged by the extent to which they can be seen ...

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 commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...

, and Yamaha, and is home to the

Fuji International Speedway is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Shizuoka, Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the ...

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 Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

held the region until he conquered the lands of the Hōjō clan in the

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

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

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

, until it comes to the

, a popular resort area pointing south into the Pacific. 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 Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...

, over the course of the year, typically varies from 1.1 °C (34 °F) to 30.5 °C (87 °F) and is rarely below -2.2 °C (28 °F) or above 33.8 °C (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 NNE of Shizuoka City. It is said, that throughout history, Shizuoka area has experienced a large earthquake every 100 to 150 years. :

Demographics

Shizuoka prefecture population pyramid in 2020

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

Municipalities

Since 2010, Shizuoka has consisted of 35

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

: 23

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and 12 towns. File:Nihondaira from shizuoka plain.JPG, Shizuoka City File:Hamamatsu City - panoramio (1).jpg,

File:Numazu and Mount Fuji.jpg, Numazu and

File:Fujinomiya 20120909.jpg, Fujinomiya File:Atami 20170211-1.jpg, Atami

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

Home to a shogun, cherry shrimp, and Japan's green tea heartland. Situated along Suruga Bay between Tokyo and Nagoya on the historic Tokaido route, the Pacific coast city of Shizuoka is famed for supplying most of Japan's tea and maguro tuna.

Motorcycles

Shizuoka-based companies are world leaders in several major industrial sectors.

, Yamaha, and

all have their roots in Shizuoka prefecture and are still manufacturing here. Thanks to this, Shizuoka prefecture accounts for 28% of Japanese

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is a ...

s.Shizuoka Prefecture official website, Industry in Shizuoka.
/ref>

Musical instruments

Yamaha and Kawai are both global

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

brands. Yamaha has the largest share in the global piano market. Kawai has the second largest share. They both got their start in Shizuoka prefecture in the early twentieth century. (In Japanese) Kyoto University of Arts, Musical instruments industry in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture.
/ref> Yamaha and

Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...

are major brand for

electronic musical instrument An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronics, electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is ...

s. 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

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s and

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

s for professional musicians. In addition, various instruments such as

wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitch ...

s and

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

s 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

City. File:YAMAHA (headquarters 3).jpg, Yamaha headquarters File:SUZUKI-MotorHQ.jpg, Suzuki headquarters File:Yamaha MT-07 at Tokyo Motor Show 2013.jpg, Yamaha motorcycles File:Suzuki GW250 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.jpg, Suzuki motorcycles File:Yamaha Outboard Motors 001.JPG, Yamaha outboard motors File:SUZUKI MARINE, Engine DF90AT, Outboard motor,.jpg, Suzuki outboard motors File:Yamaha grand piano, Piano Recital 2012.jpg, Yamaha grand piano File:Matt Bellamy Lollapalooza 2007.jpg, Kawai grand piano File:Yamaha P-140S top view.jpg, Yamaha electronic piano File:Roland D-50 Front (tweaked image).jpg, Roland D-50 sythesizer File:TR-808 - MIM, Phoenix (2019-08-30 14.59.26 by Bryan Pocius) (cropped).jpg,

Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patterns. ...

. An iconic drum machine by

. File:Yamaha guitars, NAMM 2011.jpg, Yamaha

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

s File:Yamaha SG1802, Guitar-Day 2010.jpg, Yamaha

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

s File:Musical instruments on display at the MIM (14165208240).jpg, Yamaha wind instruments

Transportation

Rail

* Enshū Railway * Gakunan Railway * Izuhakone Railway ** Daiyūzan Line ** Sunzu Line * Izukyū * JR Central **

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...

Iida Line The is a Japanese railway line connecting Toyohashi Station in Toyohashi, Aichi with Tatsuno Station in Tatsuno, Nagano, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). The line links eastern Aichi Prefecture and southern Nagano Pr ...

