Shizuoka

Shizuoka, ken (prefecture), central Honshu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. Cape Omae (west) and the Izu Peninsula (east) in the prefecture are separated by the deeply indented Suruga Bay. The capital is Shizuoka city, which is located on the alluvial fan of the Abe River along the northwestern coast of the bay.

The eastern and western sections of the prefecture differ considerably from each other. Volcanoes and hot springs are major physical features in the east, while large river valleys such as those of the Fuji, Ōi, and Tenryū rivers predominate in the west. The northeastern portion of the prefecture is dominated by the Mount Fuji massif, the peak of which lies on the border with Yamanashi prefecture.

Shizuoka prefecture’s favourable climate supports a varied agriculture, of which the chief products are mandarin oranges, green tea, and Japanese horseradish—the principal ingredient of the spicy condiment wasabi. Fishing is highly developed at the principal port, in the Shimizu district of Shizuoka city. Motor vehicles, ships, textiles, canned goods, and musical instruments are the principal goods manufactured at Hamamatsu (on the prefecture’s southwestern coast) and at Shizuoka.

Much of the coastline of the prefecture is followed by the Shinkansen (“New Trunk Line”) railway service, which links Shizuoka to Japan’s major cities to the east and west. This route traces the Tōkaidō, the main road between eastern and western Honshu during the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1867). The major cities in the prefecture, including Hamamatsu and Shizuoka, lie along the line; they were important post stations along the historic route. The prefecture’s more rugged northern interior is much less populated than the coastal zone.

The Izu Peninsula is one of Japan’s premier tourist centres, with the hot-spring spas at Atami, Itō, and Shuzenji being especially popular. Portions of Minami Alps and Fuji-Hakone-Izu national parks are located respectively in northern and northeastern Shizuoka, both of which are also popular tourist destinations. The port of Shimoda, on the southeast coast of the peninsula, received the ships of Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the United States in 1854 and was one of the first Japanese ports to be opened to trade with the United States. Other historic sites in the prefecture include Toro, an excavated prehistoric village from the late Yayoi period (c. 100–250 ce), outside Shizuoka city. The shrine at Mount Kunō, near Toro, was the first burial place of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), the first Tokugawa shogun, whose remains were subsequently moved to Nikkō, Tochigi prefecture, in 1617. Shizuoka prefecture is home to a number of institutions of higher education, including the University of Shizuoka (established 1986), in Shizuoka city; Hamamatsu University School of Medicine (1974), in Hamamatsu; and Shizuoka University (1949), with campuses in both cities. Area 3,003 square miles (7,779 square km). Pop. (2010) 3,765,007.