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]
Geographyedit
Map of Okayama Prefecture Government Ordinance Designated City City Town Village
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]
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]
Okayama Korakuen Park and Okayama CastleHiruzen Plateau and Hiruzen Joyful Park in ManiwaHinase Island and Seto Inlandsea in BizenBitchu Matsuyama Castle in Takahashi
^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.
^ abc. Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
^ ab [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 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. (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
^"Okayama (Japan): Prefecture, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de.
^"Japan Prefectures Population from 1920 and Area". www.demographia.com.
^"岡山県作陽高等学校". www.sakuyo-h.ed.jp. from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
^. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
okayama, prefecture, 岡山県, okayama, prefecture, japan, located, chūgoku, region, honshu, population, february, 2018, geographic, area, borders, tottori, prefecture, north, hyōgo, prefecture, east, hiroshima, prefecture, west, 岡山県prefecturejapanese, transcriptio. Okayama Prefecture 岡山県 Okayama ken is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chugoku 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 Prefecture 岡山県PrefectureJapanese transcription s Japanese岡山県 RōmajiOkayama kenA street in Okayama City Okayama Prefecture at nightFlagSymbolAnthem Okayama ken no utaCountry JapanRegionChugoku Sanyō IslandHonshuCapitalOkayamaSubdivisionsDistricts 10 Municipalities 27Government GovernorRyuta IbaragiArea Total7 114 50 km2 2 746 92 sq mi Rank17thPopulation February 1 2018 Total1 906 464 Rank21st Density270 km2 690 sq mi ISO 3166 codeJP 33Websitewww wbr pref wbr okayama wbr jpSymbols of JapanBirdLesser cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus FlowerPeach blossom Prunus persica var vulgaris TreeRed pine Pinus densiflora 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 Chugoku Mountains Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2 1 Cities 2 2 Towns and villages 2 3 Mergers 3 Demographics 4 Education 4 1 Universities 4 2 High schools 5 Transportation 5 1 Rail 5 2 Tramways 5 3 Roads 5 3 1 Expressways 5 3 2 National highways 5 4 Airport 6 Culture 6 1 Association with Momotarō legend 6 2 Arts 7 Sports 7 1 Football 7 2 Volleyball 7 3 Basketball 8 Tourism 9 Notable people 10 Notes 11 References 12 External linksHistory editSee also Historic Sites of Okayama Prefecture Prior to the Meiji Restoration of 1868 the area of present day Okayama Prefecture was divided between Bitchu 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 edit nbsp Map of Okayama Prefecture Government Ordinance Designated City City Town VillageOkayama 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 edit See also List of cities in Okayama Prefecture by population nbsp Okayama City nbsp Tsuyama nbsp Takahashi nbsp NiimiFifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture Name Area km2 Population MapRōmaji Kanji nbsp Akaiwa 赤磐市 209 43 44 498 nbsp nbsp Asakuchi 浅口市 66 46 35 022 nbsp nbsp Bizen 備前市 258 23 35 610 nbsp nbsp Ibara 井原市 243 36 41 460 nbsp nbsp Kasaoka 笠岡市 136 03 50 160 nbsp nbsp Kurashiki 倉敷市 355 63 483 576 nbsp nbsp Maniwa 真庭市 828 43 44 265 nbsp nbsp Mimasaka 美作市 429 19 28 502 nbsp nbsp Niimi 新見市 793 27 30 583 nbsp nbsp Okayama capital 岡山市 789 92 720 841 nbsp nbsp Setouchi 瀬戸内市 125 51 37 934 nbsp nbsp Sōja 総社市 212 67 059 nbsp nbsp Takahashi 高梁市 547 01 31 556 nbsp nbsp Tamano 玉野市 103 61 60 101 nbsp nbsp Tsuyama 津山市 506 36 102 294 nbsp Towns and villages edit These are the towns and villages in each district Name Area km2 Population District Type MapRōmaji Kanji nbsp Hayashima 早島町 7 62 12 671 Tsukubo District Town nbsp nbsp Kagamino 鏡野町 419 69 14 651 Tomata District Town nbsp nbsp Kibichuō 吉備中央町 268 73 11 989 Kaga District Town nbsp nbsp Kumenan 久米南町 78 65 4 962 Kume District Town nbsp nbsp Misaki 美咲町 232 15 17 776 Kume District Town nbsp nbsp Nagi 奈義町 69 54 5 861 Katsuta District Town nbsp nbsp Nishiawakura 西粟倉村 57 93 1 437 Aida District Village nbsp nbsp Satoshō 里庄町 12 23 11 204 Asakuchi District Town nbsp nbsp Shinjō 新庄村 67 1 951 Maniwa District Village nbsp nbsp Shōō 勝央町 54 09 11 237 Katsuta District Town nbsp nbsp Wake 和気町 144 21 14 191 Wake District Town nbsp nbsp