Toyama Prefecture

Coordinates: 36°43′N 137°9′E / 36.717°N 137.150°E / 36.717; 137.150
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"Toyama, Japan" redirects here. For the city, see Toyama (city).
Toyama Prefecture
富山とやま県けん
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese富山とやま県けん
 • RōmajiToyama-ken
Flag of Toyama Prefecture
Flag
Official logo of Toyama Prefecture
Emblem
Anthem: Toyama kenmin no uta
Location of Toyama Prefecture
Coordinates: 36°43′N 137°9′E / 36.717°N 137.150°E / 36.717; 137.150
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu (Hokuriku)
IslandHonshu
CapitalToyama
SubdivisionsDistricts: 2, Municipalities: 15
Government
 • GovernorHachiro Nitta
Area
 • Total4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi)
 • Rank33rd
Population
 (June 1, 2019)
 • Total1,044,588
 • Rank37th
 • Density250/km2 (640/sq mi)
GDP
[1]
 • TotalJP¥ 4,910 billion
US$ 45.0 billion (2019)
ISO 3166 codeJP-16
Websitepref.toyama.jp
Symbols of Japan
BirdPtarmigan[2]
FishJapanese amberjack
Pasiphaea japonica
Firefly squid[2]
FlowerTulip (Tulipa)[2]
TreeTateyama Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)[2]
Toyama Prefectural Office Building

Toyama Prefecture (富山とやま県けん, Toyama-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu.[3] Toyama Prefecture has a population of 1,044,588 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture to the south, Nagano Prefecture to the east, and Niigata Prefecture to the northeast.

Toyama is the capital and largest city of Toyama Prefecture, with other major cities including Takaoka, Imizu, and Nanto.[4] Toyama Prefecture is part of the historic Hokuriku region, and the majority of prefecture's population lives on Toyama Bay, one of the largest bays in Japan. Toyama Prefecture is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast and has the advantage of cheap electricity from abundant hydroelectric resources. Toyama Prefecture contains the only known glaciers in East Asia outside of Russia, first recognized in 2012, and 30% of the prefecture's area is designated as national parks.[5]

History[edit]

See also: Historic Sites of Toyama Prefecture

Historically, Toyama Prefecture was Etchū Province.[6] Following the abolition of the han system in 1871, Etchū Province was renamed Niikawa Prefecture, but Imizu District was given to Nanao Prefecture. In 1872 Imizu District was returned by the new Ishikawa Prefecture.

In 1876, Niikawa Prefecture was merged into Ishikawa Prefecture but the merger was void in 1881 and the area was re-established as Toyama Prefecture.[citation needed]

The Itai-itai disease occurred in Toyama around 1950.

Geography[edit]

Toyama Prefecture is bordered by Ishikawa Prefecture to the west, Niigata to the northeast, Nagano to the southeast, Gifu to the south and Sea of Japan to the north.

As of April 1, 2012, 30% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Chūbu-Sangaku and Hakusan National Parks; Noto Hantō Quasi-National Park; and six Prefectural Natural Parks.[7]

Municipalities[edit]

See also: List of cities in Toyama Prefecture by population

Due to the mergers in the 2000s, Toyama has the fewest municipalities of any prefecture in Japan with 10 cities, 2 districts, 4 towns, and 1 village (before the mergers took place, the prefecture had 9 cities, 18 towns, and 8 villages).

Toyama Prefecture is located in Toyama Prefecture
Himi氷見市
Himi氷見ひみ市し
Imizu射水市
Imizu射水いみず市し
Kurobe黒部市
Kurobe黒部くろべ市し
Namerikawa滑川市
Namerikawa滑川なめかわ市し
Nanto南砺市
Nanto南みなみ砺市
Oyabe小矢部市
Oyabe小矢部おやべ市し
Takaoka高岡市
Takaoka高岡たかおか市し
Tonami砺波市
Tonami砺波となみ市し
Toyama (capital)富山市
Toyama (capital)富山とやま市し
Uozu魚津市
Uozu魚津うおづ市し
Asahi朝日町
Asahi朝日あさひ町まち
Funahashi舟橋村
Funahashi舟橋ふなばし村むら
Kamiichi上市町
Kamiichi上市うわいち町まち
Nyūzen入善町
Nyūzen入善にゅうぜん町まち
Tateyama立山町
Tateyama立山たてやま町まち
class=notpageimage|
Municipalities in Toyama Prefecture      City      Town      Village

Mergers[edit]

Main article: List of mergers in Toyama Prefecture

List of governors of Toyama Prefecture (from 1947)[edit]

