Note/Disclaimer: This is a post that is meant to give a quick overview of some of Tochigi and not full detail of everything. Tochigi is much like a state in the US with a rich past, present, and future to come. I can’t possibly cover everything and getting the tip of everything would be a book. As I learn Japanese better I will fill this in more.

Name: Tochigi
Island: Honshū
Population: 2,011,313
Capital: Utsunomiya
Major Cities: Ashikaga, Kanuma, Mōka, Nasukarasuyama, Nasushiobara, Nikkō, Ōtawara, Oyama, Sakura, Sano, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Yaita

History

The late 7th century, Tochigi formed Shimotsuke Province. During which time Shimotsuke-Yakushi temple was built, making it the Buddhist capital of the Kanto Region.

In the early 15th century, Ashikaga University was re-established, holding over 3000 students by the 16th century. It is the oldest “university/college” in Japan. Saint Francis Xavier introduced Ashikaga to the world as the best university in Japan.

In the late 19th century the Tokugawa Shogunate fell and the new government established the prefectures. The prefectural capital was established in the city of Tochigi after the unification of Utsunomiya Prefecture and Tochigi Prefecture in 1873. However the capital was transferred to Utsunomiya.

Culture

Tochigi has many traditional festivals and events such as Nikkō Tōshō-gū’s 1000 Samurai Procession and Horseback Archery Festival, and the city of Tochigi’s Autumn Festival where doll floats are pulled around the city once every five years.

Climate

The climate of Tochigi may be classified as a humid temperate zone with broad variations in temperature. Winters are arid with dry winds, while summers are humid with frequent thunderstorms.

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So I was leisurely flying around Tokyo area and decided to snap some picture that were kind of interesting.  One thing that I ended up getting images of are schools.  There are A LOT of schools so I snapped a few of them to show.  I think they are kind of interesting.  Also, when I say there are A LOT I mean there are A LOT. Take a look for yourself.

I know the images are a little wide for my theme, but I didn’t want to spoil the full size so I went with the larger size anyway.

Now if you know me I am from middle of United States and haven’t left my house so I thought I should explain how I was able to fly around Japan.   It is truely amazing how many people don’t know about Maps.Bing.com (also known as live maps or Virtual Earth). Virtual Earth released pretty much about the same time as Google Maps, but like a couple of weeks after.  What is more interesting is a lot of the features Google Maps now has Virtual Earth started with.  At first Microsoft created http://preview.local.live.com. That is basically Street View which Google has, but was created long before Google did theirs.  However, Microsoft scrapped it due to privacy issues.  At the same time they were experimenting with Birds Eye View which is less invasive and allows Areal shots at an angle for you to figure out streets and buildings etc.  Microsoft hired pilots to criss-cross the skys snapping pictures at 45 degree angles all over the world, and they are constantly adding more cities to the database.

That is a brief summary of how I was able to fly around Tokyo from home, and a bit of technology history of which probably no one cares, but I find very interesting.  So now for the pictures.

Here is a picture of Toys R Us in Japan. This was amazing tome because i never thought there would be one in Japan. I never know it was an international store. Also even more amazing when I first hit birds eye view this is what popped up.

Here is an image of an industrial place that if i didn’t know I was looking at Japan I would never have known. Just goes to show we aren’t all that different.

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Note/Disclaimer: This is a post that is meant to give a quick overview of some of Kanagawa and not full detail of everything. Kanagawa is much like a state in the US with a rich past, present, and future to come. I can’t possibly cover everything and getting the tip of everything would be a book.

Name: Kanagawa
Island: Honshū
Population: 8,965,000
Capital: Yokohama
Major Cities: Atsugi, Ayase, Chigasaki, Ebina, Fujisawa, Hadano, Hiratsuka, Isehara, Kamakura, Kawasaki, Minamiashigara, Miura, Odawara, Sagamihara, Yamato, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Zama, Zushi

History

Kanagawa prefecture has a history going back to the prehistoric age. You can find over 7500 different prehistoric sites in the area from shell and tomb mounds to tunnel tombs. It is considered to be a great place to settle for the ancient peoples of japan because it faces two different bays and has two different mountain ranges towards the inland. It has the best of both worlds and with its mild climate it makes it easy to settle there.

