Okayama Prefecture

Okayama Prefecture

岡山県
Okayama Prefecture ; 岡山県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
• Japanese	岡山県
• Rōmaji	Okayama-ken
	Flag Symbol
Country	Japan
Region	Chūgoku (Sanyō)
Island	Honshu
Capital	Okayama
Subdivisions	Districts: 10, Municipalities: 27
Government
• Governor	Ryūta Ibaragi
Area
• Total	7,114.50 km2 (2,746.92 sq mi)
Area rank	17th
Population (February 1, 2018)
• Total	1,906,464
• Rank	21st
• Density	270/km2 (690/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	JP-33
Website	www.pref.okayama.jp
Bird
Symbols
Bird	Lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
Flower	Peach blossom (Prunus persica var. vulgaris)
Tree	Red pine (Pinus densiflora)

Okayama Prefecture (岡山県, Okayama-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu.^[1] Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 km² (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture borders Tottori Prefecture to the north, Hyōgo Prefecture to the east, and Hiroshima Prefecture to the west.

Okayama is the capital and largest city of Okayama Prefecture, with other major cities including Kurashiki, Tsuyama, and Sōja.^[2]^[3]^[4] Okayama Prefecture's south is located on the Seto Inland Sea coast across from Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, which are connected by the Great Seto Bridge, while the north is characterized by the Chūgoku Mountains.

History[]

Prior to the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the area of present-day Okayama Prefecture was divided between Bitchū, Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces. Okayama Prefecture was formed and named in 1871 as part of the large-scale administrative reforms of the early Meiji period (1868–1912), and the borders of the prefecture were set in 1876.^[3]^[5]

Geography[]

Map of Okayama Prefecture
Government Ordinance Designated City City Town Village

Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Hiroshima Prefecture.^[3] 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 prefecture's municipalities are officially designated as depopulated.^[6]

As of 1 April 2014, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Daisen-Oki and Setonaikai National Parks; the Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park; and seven Prefectural Natural Parks.^[7]

Cities[]

Okayama City

Tsuyama

Takahashi

Niimi

Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:

Name		Area (km²)	Population	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji	Area (km²)	Population	Map
Akaiwa	赤磐市	209.43	44,498
Asakuchi	浅口市	66.46	35,022
Bizen	備前市	258.23	35,610
Ibara	井原市	243.36	41,460
Kasaoka	笠岡市	136.03	50,160
Kurashiki	倉敷市	355.63	483,576
Maniwa	真庭市	828.43	44,265
Mimaska	美作市	429.19	28,502
Niimi	新見市	793.27	30,583
Okayama (capital)	岡山市	789.92	720,841
Setouchi	瀬戸内市	125.51	37,934
Sōja	総社市	212	67,059
Takahashi	高梁市	547.01	31,556
Tamano	玉野市	103.61	60,101
Tsuyama	津山市	506.36	102,294

Towns and villages[]

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Name		Area (km²)	Population	District	Type	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji	Area (km²)	Population	District	Type	Map
Hayashima	早島町	7.62	12,671	Tsukubo District	Town
Kagamino	鏡野町	419.69	14,651	Tomata District	Town
Kibichūō	吉備中央町	268.73	11,989	Kaga District	Town
Kumenan	久米南町	78.65	4,962	Kume District	Town
Misaki	美咲町	232.15	17,776	Kume District	Town
Nagi	奈義町	69.54	5,861	Katsuta District	Town
Nishiawakura	西粟倉村	57.93	1,437	Aida District	Village
Satoshō	里庄町	12.23	11,204	Asakuchi District	Town
Shinjō	新庄村	67.1	951	Maniwa District	Village
Shōō	勝央町	54.09	11,237	Katsuta District	Town
Wake	和気町	144.21	14,191	Wake District	Town
Yakage	矢掛町	90.62	14,041	Oda District	Town

Mergers[]

Demographics[]

Per Japanese census data,^[8] and,^[9] Okayama prefecture has had continual negative population growth since 2005

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1920	1,218,000	—
1930	1,284,000	+5.4%
1940	1,329,000	+3.5%
1950	1,661,000	+25.0%
1960	1,670,000	+0.5%
1970	1,707,000	+2.2%
1980	1,871,000	+9.6%
1990	1,926,000	+2.9%
2000	1,950,828	+1.3%
2010	1,945,276	−0.3%
2020	1,920,739	−1.3%

Education[]

Universities[]

High schools[]

Okayama
- Okayama Ichinomiya Senior High School
- Okayama Asahi Senior High School
- Okayama Sozan Senior High School
- Okayama Hosen Senior High School
- Okayama Joto Senior High School
- Okayama Sakuyo High School^[10]
- Kurashiki High School

Transportation[]

Rail[]

JR West
- Sanyo Shinkansen
- Sanyo Line
- Hakubi Line
- Kibi Line
- Ako Line
- Uno Line
- Kishin Line
- Geibi Line
- Imbi Line
JR West and JR Shikoku
- Seto-Ōhashi Line
Chizu Express
Ibara Railway
Mizushima Rinkai Railway

Tramways[]

Okayama Electric Tramway

Roads[]

Expressways[]

Sanyo Expressway
Chugoku Expressway
Seto Central Expressway
Yonago Expressway
Okayama Expressway
Tottori Expressway

National highways[]

