Akita Prefecture (秋田県 Akita-ken)

Symbol of Akita Prefecture
Capital	Akita (city)
Region	Tohoku
Island	Honshu
Governor	Sukeshiro Terata
Area	11,612.11 km² (6th)
- % water	0.7%
Population (January 1, 2003)
- Population	1,174,905 (35th)
- Density	101 /km²
Districts	8
Municipalities	65
ISO 3166-2	JP-05
Web site	www.pref.akita.jp/e/
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Butterbur blossom (Petasites japonicus)
- Tree	Akita-sugi (Cryptomeria japonica)
- Bird	Copper pheasant (Phasianus soemmerringii)

Akita Prefecture (秋田県; Akita-ken) is located in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.

Contents

1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Cities 2.2 Districts 3 Economy 4 Demographics 5 Culture 6 Tourism 7 Prefectural symbols 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 External links

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).

Geography

Located in the north of Honshu 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.

Cities

• Akita (capital)
• Honjo
• Kazuno
• Noshiro
• Oga
• Odate
• Omagari
• Yokote
• Yuzawa

Samurai house in Kakunodate

Tazawako (Lake Tazawa)

Districts

Hiraka Hiraka Jumonji Masuda Omonogawa Omori Sannai Taiyu Kazuno Kosaka Kitaakita Aikawa Ani Hinai Kamikoani Moriyoshi Takanosu Tashiro Minamiakita Gojome Hachirogata Iitagawa Ikawa Ogata Showa Tennou Wakami Ogachi Higashinaruse Inakawa Minase Ogachi Ugo

Senboku Kakunodate Kamioka Kyowa Misato Nakasen Nangai Nishiki Nishisenboku Ota Senboku Tazawako Yamamoto Fujisato Futatsui Hachimori Hachiryu Kotoka Minehama Yamamoto Yuri Chokai Higashiyuri Iwaki Kisakata Konoura Nikaho Nishime Ouchi Yashima Yuri

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

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.

Economy

Like much of Tohoku, 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.

Demographics

Culture

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.

External Link: Links.net Akita - Travel Reporting (http://www.links.net/vita/trip/japan/akita/)

Prefectural symbols

Miscellaneous topics

External links

• Official Akita Prefecture homepage (http://www.pref.akita.jp/e/)
• Akita Weather Forecast (http://www.asinah.org/weather/RJSK.html)

de:Präfektur Akita es:Prefectura de Akita eo:Akita (prefektujo) fr:Préfecture d'Akita ja:秋田県 pt:Akita zh:秋田县