Aichi Prefecture

Overview

Nagoya is the capital and largest city of Aichi Prefecture, and the fourth-largest city in Japan. Other major cities include Toyota, Okazaki, and Ichinomiya. Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya form the core of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, the third-largest metropolitan area in Japan and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. Aichi Prefecture is located on Japan's Pacific Ocean coast and forms part of the Tōkai region, a subregion of the Chūbu region and Kansai region. Aichi Prefecture is home to the Toyota Motor Corporation. Aichi Prefecture had many locations with the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, the Chubu Centrair International Airport, and the Legoland Japan Resort.

Geography

Located near the centre of the Japanese main island of Honshu, Aichi Prefecture faces the Ise and Mikawa Bays to the south and borders Shizuoka Prefecture to the east, Nagano Prefecture to the northeast, Gifu Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture to the west. It measures 106 km (66 mi) east to west and 94 km (58 mi) south to north and forms a major portion of the Nōbi Plain. With an area of 5,172.48 square kilometres (1,997.11 sq mi) it accounts for approximately 1.36% of the total surface area of Japan. The highest spot is Chausuyama at 1,415 m (4,642 ft) above sea level.

The western part of the prefecture is dominated by Nagoya, Japan's third largest city, and its suburbs, while the eastern part is less densely populated but still contains several major industrial centres. Due to its robust economy, for the period from October 2005 to October 2006, Aichi was the fastest growing prefecture in terms of population, beating Tokyo, at 7.4% and around with after Saitama Prefecture.

As of 1 April 2012, 23% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Aichi Kōgen, Hida-Kisogawa, Mikawa Wan, and Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Parks along with seven Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Thirty-eight cities are located in Aichi Prefecture.

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Demographics

As of 2001, Aichi Prefecture's population was 50.03% male and 49.97% female. 139,540 residents (nearly 2% of the population) are of foreign nationality.

History

Originally, the region was divided into two provinces of Owari and Mikawa. After the Meiji Restoration, Owari and Mikawa were united into a single entity. In 1871, after the abolition of the han system, Owari, with the exception of the Chita Peninsula, was established as Nagoya Prefecture, while Mikawa combined with the Chita Peninsula and formed Nukata Prefecture. Nagoya Prefecture was renamed to Aichi Prefecture in April 1872 and was united with Nukata Prefecture on 27 November of the same year.

The government of Aichi Prefecture is located in the Aichi Prefectural Government Office in Nagoya, which is the old capital of Owari. The Aichi Prefectural Police and its predecessor organisations have been responsible for law enforcement in the prefecture since 1871.

The Expo 2005 World Exposition was held in Seto and Nagakute.

Etymology

In the third volume of the Man'yōshū there is a poem by Takechi Kurohito that reads: "The cry of the crane, calling to Sakurada; it sounds like the tide, draining from Ayuchi flats, hearing the crane cry". Ayuchi is the original form of the name Aichi, and the Fujimae tidal flat is all that remains of the earlier Ayuchi-gata. It is now a protected area.

For a time, an Aichi Station existed on the Kansai Line (at the time the Kansai Railway) between Nagoya and Hatta stations, but its role was overtaken by Sasashima-raibu Station on the Aonami Line and Komeno Station on the Kintetsu Nagoya Line.

Economy

Gross domestic product (2018) is the second largest in Japan, the shipment value of manufactured goods (2018) is the first in Japan, annual product sales (2019) is the third largest in Japan, and its agricultural output (2018) is eighth in Japan. Aichi's agriculture industry and commerce are all ranked high in Japan, and the industrial structure is well-balanced.

Main industry

Aerospace Industry

Automotive industry

Ceramics Industry

Steel, Alloy steel Industry

Companies headquartered in Aichi include the following.

Companies such as Fuji Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Motors, Pfizer, Sony, Suzuki, Bodycote, and Volkswagen Group also operate plants or branch offices in Aichi.

International relations

Transport

Rail

JR Central

Tokaido Shinkansen

■Tokaido Line

■Chūō Main Line

■Kansai Line

■Taketoyo Line

■Iida Line

Meitetsu

NH Nagoya Line

IY Inuyama Line

KM Komaki Line

TA Centrair Line

TA Tokoname Line

ST Seto Line

TK Toyokawa Line

GN Gamagori Line

TT Toyota Line

KC Chita Line

MU MY Mikawa Line

TB Bisai Line

CH Chikko Line

TB Tsushima Line

Kintetsu

E Nagoya Line

Aonami Line

Nagoya Municipal Subway

Higashiyama Line

Meijo Line

Tsurumai Line (connecting to Meitetsu Toyota and Inuyama Line)

People movers and tramways

Linimo

Nagoya Guideway Bus

Toyohashi Railroad

Road

Expressways and toll roads

National highways

Airports

Chubu Centrair International Airport

Nagoya Airfield

Ports

Kinuura Port – Handa and Hekinan

Mikawa Port – mainly automobile and car parts export and part of inport base

Nagoya Port – International Container hub and ferry route to Sendai and Tomakomai, Hokkaido

Education

Universities

National universities

Aichi University of Education

Graduate University for Advanced Studies - Okazaki Campus (National Institute for Basic Biology, Japan, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Japan)

Nagoya Institute of Technology

Nagoya University

Toyohashi University of Technology

Public universities

Aichi Prefectural University

Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts

Nagoya City University

Private universities

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Aichi.