  • Tetsuji Tachi (館たて 哲二てつじ) (19 April 1947 to 15 November 1947)
  • Takekuni Takatsuji (高辻たかつじ 武たけ邦くに) (16 November 1947 to 30 September 1956)
  • Minoru Yoshida (吉田よしだ 実みのる) (1 October 1956 to 1 December 1969)
  • Kōkichi Nakata (中田なかた 幸吉こうきち) (30 December 1969 to 18 September 1980)
  • Yutaka Nakaoki (中沖なかおき 豊ゆたか) (11 November 1980 to 8 November 2004)
  • Takakazu Ishii (石井いしい 隆一りゅういち) (9 November 2004 to 8 November 2020)
  • Hachirō Nitta (新田にった 八朗はちろう) (9 November 2020 to present)

Economy[edit]

Agriculture[edit]

In 2014 Toyama contributed approximately 2.5% of Japan's rice production[8] and makes use of abundant water sources originating from Mount Tate. It also has many fisheries along its Sea of Japan coastline.

Manufacturing[edit]

Toyama is famous for its historical pharmaceutical industry which remains a top manufacturing industry in the prefecture in terms of manufacturing shipment value followed by electronic parts and devices (industrial robots, general machinery, etc.), and metal products (aluminum, copper etc.) manufacturing.

Energy[edit]

Kurobe Dam

Kurobe Dam generates electricity for the Kansai Electric Power Company. It is located on the Kurobe River in Toyama Prefecture.

Demographics[edit]

Toyama prefecture population pyramid in 2020

Per Japanese census data,[9][10] the population of Toyama has been relatively stable since 1950.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 724,000—    
1930 779,000+7.6%
1940 823,000+5.6%
1950 1,009,000+22.6%
1960 1,033,000+2.4%
1970 1,030,000−0.3%
1980 1,103,000+7.1%
1990 1,120,000+1.5%
2000 1,120,851+0.1%
2010 1,093,247−2.5%
2020 1,044,588−4.5%

Transportation[edit]

Rail[edit]

Tokyo: 2 hr 7 min via Hokuriku Shinkansen

Osaka: 3 hr via Hokuriku Shinkansen and Thunderbird Limited Express

  • The Hokuriku Shinkansen line is scheduled to extend to Osaka in the future, and will shorten the Osaka-Toyama trip to approximately 1 hr 40 min.

Expressway[edit]

Air[edit]

Domestic[edit]

International[edit]

Culture[edit]

Tourist Sites[edit]

UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites[edit]

National Treasures of Japan[edit]

Festivals[edit]

Spring[edit]

Tonami Yotaka Festival (June)
Uozu Tatemon Festival (August)

Summer[edit]

  • Sassa Narimasa Sengoku Era Festival (Toyama City), Late July
  • Japan Wildlife Film Festival (Toyama Prefecture), Early August

Fall[edit]

Winter[edit]

Regional Foods[edit]

  • Trout Sushi (Masuzushi)
  • White Shrimp (Shiro Ebi)
  • Matured Yellow Tail (Buri)
  • Firefly Squid (Hotaru Ika)
  • Fish Paste (Kamaboko)

Regional Sake[edit]

  • Tateyama (立山たてやま)
  • Narimasa (成なり政せい)
  • Masuizumi (満まん寿ことぶき泉いずみ)
  • Sanshoraku (三さん笑わらい楽らく)

Sports[edit]

Toyama Stadium.

The sports teams listed below are based in Toyama.

Football

Basketball

Baseball

Rugby Union

International Links[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "2020年度ねんど国民こくみん経済けいざい計算けいさん（2015年ねん基準きじゅん・2008SNA） : 経済けいざい社会しゃかい総合そうごう研究所けんきゅうじょ - 内閣ないかく府ふ". 内閣ないかく府ふホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  2. ^ a b c d 富山とやま県けんの魅力みりょく・観光かんこう>シンボル. Toyama Prefectural website (in Japanese). Toyama Prefecture. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  3. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Toyama prefecture" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 991, p. 991, at Google Books; "Hokuriku" at p. 344, p. 344, at Google Books.
  4. ^ Nussbaum, "Toyama" at p. 991, p. 991, at Google Books.
  5. ^ Matsutani, Minoru (April 6, 2012). "First glaciers in Japan recognised". The Japan Times. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  6. ^ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
  7. ^ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  8. ^ "米まいの生産せいさん 〔2014年ねん〕" (in Japanese). Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  9. ^ Toyama 1995-2020 population statistics
  10. ^ Toyama 1920-2000 population statistics
  11. ^ "Toyama Prefecture". Canton Basel-Stadt. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  12. ^ "Andhra Pradesh inks pact with Toyama Prefecture". The Hindu. December 29, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2019.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Toyama prefecture.
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