Ōita Prefecture
From Wikipedia Mirror
Template:Infobox Prefecture Japan Template:Nihongo is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.
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History
After the Meiji Restoration, Bungo and southern Buzen Provinces were combined to form Ōita Prefecture: These provinces were divided among many local daimyo and thus a large castle town never formed in Ōita.
Geography
Ōita Prefecture is located on the north-eastern coast of the island of Kyūshū. Surrounded by the Suo Channel and Honshū Island to the north, the Iyo Channel and Shikoku Island to the east, it is bordered by Miyazaki Prefecture to the south, and Fukuoka Prefecture and Kumamoto Prefecture to the west.
Ōita Prefecture is almost entirely covered by mountains and has only narrow coastal plains.
Region
Currently, the Prefecture has 14 cities, 3 districts, 3 towns, and one village. From 2005 to 2006, all municipalities but Beppu, Tsukumi, Himeshima, Hiji, and all towns in Kusu District, merged, and the total municipalities went down from 58 on December 31, 2004, to 18 after the creation of the city of Kunisaki by merging with 4 towns from Higashikunisaki District on March 31, 2006. It will make the prefecture with less municipalities within Kyūshū, and fourth least in Japan. However, Oita Prefecture now has the fewest towns (3) and fewest towns and villages combined (4) all over Japan.
Current municipalities
Cities
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break
Towns and villages
Mergers and dissolutions
Template:Mainarticle If the district dissolved, then the link will be in place.
- Hayami District:
- Higashikunisaki District:
- Ōno District:
- Ōita District:
- Kitaamabe District:
- Shimoge District:
- Minamiamabe District:
- Hita District:
- Usa District:
- Nishikunisaki District:
- Naoiri District:
Economy
Oita Prefecture is known for its production of kabosu (a kind of citrus fruit similar to a lime). Oita is also the largest producer of Shiitake mushrooms in Japan. Oita produces 80% of Japan's saffron output. Seki-aji and seki-mackerel are well-known seafood products of Oita.
Nippon Steel and Canon both operate factories in Oita Prefecture.
Economic development of Oita was greatly aided by the One Village One Product movement of long-time governor Morihiko Hiramatsu.
Demographics
Culture
Oita is in the northeast corner of Kyushu prefecture, so that it has coastal areas, farmland, highland, and mountains. This lends to a mix of different farming and fishing culture. There are many fall festivals to pray for a healthy harvest.
Shonai kagura is a festive dance that has been practiced for over 200 years and is representative of Oita Prefecture. Another kagura, the Ondake-ryu Kagura, was designated as a "National Intangible Folk Cultural Property" in 2007.
The folk craft of “Onta Pottery” in Hita City, has been passed down over 5 generations. The tradition has been kept within one family so that the craft has thus been designated as "National Important Intangible Cultural Asset".
Old samurai residences remain in different parts of Oita Prefecture.
Kunisaki peninsula has been called "Buddah's Village" and many buddhist statues and temples remain. This area is said to be a place where buddhism and Shintoism fused. Mankoji Temple which was founded in 1352 is a place for practicing zen meditation.
There is a strong bamboo culture in Oita Prefecture. Usuki and Taketa have bamboo light festivals, and bamboo products are often seen on display.
Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Oita.
Football (soccer)
Basketball
Volleyball
Futsal
- Vasagey
Tourism
Ōita Prefecture is famous for its hot springs, particularly those in and around the city of Beppu, known as the 'hells', or jigoku. Many are of tourist interest only and cannot be used as onsen (notably the Blood Pond Hell (reddish water) and the Oniyama Hell). The city's ryokans and public onsen are amply supplied by the same volcanic source. Visitors particularly relish the effects of burial in steaming hot volcanic sands.
Beppu offers a wide range of cultural experiences, from an annual international music festival, to the unabashed Hihokan Sex Museum.
The elaborate public aquarium "Umi-tamago" on the shoreline outside Beppu features basketballing sea otters, performing archer fish, and puzzle-solving octopuses, along with more naturalistic displays of freshwater and marine fish from around the world.
Near the marine park, Mount Takasaki Monkey Park rises steeply from the shoreline. Two distinct troupes of wild macaque monkeys make regular visits to the feeding grounds here, which were initially established to entice the monkeys away from raiding the region's fruit crops, a behaviour that brought them into conflict with farmers. The wild macaques ignore the small crowds that gather at these feeding sessions, and may be observed at close quarters.
Beppu is a busy passenger port with regular ferry links through the inland sea to Osaka and several other destinations.
Other attractions of Ōita Prefecture include the Sanrio theme park Harmonyland.
Ōita's Mt. Hachimen is also home to the popular music festival, Concert on the Rock. This annual charity event sees over 30 international acts performing over a June weekend for the pleasure of Japan's music lovers. The natural surroundings make it one of the most picturesque rock festivals in the world.
Prefectural symbols
Miscellaneous topics
Yamamoto Tatsuo, once governor of the Bank of Japan from 1898 to 1903, was from here.
Media
External links
- Official Ōita Prefecture homepage
- Template:Wikitravelpar
- Oita City Travel Guide from Wikitravel
- Oita JETs Homepage
- O-net Magazine -An internet magazine with 24 volumes of travel locations for Oita Prefecture
Template:Regions and administrative divisions of Japan
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