Kanagawa was at the hear to the opening of Japan to the western world. For many years the west came to Kanagawa’s shores and demanded japan open up so they could trade. For a long time japan stuck with its strict seclusion policies, but finally when American Navy officer Commodore Matthew Perry came Japan finally caved and signed the Treaty of Peace and Amity which opened up Japan to the rest of the world.

Essentially Kanagawa was taken down 3 times from earthquake to the Manchurian Incident, and finally by Air Raids in the late 1940′s during World War II. However, through all that Kanagawa became a hot spot for growth of the western culture and modernization of Japan the area grew rapidly in numbers and in wealth. This was a place where many democratic reforms took place and a lot of social changes were made some for the best some not. Overall Kanagawa has one of the most interesting histories in Japan.

Culture

I am sorry to say that I am going to ahve to do this in a seperate post at a later date.  I think I found a couple of good sites, but they are in Japanese and my skills aren’t on par to be able to read them yet.  As I learn more I will post on this.  I am truely sorry.

Climate

Kanagawa has a mild climate because of the mountain ranges to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. They kind of fight each other to keep the area in a mild state year round. The avreage tempurature is 16.1C (61 F) with the highest at 35C (95F) and lowest at -0.5C (31.1F).

Interesting Facts

Kanagawa has 6 sports teams

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Note/Disclaimer: This is a post that is meant to give a quick overview of some of Saitama and not full detail of everything. Saitama is much like a state in the US with a rich past, present, and future to come. I can’t possibly cover everything and getting the tip of everything would be a book.

Name: Saitama
Island: Honshū
Population: 6,938,006
Capital: Saitama
Major Cities: Ageo, Asaka, Chichibu, Fujimi, Fujimino, Fukaya, Gyōda, Hannō, Hanyū, Hasuda, Hatogaya, Hidaka, Higashimatsuyama, Honjō, Iruma, Kasukabe, Kawagoe, Kawaguchi, Kazo, Kitamoto, Kōnosu, Koshigaya, Kuki, Kumagaya, Misato, Niiza, Okegawa, Saitama, Sakado, Satte, Sayama, Shiki, Sōka, Toda, Tokorozawa, Tsurugashima, Wakō, Warabi, Yashio, Yoshikawa

History

Historically the Saitama land was very fertial and allowed for lots of farming to help provide a majority of the food for the kanto region. However, recently with the growth of Tokyo Siatama has become more of a suburb of Tokyo, but is a major player in that they have several connections directly to downtown Tokyo which helps them. The population has tripled since 1960 for this reason.

Culture

Chichibu Night Festival This festival is held by Chichibu Shrine annually on 2 December and 3 December, and has been held for more than 300 years. It is famous for the parade of six traditional wooden floats , and is counted as one of the three big traditional float festivals in Japan.

Kobaton is the prefectural mascot, a Eurasian collared dove, which is also the prefectural bird. Kobaton was made originally as the mascot of the fifty- ninth annual national athletic meeting held in the prefecture in 2004, and was inaugurated as mascot of the prefecture in 2005 with an inauguration ceremony and a letter of appointment from the governor. A wheelchair-using version of Kobaton also exists.

Climate

The prefectures has a fairly stable climate through out the year, but in some areas can get really hot. The temperature easily stays around the same level year round.

Interesting Facts

There is a John Lennon museum
Home to 6 Sports Teams
Saitama has 5 Sister Relationships

Note: this was a difficult prefecture to research because of its proximity to Tokyo makes finding good information difficult in the English speaking world. As I learn more Japanese i can come back and fill in this info with other posts with more detail.

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Note/Disclaimer: This is a post that is meant to give a quick overview of some of Ibaraki and not full detail of everything. Ibaraki is much like a state in the US with a rich past, present, and future to come. I can’t possibly cover everything and getting the tip of everything would be a book.

Name: Ibaraki
Island: Honshū
Population: 2,985,424
Capital: Mito
Major Cities: Bandō, Chikusei, Hitachi, Hitachinaka, Hitachiōmiya, Hitachiōta, Hokota, Inashiki, Ishioka, Itako, Jōsō, Kamisu, Kasama Kashima, Kasumigaura, Kitaibaraki, Koga, Moriya, Naka, Namegata, Omitama, Ryūgasaki, Sakuragawa, Shimotsuma, Takahagi, Toride, Tsuchiura, Tsukuba, Tsukubamirai, Ushiku, Yūki

History

Ibakarki was important in the Edo Period because of its close proximity and was a transportation hub since it was so close to Edo. In the Tokugawa Era it flourished as the center of local politics, economy and culture since the feudal clan was in Mito.

