Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture (Japanese: 福岡県, Hepburn: Fukuoka-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū.[1] Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km² (1,925 sq mi).[2] Fukuoka Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the southwest, Kumamoto Prefecture to the south, and Ōita Prefecture to the southeast.

Fukuoka Prefecture

福岡県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese福岡県
 • RōmajiFukuoka-ken
Flag
Symbol
Coordinates: 33°36′N 130°35′E
Country Japan
RegionKyushu
IslandKyushu
CapitalFukuoka
SubdivisionsDistricts: 12, Municipalities: 60
Government
 • GovernorHiroshi Ogawa (since April 2011)
Area
 • Total4,986.52 km2 (1,925.31 sq mi)
Area rank29th
Population
 (June 1, 2019)
 • Total5,109,323
 • Rank9th
 • Density1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
ISO 3166 codeJP-40
Websitewww.pref.fukuoka.lg.jp/somu/
multilingual/english/top.html
Symbols
BirdJapanese bush warbler (Cettia diphone)
FlowerUme blossom (Prunus mume)
TreeAzalea (Rhododendron tsutsusi)

Fukuoka is the capital and largest city of Fukuoka Prefecture, and the largest city on Kyūshū, with other major cities including Kitakyushu, Kurume, and Ōmuta.[3] Fukuoka Prefecture is located at the northernmost point of Kyūshū on the Kanmon Straits, connecting the Tsushima Strait and Seto Inland Sea across from Yamaguchi Prefecture on the island of Honshu, and extends south towards the Ariake Sea.

History
See also: List of Historic Sites of Japan (Fukuoka); History of Fukuoka; and History of Dazaifu, Fukuoka

Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen.[4]

Shrines and temples

Kōra taisha, Sumiyoshi-jinja, and Hakozaki-gū are the chief Shinto shrines (ichinomiya) in the prefecture.[5]

Geography
Map of Fukuoka Prefecture.      Government Ordinance Designated City      City      Town      Village

Fukuoka Prefecture faces the sea on three sides, bordering Saga, Ōita, and Kumamoto prefectures and facing Yamaguchi Prefecture across the Kanmon Straits.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
18901,236,015—    
19031,571,158+1.86%
19131,926,417+2.06%
19202,188,249+1.84%
19252,301,668+1.02%
19302,527,119+1.89%
19352,755,804+1.75%
19403,094,132+2.34%
19452,746,855−2.35%
19503,530,169+5.15%
19553,859,764+1.80%
19604,006,679+0.75%
19653,964,611−0.21%
19704,027,416+0.31%
19754,292,963+1.29%
19804,553,461+1.19%
19854,719,259+0.72%
19904,811,050+0.39%
19954,933,393+0.50%
20005,015,699+0.33%
20055,049,908+0.14%
20105,071,968+0.09%
20155,101,556+0.12%
source:[6]

As of 1 April 2012, 18% of the land area of the prefecture was designated as natural parks: Setonaikai National Park, Genkai, Kitakyūshū, and Yaba-Hita-Hikosan quasi-national parks, and Chikugogawa, Chikuhō, Dazaifu, Sefuri Raizan, and Yabegawa Prefectural Natural Parks.[7]

Fukuoka includes the two largest cities on Kyūshū, Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, and much of Kyūshū's industry. It also includes a number of small islands near the north coast of Kyūshū.

Cities

Twenty-nine cities are in Fukuoka Prefecture:

  • Fukuoka City
  • Tobata, Kitakyushu
  • Kurume
  • Omuta

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers
Main article: List of mergers in Fukuoka Prefecture

Economy

Fukuoka prefecture's main cities form one of Japan's main industrial centers, accounting for nearly 40% of the economy of Kyūshū. Major industries include automobiles, semiconductors, and steel. Fukuoka prefecture is where tire manufacturer Bridgestone[8] and consumer electronics chain Best Denki were founded.

Universities

One of Japan's top 5 universities, Kyushu University, is located in Fukuoka.

InstitutionLocation
Fukuoka UniversityFukuoka
Kurume UniversityKurume
Kyushu Institute of TechnologyKitakyūshū and Iizuka
Kyushu UniversityFukuoka and Kasuga
Seinan Gakuin UniversityFukuoka
Kyushu Institute of Information SciencesDazaifu
Kyushu Sangyo UniversityFukuoka
Fukuoka Women's UniversityFukuoka
Fukuoka University of EducationMunakata

Demographics

According to October 2018 estimates, the population in Fukuoka Prefecture reached 5,111,494 inhabitants, making the prefecture the 9th most populated of Japan's 47 prefectures. It is one of the few prefectures with a steadily increasing population.

