Fukui Prefecture

is located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island, Japan. The capital is the city of Fukui.

History

Fukui originally consisted of the old provinces of Wakasa and Echizen, before the prefecture was formed in 1871.

During the Edo period, the daimyō of the region was surnamed Matsudaira, and was a descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Geography

The province faces the Sea of Japan, and has a western part (former Wakasa) which is a narrow plain between the mountains and the sea, and a larger eastern part (former Echizen) with wider plains including the capital and most of the population.

Cities

9 cities are located on Fukui Prefecture.

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district.

Mergers

(as of March 20, 2006)

On March 1, 2004, the towns of Awara and Kanazu from Sakai District merged, forming the new city of Awara.

On January 1, 2005, the municipalities of Imajō, Kōno, and Nanjō from Nanjō District merged, forming the new town of Minamiechizen.

On February 1, 2005, the municipalities of Asahi, Miyazaki, and Ota from Nyū District merged into the town of Echizen.

On March 31, 2005, the towns of Kaminaka from Onyū District and Mikata from Mikata District merged, forming the new town of Wakasa in Mikatakaminaka District.

On October 1, 2005, the city of Takefu and the town of Imadate from Imadate District merged, forming the new city of Echizen.

On November 7, 2005, the village of Izumi from Ōno District merged into the city of Ōno. Ōno District was dissolved with this merger.

On February 1, 2006, the town of Miyama from Asuwa District and the municipalities of Koshino and Shimizu from Nyū District merged into the city of Fukui. Asuwa District was dissolved with this merger.

On February 13, 2006, the town of Matsuoka and the village of Kamishihi from Yoshida District merged into the town of Eiheiji.

On March 3, 2006, the village of Natasho from Onyū District merged into the town of Ōi from Ōi District. Onyū District was dissolved with this merger.

On March 20, 2006, the towns of Harue , Maruoka , Mikuni and Sakai from Sakai District merged, forming the new city of Sakai. Sakai District was dissolved with this merger.

Economy

Demographics

Culture

Fukui Prefecture is home to Maruoka-jō, the oldest castle still standing in Japan. It was built in 1572.
Eiheiji is a serene temple offering training and education to Buddhist monks. Founded by Dogen Zenji in 1244, Eiheiji is located on a plot of land of about 330,000 m².
Many dinosaur fossils have been excavated in Fukui and they can been seen at the Fukui Dinosaur Museum.
Residents of Fukui Prefecture have a distinctive accent, Fukui-ben.

Tourism

Visitors to Fukui can enjoy eating echizen-gani crabs. By the local residents, male crabs are called zuwai and female ones are called seiko.

Echizen Kaigan Coast
Eihei Temple
Tojimbo, a scenic piece of coastline

Prefectural symbols

Miscellaneous topics

Though not particularly famous for anything, Fukui boasts plenty for the outdoor enthusiast. There are several nice beaches in the south of the prefecture, and the Okuetsu region (Ōno and Kastuyama) has a number of small ski areas dotted around, some of which are open till 10pm at night - perfect for after work sessions.

There are also several nice lakes in the prefecture, both in the south and north, the most notable of which are Kuzuryu in Ōno, and the Mikata 5 lakes, and there is a lovely swimming hole in the Kuzuryu river. Click here for more detailed pictures and reports on the outdoor life in Fukui

The people to the north of Tsuruga (reihoku), a city found in the center of the prefecture, speak a provincial dialect called Fukui-ben. However, residents to the south of Tsuruga (reinan) in towns such as Mihama, Obama, and Takahama speak Kansai-ben. This dividing line in the prefecture has cultural and political connotations as well; those in the south feel a kinship with Kansai culture, whereas those to the north feel a cultural and political affinity with the Hokuriku region.

Fukui has one of the largest concentrations of nuclear power plants (15) in Japan. In December 1995, a plant in Tsuruga was shut down due to a sodium leak. Another accident occurred in Mihama in August of 2004. The legal outcomes of these cases are ongoing as of 2005. Governors of Fukui have argued that the large number of nuclear power plants should be rewarded with central government-funded projects such as the construction of a shinkansen line through the prefecture.

Obama in Wakasa (southern region of Fukui) is notable historically for its large number of 7th and 8th century Shingon temples. It also is the counterpart of the Omizutori festival in Nara. The rite of Omizuokuri (water-sending), is held at Jinguji Temple in Obama City on March 2 to "deliver" the clear water from the nearby Unose (Cormorant Rapids) of the Onyu River to Nara and present it to Nigatsudo's principal image. Omizutori (water-drawing), a spring event of Nigatsudo Hall at Todaiji Temple, Nara City, is held in early February of the lunar calendar to pray for protection against evil and for happiness, abundant harvests and peace in the new year. Recently, Obama has often been in the news due to being the site of the abduction of Yasushi and Fumie Chimura to North Korea and their return to Japan in 2003.

External links

Official Fukui Prefecture homepage

Chubu region | Fukui Prefecture | Prefectures of Japan

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