The current government established Ibaraki Prefecture as it is today in 1871 after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and its finally size was determined in 1875. Since then the prefecture has had many successes in agriculture, industry, science and technology.

Culture

Ibaraki has diverse and rich cultural heritage which is a reason why many people seek the arts in Ibaraki. Some of the famous foods from this Ibaraki are fermented soy beans (natto), and the watermelons produced in Kyowa.
They also have a rich martial arts and religious background with Kashima shrine as on of the three famous shrines in easter Japan, and the founder of Akido living there and his dojo still active teaching this form of martial arts.

Climate

The average temperature in Ibaraki Prefecture is around 13.3ºC (55ºF). With an average rainfall in of around 1,439 mm (56.65 in).

Interesting Facts

• The tallest mountain is Mt. Yamizo 1,022m high
• Longest river is Tone River 133.96 km long
• 3 Soccer teams and 1 volleyball team are based in Ibaraki

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History

The TV Tower was built in 1957 and cost 170 Million Yen. (Approximately 1,700,000 USD) It is used as a repeater which is an antenna that receives a signal boosts it and pushes it back out to another area. It isn’t a main broadcast tower.

The signature digital clocks on all 4 sides were introduced in 1961 to draw attention to the tower and the town, and seemed to work. It was installed 65 meters up so all could see it easy. Amazingly it has only had to be fixed 2 times in 1998 and 2006.

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Note/Disclaimer: This is a post that is meant to give a quick overview of some of Gunma and not full detail of everything. Gunma is much like a state in the US with a rich past, present, and future to come. I can’t possibly cover everything and getting the tip of everything would be a book.

Name: Gunma
Island: Honshū
Population: 2,014,608
Capital: Maebashi
Major Cities: Annaka, Fujioka Isesaki, Kiryū, Midori, Numata, Ōta, Shibukawa, Takasaki, Tatebayashi, Tomioka

History

The Nitta clan, made up of Samurai, were the driving force in shaping society in the early recorded days of the Gunma area. However, they fell to the Kamakura shogunate and soon became a dominant area for clans to battle over territory disputs about the area. Finally the Tokugawa Shogunate succeeded in reunifying the nation and saw the Gunma area (aka Kozuke District) as a strategically important area because it was a transportation hub of the region and refused let the local feudal lords run the area.

Gunma Prefecture officially became Gunma Prefecture in 1871. The main industry was sericulture and silk. Plus it continued to be a main area of transportation of the region and helped it to modernize quickly. Several rails and highways from across Japan go right through Gunma Prefecture making it an ideal place for industry.

Culture

Gunma’s modern industries include transport equipment and electrical equipment, concentrated around Maebashi and the eastern region nearest Tokyo. More traditional industries include sericulture and agriculture. Gunma’s major agricultural products include cabbages and konjacs. Gunma produces 90% of Japan’s konjacs, and two-thirds of the farms in the village of Tsumagoi are cabbage farms. Also, the city of Ōta is famous for car industry, notably the Subaru factory.

Gunma also has a lot of festivals to enjoy throughout the year. It seems that Gunma loves to celebrate just about anything. Here is a list of their major festivals.

• Shorinzan Daruma-ichi/Shorinzan Daruma Fair [Takasaki City]
• Harukoma Matsuri/Harukoma Festival [Kawaba Village]
• Ohinagayu/Doll Festival [Ueno Village]
• Ansei Toashi/Ansei Marathon [Annaka City & Matsuida Town]
• Himuro no Sekku/Seasonal Festival [Kusatsu Town]
• Maebashi Tanabata Festival/The Star Festival [Maebashi City]
• Numata Matsuri/Numata Festival [Numata City]
• Kiryu Yagibushi Matsuri/Kiryu Yagibushi Festival [Kiryu City]
• Hitoboshi/Fire-lighting Festival [Nanmoku Village]
• Yassa Matsuri/Yassa Festival [Minakami Town]
• Kanto Kikka Taikai/Kanto Chrysanthemums Exhibition [Ota City]

Climate

In the plains of the south there is a lot of rain in the summer with little in the winter. However, in the north there is a lot during winter and summer. There is also kara-kaze or ‘The Dry Winds’ which is a strong dry wind that is in the winter when the snow falls during the winter.