Culture
Fukuoka City Museum
Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
  • Fukuoka Art Museum – In Ohori Park; contains a wide selection of contemporary and other art from around the world
  • Fukuoka Asian Art Museum – contains art from Asia
  • Fukuoka City Museum – displays a broad range of items from the region's history, including a spectacular gold seal
  • Genko Historical Museum (元寇史料館, Museum of the Mongol Invasion) in Higashi Koen (East Park) displays Japanese and Mongolian arms and armor from the 13th century as well as paintings on historical subjects; open on weekends
  • Hakata Machiya Folk Museum – Dedicated to displaying the traditional ways of life, speech, and culture of the Fukuoka region
  • Fukuoka Castle – a castle in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka
  • Hakata Gion Yamakasa – Japanese festival celebrated 1–15 July
  • Ōhori Park – a registered Place of Scenic Beauty
  • Kyushu National Museum – The collections cover the history of Kyūshū from prehistory to the Meiji era with particular emphasis on the rich history of cultural exchange between Kyūshū and neighboring China and Korea
  • HKT48 Theater – where the idol group HKT48 performs every day
  • LinQ – the Kyushu idol group meaning "Love in Kyushu", local theater where the LinQ performs weekly on Saturday and Sunday in Tenjin Best Hall
  • Bairin-ji – Rinzai temple and garden in Kurume

Major events and festivals
  • Hakata Dontaku Harbour Festival, Tenjin, Fukuoka on May 3 and 4
  • Hakata Gion Yamagasa, Kushida Shrine, Fukuoka in July
  • Kokura Gion Yamagasa, Kitakyushu in July
  • Tobata Gion Yamagasa, Kitakyushu in July
  • Kurosaki Gion Yamagasa, Kitakyushu in July
  • Kitahara Hakushu Festival, Yanagawa on November 1 to 3

Sports
Level5 Stadium, home of Avispa Fukuoka
Fukuoka Yahuoku Dome, home of the Softbank Hawks

The sports teams listed below are based in Fukuoka.

Football (soccer)
Baseball
Basketball
Rugby
Mikuni World Stadium, home of Giravanz Kitakyushu

The prefecture has two significant annual athletics events: the Fukuoka International Cross Country and the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship. The marathon has been held in Fukuoka since 1959 and has seen world records broken.[9]

Crime and safety

Fukuoka Prefecture has the most designated yakuza groups among all of the prefectures, at five: the Kudo-kai, the Taishu-kai, the Fukuhaku-kai, the Dojin-kai and the Kyushu Seido-kai.[10] Between 2004 and 2009, and in early 2011,[11] Fukuoka Prefecture led the nation in gun-related incidents.[12] These incidents were mostly related to the local yakuza syndicates, specifically the Kudo-kai, the Dojin-kai, and the Kyushu Seido-kai.[11]

Fukuoka Prefecture had the highest frequency of youth crime among the prefectures of Japan from 2003 to 2007.[13]

According to statistics from the national police, the crime rate in Fukuoka was the eighth-highest in 2017, lower than in Osaka, Tokyo, Hyogo, Aichi, Saitama, Chiba and Ibaraki.[14]

Tourism
See also: Kyushu National Museum, List of Historic Sites of Japan (Fukuoka), and List of Places of Scenic Beauty of Japan (Fukuoka)
Fukuoka Tower from Seaside Momochi
Riverwalk Kitakyushu
A sightseeing boat in Yanagawa Canal
Dazaifu Tenman-gū

The most popular place for tourism is Fukuoka City, especially during the Dontaku festival, which attracts millions of visitors from across Japan during Golden Week.[15] Fukuoka is the main shopping, dining, transportation and entertainment hub in Kyushu.

Dazaifu is popular for its many temples and historical sites, as well as the Kyushu National Museum.

Yanagawa is sometimes called "the Venice of Japan" for its boat tours on the abundant, calm rivers that wind through the city.[16]

Kitakyushu features one of the famous night views of Japan from atop Mt. Sarakura, accessible via cablecar. The Mojiko area features waterfront dining, a market, and several preserved historical buildings. The Kanmon Kaikyo Tunnel which connects Kyushu (Moji ward, Kitakyushu) and Honshu (Shimonoseki) is free to walk through. The city center in Kokurakita ward contains the Riverwalk and Itsutsuya shopping complexes, Kokura castle, and the Uomachi Gintengai shopping arcade, the oldest shopping arcade in Japan.[17]

Transportation

Rail

Air

Sister regions

Notes
  1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fukuoka-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 218, p. 218, at Google Books.
  2. "都道府県　人口ランキング". Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  3. Nussbaum, "Fukuoka" in p. 218, p. 218, at Google Books.
  4. Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
  5. "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 3 Archived May 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-10-26.
  6. Statistics Bureau of Japan
  7. "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  8. "Bridgestone Holds the Opening Ceremony for its Kitakyushu Plant". Bridgestone. August 4, 2009.
  9. Nakamura, Ken. Marathon - A history of the Fukuoka International Marathon Championships by K. Ken Nakamura - Part 1 1947-1966. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
  10. "Retrospection and Outlook of Crime Measure", p.15 Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Masahiro Tamura, 2009, National Police Agency (in Japanese)
  11. "Gunfire, The worst in the nation, None has been solved" Archived 2012-09-05 at Archive.today, 23 June 2011, Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese)
  12. "Fukuoka yakuza groups tackle police pressure in all-out war", 4 May 2010, The Tokyo Reporter, from Friday May 14, p.22-23 (in Japanese)
  13. 非行防げ、捜査員奮闘…少年犯罪全国ワースト１の福岡 Archived 2009-02-12 at the Wayback Machine, Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese)
  14. "「犯罪の県民性」大阪が全国ワースト、殺人1位、すり2位". Diamond Online. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  15. "Hakata Dontaku Festival". Japan National Tourism Organization. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  16. "水の国　柳川". 筑後七国よかとこ巡り旅. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  17. "Uomachi-gintengai Street". Kitakyushu City Travel Guide. Retrieved November 27, 2018.

References
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