Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県, Shizuoka-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [ɕi.(d)zɯꜜ.o.ka, ɕi.(d)zɯ.o.kaꜜ.keɴ]) 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.
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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 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 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.
Cities
23 cities are located in Shizuoka Prefecture:
Towns
These are the towns in each district:
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.
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. Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki all have their roots in Shizuoka prefecture and are still manufacturing here. Thanks to this, Shizuoka prefecture 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 prefecture 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
Enshū Railway
Gakunan Railway
Izuhakone Railway
Daiyūzan Line
Sunzu Line
Izukyū
JR Central
Tōkaidō Shinkansen
Iida Line
Gotenba Line
Minobu Line
Tōkaidō Line (Atami–Toyohashi)
JR East
Tōkaidō Line (Atami–Odawara)
Itō Line
Ōigawa Railway
Shizuoka Railway
Tenryū Hamanako Railroad
Roads
Chūbu-Ōdan Expressway
Izu-Jūkan Expressway
San-en Nanshin Expressway
Shin-Tōmei Expressway
Tōmei Expressway
Fujinomiya Road
Nishi-Fuji Road
Shizuoka East-West Road
Shizuoka South-North Road
West Fuji Road (not a toll road anymore as of 2012)
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 (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
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
Museums
Museum of Natural and Environmental History, Shizuoka
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
Notable people
Motoo Kimura (木村 資生, 1924–1994), biologist and theoretical population geneticist, died in Shizuoka Prefecture