Baseball

Central League

Chunichi Dragons (Nagoya)

Soccer

J.League

Nagoya Grampus (Nagoya and Toyota)

JFL

FC Maruyasu Okazaki (Okazaki)

Tokai Regional League

FC Kariya (Kariya)

L.League

NGU Loveledge Nagoya (Nagoya)

Basketball

B.League

Aisin AW Areions Anjo (Anjō)

Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (Nagoya)

SAN-EN NeoPhoenix (Toyohashi and Hamamatsu)

SeaHorses Mikawa (Kariya)

Toyotsu Fighting Eagles Nagoya (Nagoya)

Volleyball

V.League

Denso Airybees (Nishio)

JTEKT Stings (Kariya)

Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza (Inazawa)

Toyota Auto Body Queenseis (Kariya)

Rugby

Japan Rugby League One

Shuttles Aichi (Kariya)

Toyota Verblitz (Toyota)

Futsal

F.League

Nagoya Oceans (Nagoya)

Football

X-League

Aichi Golden Wings (Nagoya and Toyota)

Kirix Toyota Bull Fighters (Toyota)

Nagoya Cyclones (Nagoya)

AFL

Nagoya Redbacks Australian Football Club (AFL Japan) (Nagoya)

Tourism

Notable sites in Aichi include the Meiji Mura open-air architectural museum in Inuyama, which preserves historic buildings from Japan's Meiji and Taishō periods, including the reconstructed lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright's old Imperial Hotel (which originally stood in Tokyo from 1923 to 1967).

Other popular sites in Aichi include the tour of Toyota car factory in the city by the same name, the monkey park in Inuyama, and the castles in Nagoya, Okazaki, Toyohashi, and Inuyama.

Aichi Prefecture has many wonderful beaches. For example, Himakajima Beach, Shinojima Beach, Akabane Beach and Utsumi Beach.

Notable people from Aichi

Kato Cocoro (born 2000), singer, member of Me:I

Mei Ehara, singer-songwriter, filmmaker, designer and artist.

Suzuki Ichiro (born 1973), professional baseball player, member of Japan national baseball team, 2x time World Baseball Classic Champion and National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee

Yūki Ishikawa (石川祐希), professional volleyball player, Japan National Team, Power Volley Milano Italy Super Lega

Tatsuya Kataoka (born 1975), racing driver

Yoshiaki Katayama (born 1993), racing driver

Sato Keigo (born 1998), singer, member of JO1

F Chopper Koga (Japanese: FチョッパーKOGA, romanized: Efu Choppā Koga), bass player and leader of the rock band Gacharic Spin

Koji Kondo (born 1961), composer and pianist born in Nagoya who works on video game soundtracks for Nintendo

Maria Makino, idol singer and member of Morning Musume

Kimura Masaya (born 1997), singer, dancer, member of INI (Japanese boy group)

Sakurai Miu (born 2002), singer, member of Me:I

Aoi Morikawa (born 1995), actress and model

Rei Naoi (born 2004), member of IVE

Tokito Oda (born 2006), champion wheelchair tennis player

Festival and events

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Owari Tsushima Tenno Matsuri (Aisai, Tsushima)

Inuyama Festival (Inuyama)

Kamezaki Shiohi Festival (Handa)

Chiryu Festival (Chiryū)

Sunari Festival (Ama District Kanie)

Others

Nagoya Festival (Nagoya City)

Tsutsui-chō/Dekimachi Tennō Festival (Nagoya Higashi-ku)

Miya Festival (Gamagōri)

Toyohama Sea bream Festival (Chita District Minamichita Town)

Okkawa Festival (Handa)

Hōnen Matsuri (Komaki)

Omanto festival (Takahama)

Kōnomiya Hadaka Matsuri (Inazawa)

Tezutsu Matsuri (Toyohashi, Toyokawa)

Nagashino festival (Shinshiro)

Mando festival (Kariya)

Isshiki Lantern Festival (Nishio)

Toba Fire Festival (Nishio)

Owari Tsushima Autumn Festival (Tsushima)