Yakage 矢掛町 90 62 14 041 Oda District Town nbsp Mergers edit Main article List of mergers in Okayama PrefectureDemographics edit nbsp Okayama prefecture population pyramid in 2020Per Japanese census data 8 and 9 Okayama prefecture has had continual negative population growth since 2005 Historical populationYearPop 19201 218 000 19301 284 000 5 4 19401 329 000 3 5 19501 661 000 25 0 19601 670 000 0 5 19701 707 000 2 2 19801 871 000 9 6 19901 926 000 2 9 20001 950 828 1 3 20101 945 276 0 3 20201 920 739 1 3 Education editUniversities edit Okayama Okayama University Notre Dame Seishin University Okayama University of Science Okayama Shoka University Sanyo Gakuen University Shujitsu University Kurashiki Okayama Gakuin University Kurashiki Sakuyo University Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare Soja Okayama Prefectural University Tsuyama Mimasaka University Niimi Niimi Public UniversityHigh schools edit 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 SchoolTransportation edit nbsp JR Okayama Station nbsp Okayama Momotarō AirportRail edit JR West Sanyo Shinkansen Sanyo Line Hakubi Line Tsuyama Line Kibi Line Ako Line Uno Line Kishin Line Geibi Line Inbi Line JR West and JR Shikoku Seto Ōhashi Line Honshi bisan Line Chizu Express Ibara Railway Mizushima Rinkai RailwayTramways edit Okayama Electric TramwayRoads edit Expressways edit Sanyo Expressway Chugoku Expressway Seto Central Expressway Yonago Expressway Okayama Expressway Tottori ExpresswayNational highways edit 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 Kōfu of Tottori Route 484Airport edit Okayama AirportCulture editBizen yaki Bizen pottery Bizen Osafune Bitchu Aoe swordsAssociation with Momotarō legend edit 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 Arts edit Okayama Prefectural Museum Okayama Orient Museum Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art Hayashibara Museum of Art Yumeji Art Museum Okayama Symphony Hall Inryoji TempleSports edit nbsp City Light Stadium The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama Football edit Fagiano Okayama FC Okayama city Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima FC Kurashiki Volleyball edit Okayama Seagulls Okayama city Basketball edit Tryhoop Okayama B3 League Okayama city citation needed Tourism edit nbsp Okayama Korakuen Park and Okayama Castle nbsp Hiruzen Plateau and Hiruzen Joyful Park in Maniwa nbsp Hinase Island and Seto Inlandsea in Bizen nbsp Bitchu Matsuyama Castle in TakahashiSome 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 NiimiNotable people editYuko Arimori born 1996 marathon runner 12 Kenji Doihara 1883 1948 army officer Tesshō Genda born 1948 voice actor Morihiro Hashimoto 1977 2017 darts player Naoki Hoshino 1892 1978 politician Koshi Inaba born 1964 singer Masaki Kajishima born 1962 creator of Tenchi Muyo Shiro Kawase 1889 1946 admiral Sadahiko Miyake 1891 1956 general Chiura Obata 1885 1975 artist Mori Takashi former member of Gentouki Yōji Takikawa born 1949 pedagogist Mutsuo Toi 1917 1938 perpetrator of the Tsuyama massacre Inukai Tsuyoshi 1855 1932 former Prime Minister of Japan Jiro Watanabe born 1955 boxer Takeo Yasuda 1889 1964 lieutenant general Eisuke Yoshiyuki 1906 1940 author Fujii Kaze born 1997 singerNotes edit Nussbaum Louis Frederic 2005 Okayama ken in Japan Encyclopedia p 745 p 745 at Google Books Chugoku at p 127 p 127 at Google Books Nussbaum Okayama at p 745 p 745 at Google Books 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 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 Japan Prefecture Major Cities amp Towns Population Statistics Maps Charts Weather and Web Information www citypopulation de Japan Prefectures Population from 1920 and Area www demographia com 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 Yuko Arimori s profile References editNussbaum Louis Frederic and Kathe Roth 2005 Japan Encyclopedia Cambridge Harvard University Press ISBN 978 0 674 01753 5 OCLC 58053128 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Okayama prefecture nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Okayama prefecture Official website Official tourism site Official account s channel on YouTube nbsp Geographic data related to Okayama Prefecture at OpenStreetMap 34 42 N 133 51 E 34 700 N 133 850 E 34 700 133 850 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Okayama Prefecture amp oldid 1184178461, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