** Gotenba Line ** Minobu Line ** Tōkaidō Line (Atami–

Toyohashi is a Cities of Japan, city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 377,453 in 160,516 households and a population density of 1,400 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . By area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefec ...

) *

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

** Tōkaidō Line ( Atami–

Odawara is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in ...

) ** Itō Line * Ōigawa Railway * Shizuoka Railway * Tenryū Hamanako Railroad

Roads

Expressways

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

Toll roads

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

National highways

* National Route 1 * National Route 42 * National Route 52 * National Route 135 * National Route 136 * National Route 138 * National Route 139 * National Route 149 * National Route 150 * National Route 152 * National Route 246 * National Route 257 * National Route 301 * National Route 362 * National Route 414 * National Route 469 * National Route 473 * National Route 474

Airports

* Shizuoka Airport

Ports

* Shimizu Port * Atami Port and Shimoda Port – Mainly ferry route to Izu Island * Numazu Port

Education

Universities

National universities * Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Mishima Campus, National Institute of Genetics) * Hamamatsu University School of Medicine * Shizuoka University 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 , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...

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

Senior high schools

* Hamana High School * Hiryū High School * Numazu Commercial High School * Shizuoka Gakuen Junior and Senior High School * Shizuoka Prefectural High School * Shizuoka Prefectural Susono High School

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Shizuoka.

Basketball

* San-en NeoPhoenix

Motorsport

Rugby

* Yamaha Júbilo ( Iwata)

Football

Shimizu S-Pulse is a Japanese professional association football, football club located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka (city), Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture. S-Pulse is going to compete in the J1 League for the 2025 Season, after winning promotio ...

( 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. (

) * Azul Claro Numazu ( Numazu) * Fujieda MYFC ( Fujieda)

Volleyball

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

Tourism

Museums

* * Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art

Theme parks

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

Festivals and events

* Daidogei World Cup in central Shizuoka City, held in November * Enshu Daimyo Festival in Iwata, held in April * Mishima Festival, held in August * Numazu Festival, held in July * Shimizu Port Festival, held on 5 to 7 August * Shimoda Black Ship Festival, held in May * Shizuoka Festival, held in April File:Fujinomiya Hongu Sengen Taisha Honden.jpg, Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha Fujinomiya File:181124 Shuzenji Onsen Izu Shizuoka pref Japan01s3.jpg, Shuzenji Onsen Izu File:Sunpu-castle tatsumi-yagura.JPG, Sunpu Castle Shizuoka Aoi-ku File:Hamamatsu.JPG, Hamamatsu Castle

Chūō-ku File:Kakegawa castle.jpg, Kakegawa Castle Kakegawa File:静岡県立美術館-1.JPG, Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art Shizuoka Suruga-ku File:LakeSanaru2.JPG, Lake Sanaru

Nishi-ku File:BentenjimaKaihinkoenHamamatsu1.jpg, Lake Hamana

Nishi-ku File:Beach in Atami City with sea bathers.jpg, Atami Sun Beach Atami File:Prunus lannesiana cv. Kawazu-zakura 05.jpg, Kawazu Cherry blossom Kamo District Kawazu File:Mt Fuji at Mihonomatsubara.jpg, Miho no Matsubara Shizuoka Shimizu-ku File:富士サファリパークライオン2 Fuji-safari-park-Lion2.jpg, Fuji Safari Park Susono File:Hanahaku2014-4.JPG, Hamanako Garden Park

Nishi-ku File:Snowtown Yeti.JPG, Snowtown Yeti &

Susono File:Haiden of Kunozan Toshogu.jpg, Kunōzan Tōshō-gū Shizuoka Suruga-ku File:Jogasaki Coast 20111016 b.jpg, Jogasaki Coast Itō

Notable people

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

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

.
OCLC 58053128

External links

Official Shizuoka Prefecture website

{{Authority control Chūbu region Prefectures of Japan