March-May : 13.1 C
June-August : 24.7 C
September-November : 17.4 C
December-February : 5.9 C

Interesting Facts

The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.
Japan was without horses until around the early centuries AD, and present-day Gunma was a center of the horse breeding and trading activities when continental peoples and Japanese began a strong trade in the animals.
The first modern silk factories were built with Italian and French assistance at Annaka in the 1870s.

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Note/Disclaimer: This is a post that is meant to give a quick overview of some of Niigata and not full detail of everything. Niigata is much like a state in the US with a rich past, present, and future to come. I can’t possibly cover everything and getting the tip of everything would be a book.

Name: Niigata
Island: Honshū
Population: 2,444,108
Capital: Niigata
Major Cities: Agano, Gosen, Itoigawa, Jōetsu, Kamo, Kashiwazaki, Minamiuonuma, Mitsuke, Murakami, Myōkō, Nagaoka, Ojiya, Sado, Sanjō, Shibata, Tainai, Tōkamachi, Tsubame, Uonuma

History

People have inhabited the Niigata area since the Jōmon period. Niigata prefecture was originally Echigo Province and Sado Province until the Meiji Restoration after the Han System was done away with and the two combined or merged as is the common terminology. A fortress was built in the area in AD 647; however, the area did not rise in importance until the 16th century when a port was built there.  The city of Niigata is the most important city currently situated on the Sea of Japan. Trade with Russia and Korea was done through this port and was one of the first Sea of Japan ports opened to foreign trade. Niigata prospered as a port town and became one of the five ports that were open for international trade in the Japan-U.S. Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1868.In 1965 the Agano River running through Niigata was polluted with methylmercury from the chemical plant of the Showa Electrical Company. Upwards of 690 people exhibited symptoms of Minamata disease and the outbreak became known as Niigata Minamata disease.

Culture

The primary and historically most important source of income in Niigata Prefecture is rice farming, with Niigata as the second ranking producer after Hokkaido of rice in Japan. Other rice industries including the sake, arare, senbei, and mocha industries are well known in Niigata, with Niigata sake ranking third in the country for production after Kyoto and Gunma. Additionally, Koi were originated in Niigata and are still bred and sold from here.

In addition agricultural industry, Niigata is well known for its crude oil sources, with multiple companies that produce kerosene heaters here as well. Metal manufacturing is also prominent with Tsubame and Sanjo especially providing a lot of the silverware used in Japan, along with wrenches and scissors.

Climate

There is a lot of humidity in the winter that helps to bring good snow and is probably why it is the first place to have skiing in Japan. On the downside during the summer it gets hotter than other parts of Japan and the humidity just makes it feed worse.

Average annual Temperature is 14.7 C
Average High Temp 30.2
Average Low Temp 0.0

Interesting Facts

In 1885, Niigata was the most populous prefecture, beating out even Tokyo and Osaka prefecture. However, according to the 2003 census Niigata ranks as the 14th most populous.
Joetsu is the home to Japan’s first vineyard.
Nagaoka was home to the first drive-through restaurant in Japan.
Shirone in Niigata City was the first place to grow Western pears in Japan.
Joetsu is the original birthplace of the Japanese postal service.
Snow skiing was first introduced into Japan in the Joetsu region.
In July 2007, another earthquake, measuring 6.9 on Richter scale rocked Niigata prefecture

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Note/Disclaimer: This is a post that is meant to give a quick overview of some of Fukushima and not full detail of everything. Fukushima is much like a state in the US with a rich past, present, and future to come. I can’t possibly cover everything and getting the tip of everything would be a book.