Route 2 (Osaka-Kobe-Himeji-Bizen-Okayama-Kurashiki-Asakuchi-Onomichi-Hiroshima-Shunan-Shimonoseki-Kitakyushu)
Route 30 (Okayama-Uno-Takamatsu
Route 53 (Okayama-Tsuyama-Tottori)
Route 179
Route 180 (Okayama-Takahashi-Niimi)
Route 181 (Tsuyama-Maniwa-Yonago-Yasugi-Matsue)
Route 182
Route 183
Route 250 (Okayama-Setouchi-Ako-Aioi-Takasago-Akashi)
Route 313 (Fukuyama-Takahashi-Maniwa-Kurayoshi)
Route 373
Route 374
Route 429
Route 430
Route 482 (Kyotango-Toyooka-Wakasa-Kagamino-Maniwa-Kofu of Tottori
Route 484

Airport[]

Okayama Airport

Culture[]

Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery)
Bizen Osafune/Bitchu Aoe swords

Association with Momotarō legend[]

Okayama Prefecture is closely associated with the folklore hero, Momotarō. This tale is said to have roots in the legendary story of Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto and Ura which explains that the Prince Ura of Kudara used to live in Kinojo (castle of the devil) and was a cause of trouble for the people living in the village. The emperor's government sent Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto (Momotarō) to defeat Ura. The city of Okayama holds an annual Momotarō-matsuri, or Momotarō Festival.^[4]^[11]

Sports[]

City Light Stadium.

The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama.

Soccer[]

Fagiano Okayama F.C. (Okayama city)
Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima F.C. (Kurashiki)

Volleyball[]

Okayama Seagulls (Okayama city)

Tourism[]

Okayama Korakuen Park and Okayama Castle

Hiruzen Plateau and Hiruzen Joyful Park in Maniwa

Hinase Island and Seto Inlandsea in Bizen

Some tourist attractions are:

Koraku-en Japanese garden in Okayama
Okayama Castle, Okayama
Ki Castle, Sōja
Shizutani School, Bizen
Bikan Historical Area (倉敷美観地区, Kurashiki Bikan Chiku), Kurashiki
Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, Takahashi
Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama
Bisei Astronomical Observatory (美星天文台, Bisei Tenmondai), Ibara Town (following dissolution of Bisei Town)
Maki-do Cave, in Niimi

Notable people[]

Shin Koyamada, Hollywood actor from The Last Samurai

Shin Koyamada, Hollywood actor^[12]
Yuko Arimori, marathon runner^[13]
Tesshō Genda, voice actor
Ryutaro Hashimoto, Hiranuma Kiichirō, Inukai Tsuyoshi, former Prime Ministers of Japan
Sen'ichi Hoshino, baseball manager
Koshi Inaba, singer
Ichiyo Izawa, pianist and former member of Tokyo Jihen
Shiro Kawase, Imperial Japanese Navy admiral
Yoshio Nishina, known as the Father of Physics in Japan
Yumeji Takehisa, famous and influential early 20th century artist
Sesshu Toyo, suiboku master
Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, boxer
Haruka Fukushima, manga artist
Masashi Kishimoto, manga artist and creator of Naruto^[14]
Seishi Kishimoto, manga artist
Daisuke Takahashi, Olympic figure skater
Dorlis, jazz musician
Miyamoto Musashi, samurai
Megumi Fujii, MMA Fighter
Masaki Kajishima, creator of Tenchi Muyo!
Morihiro Hashimoto, darts player

Notes[]

^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Okayama-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 745, p. 745, at Google Books; "Chūgoku" at p. 127, p. 127, at Google Books.
^ Nussbaum, "Okayama" at p. 745, p. 745, at Google Books.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Okayama Prefecture". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "岡山（県）" [Okayama Prefecture]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
^ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
^ Okayama official website Archived 2013-01-02 at the Wayback Machine accessed Nov. 2007
^ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. 1 April 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
^ Okayama 1995-2020 population statistics
^ Okayama 1920-2000 population statistics
^ "岡山県作陽高等学校". www.sakuyo-h.ed.jp. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
^ "Okayama History". Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
^ "Shin Koyamada's IMDB Biography". Archived from the original on 2013-03-27.
^ "Yuko Arimori's profile".
^ "Masashi Kishimoto's Biography on TV.com". Archived from the original on 2013-08-17.

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 website
Official tourism site
Official account's channel on YouTube
Geographic data related to Okayama Prefecture at OpenStreetMap

Coordinates: 34°42′N 133°51′E / 34.700°N 133.850°E / 34.700; 133.850

[1] Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Okayama-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 745, p. 745, at Google Books; "Chūgoku" at p. 127, p. 127, at Google Books.

[2] Nussbaum, "Okayama" at p. 745, p. 745, at Google Books.

[enc-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Okayama Prefecture". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved 2012-08-01.

[nipponika-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b "岡山（県）" [Okayama Prefecture]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved 2012-08-15.

[5] Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.

[6] Okayama official website Archived 2013-01-02 at the Wayback Machine accessed Nov. 2007

[7] "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. 1 April 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2015.

[8] Okayama 1995-2020 population statistics

[9] Okayama 1920-2000 population statistics

[10] "岡山県作陽高等学校". www.sakuyo-h.ed.jp. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.

[11] "Okayama History". Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.

[12] "Shin Koyamada's IMDB Biography". Archived from the original on 2013-03-27.

[13] "Yuko Arimori's profile".

[14] "Masashi Kishimoto's Biography on TV.com". Archived from the original on 2013-08-17.

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