Akita Prefecture

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**Akita Prefecture (秋田県 *Akita-ken*)**
Image:Japan Akita large.png
Capital	Akita (city)
Region	Tōhoku
Island	Honshū
Governor	Sukeshiro Terata
Area	11,612.11 km² (6^th)
- % water	0.7%
Population (January 1, 2003)
- Population	1,174,905 (35^th)
- Density	101 /km²
Districts	6
Municipalities	25
ISO 3166-2	JP-05
Website	www.pref.akita.jp/e/
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Butterbur blossom (Petasites japonicus)
- Tree	Akita-sugi (Cryptomeria japonica)
- Bird	Copper pheasant (Phasianus soemmerringii)
Symbol of Akita Prefecture

Akita Prefecture (秋田県, Akita-ken^?) is located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Economy
4 Culture
5 Tourism
6 Medias
- 6.1 Television
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

The famous Heian period waka poet, Ono no Komachi, is said to have been born here (but the true location of her birth is uncertain).

[edit] Geography

Image:AkitaMapCurrent.png Located in the north of Honshū Island, Akita Prefecture faces the Sea of Japan in the west and is bordered by Aomori in the north, Iwate in the east, Miyagi in the south east, and Yamagata in the south.

Akita Prefecture is rectangular in shape, roughly 181 km from north to south and 111 km from west to east. The Ou Mountains mark the eastern border of the prefecture, and the higher Dewa Mountains run parallel through the center of the prefecture. Like much of northern Japan, the prefecture has cold winters, particularly away from the sea.

The Oga Peninsula is a prominent feature of the coastline.

[edit] Cities

Thirteen cities are located in Akita Prefecture:

[edit] Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district.

[edit] Mergers

(as of March 27, 2006)

Main article: Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan

The town of Misato in Senboku District was formed on November 1 2004 from the merger of the village Sennan and the towns Rokugou and Senhata.

A former district, Kawabe including the towns of Kawabe and Yuwa, merged into the city of Akita on January 11 2005.

The city of Kita-Akita was founded on March 22 2005 from the merger of the former towns of Aikawa, Ani, Moriyoshi, and Takanosu, all from Kita-Akita District.

On March 22 2005, city of Omagari merged with the towns of Kamioka, Nishisenboku, Nakasen, Kyowa, Senboku, Ota, and the village of Nangai from Senboku District to form the new city of Daisen

On March 22 2005 the city of Yurihonjo was formed from the merger of the former city of Honjo and the former town of Chōkai, Higashiyuri, Iwaki, Nishime, Ōuchi, Yashima and Yuri.

On March 22 2005, the towns of Tennō, Iitagawa and Shōwa merged together to form the city of Katagami.

On March 22 2005, the city of Yuzawa was formed from the merger of the old city of Yuzawa and the village of Minase, and the towns of Inakawa, and Ogachi.

On March 22 2005, the city of Oga was formed from the merger of the old city of Oga town of Wakami.

On June 20 2005, the towns of Hinai and Tashiro were merged into the city of Ōdate.

On September 20 2005 the city of Senboku was formed from the merger of Kakunodate, Tazawako, and Nishiki.

On October 1 2005, the towns of Hiraka, Jūmonji, Masuda, Omonogawa, Ōmori, and the villages of Sannai, and Taiyū merged with the old city of Yokote to form the new city of Yokote.

On October 1 2005, the town of Nikaho merged with the towns of Kisakata and Konoura to form the city of Nikaho. With this merger, Yuri District was dissolved.

On March 20 2006, the municipalities of Hachiryu, Kotoka, and Yamamoto (all from Yamamoto District) merged together to form the new town of Mitane.

On March 21 2006, the city of Noshiro merged with the town of Futasui from Yamamoto District to form the new city of Noshiro.

On March 27 2006, the municipalities of Hachimori and Minehama from Yamamoto District merged to form the new town of Happo.

More information on merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan.

[edit] Economy

Like much of Tōhoku, Akita's economy remains dominated by traditional industries, such as agriculture, fishing, and forestry. This has led many young people to migrate to Tokyo and other large cities. Akita is famous for its Sake breweries.

[edit] Culture

Akita is renowned for having the highest consumption of sake in Japan.<ref>The Appellation System for Sake in Akita Prefecture and Development Program for Akita Shun-ginjo, Kyuichi Saito, Journal of the Brewing Society of Japan; Vol. 87, No.11, 1992</ref>

[edit] Tourism

Near Lake Tazawa, there are a number of hot springs resorts (onsen), these are popular with tourists from all over Japan. In addition there are a number of seasonal festivals (matsuri) which offer a glimpse of rural or traditional Japan.

Kakunodate is a particularly charming old town, full of preserved samurai houses. The Aoyagi house is the former residence of Odano Naotake, the man who illustrated Japan's first modern guide to the human anatomy. The house is now a museum and gallery of medical illustrations and traditional crafts.