Name: Fukushima
Island: Honshū
Population: 2,119,218
Capital: Fukushima
Major Cities: Aizuwakamatsu, Date, Iwaki, Kitakata, Kōriyama, Minamisōma, Motomiya, Nihonmatsu, Shirakawa, Sōma, Sukagawa

History

To start there is a very interesting history regarding Boy’s Corps of Nhinmatsu and the Byakko-tai which I recommend reading, but is to much to talk about here to do it justice. Around the start of the Meiji Period government did away with the clan system and started the prefecture system we see in use today. The 11 clan territories in Fukushima were replaced with 3 smaller prefectures (Fukushima, Wakamatsu, Iwamae) but later were merged into today’s Fukushima Prefecture. During the Meiji Period railways were built through out Japan and especially helped Fukushima become prosperous and quickly became a place of power, literally. The coal fields and natural lakes helped them to produce coal based power modern equipment for coal mining and burning to help supply most of Tokyo area its power. The hydro electric plants in the area keep it a strong force in energy production of the region. The pace of prefectural development was so rapid that in 1899 the Bank of Japan selected the prefecture as the location for its first branch in the Tohoku region.

Culture

Legend has it that an ogress, Adachigahara, once roamed the plain after whom it was named. The Adachigahara plain lies close to the city of Fukushima.

Climate

Fukushima has a number of characteristics of an inland climate. The average annual temperature ranges from 12C (53.6 F) to 14C (57.2 F), and seasonal differences in temperature are considerably great. The annual precipitation is about 39 inches. Rainfall is heavy in June but light in February.

Interesting Facts

Kitakata is well known for its distinctive Kitakata ramen and well-preserved traditional storehouse buildings, while Ouchijuku in the town of Shimogo retains numerous thatched buildings from the Edo Period.
Fukushima is home to Hideyo Noguchi, the doctor who contributed to knowledge in the fight against syphilis and yellow fever.
Japan created the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize in Hideyo Noguchi’s honor with the first award given in May 2008.
In 1888, a natural catastrophe stunned the people of Fukushima. Mt. Bandai, a volcano, suddenly erupted, destroying three villages and killing some 500 people. Rocks and muddy debris from the explosions and landslides blocked the Hibara and Nagase rivers, creating the Bandai Plateau with over 100 lakes, ponds and marshes of various size.

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Note/Disclaimer: This is a post that is meant to give a quick overview of some of Yamgata and not full detail of everything. Yamagata is much like a state in the US with a rich past, present, and future to come. I can’t possibly cover everything and getting the tip of everything would be a book.

Name: Yamgata
Island: Honshū
Population: 1,223,000
Capital: Yamagata
Major Cities: Higashine, Kaminoyama, Murayama, Nagai, Nan’yō, Obanazawa, Sagae, Sakata, Shinjō, Tendō, Tsuruoka, Yonezawa

History

The aboriginal Ezo people once inhabited the area now known as Yamagata. During the Heian Period, the Fujiwara family ruled the area. Yamagata City flourished during the Edo Period due to its status as a castle town and post station, famous for beni (red safflower dye used in the production of handspun silk). In 1649, the famous haiku poet, Matsuo Bashō visited Yamagata during his five-month trip to the northern regions of Japan. Yamagata, with Akita Prefecture, composed Dewa Province until the Meiji Restoration.

Culture

There are several festivals in Yamagata every year. The first weekend in August is the largest festival in Yamagata, hanagasa matsuri. Thousands of peopel perform the hanagasa dance at the center of the capital and attracts up to 300,000 spectators. The second festival is in February which is the snow lantern festival. Usually hundreds of candle-lit lanterns light the pathways dug into the snow around Uesugi Shring in Yonezawa. Finally, in Yonezawa also holds the Uesugi Festival to re-enact the battle of Kawanakajima.

Climate

The climate of Yamagata Prefecture is characterized by long hot humid summers and long snowy winters. Both spring and autumn are short, the former often cold, the latter often warm, but both quite dry and sunny. Winter temperatures rarely fall below -10C in populated areas; they frequently rise above 30C in July and August. Precipitation falls all year round and the remnants of one or perhaps two typhoons usually pass through between August and October. The winters see heavy snowfall especially at higher elevations, though the Japan Sea coast (Sakata) is milder and has more rain. Snowfall for Shinjo is typical of populated mountaneous areas, snowfall for Yamagata City typical of the valleys. The central mountains around Gassan may see as much as 3000 cm of snow in a season with depths up to 8 metres at higher elevations.

Interesting Facts

Yamagata has to sports teams Montedio Yamagata (soccer) and Pioneer Red Wings (volleyball)
Yamagata has the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
Yamagata Prefecture is also known for its local dialect Yamagata-ben, sometimes thought of as backward sounding and the butt of jokes in other parts of Japan

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