 | Aomori Prefecture: Encyclopedia - Aomori Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture (青森県 Aomoriken or frequently Aomori-ken) is located in the Tōhoku Region of Japan. The capital is the city of Aomori. Aomori was named after the Aomori Bay (青森湾; Aomori-wan), which the Ainu described it simply as the "big bay" (大湾/アオモイ; Ao-moi).
Aomori Prefecture - History
Aomori Prefecture - Geography
Aomori Prefecture is the northernmost prefecture on Honshu and faces Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait. It borders Akita and Iwate in the south. Oma, at the northwestern tip of the axe-shaped Shimokita Peninsula, is the northernmost point of Honshu. The Shimokita and Tsugaru Peninsulas enclose Mutsu Bay. Between those peninsulas lies the Natsudomari Peninsula, the northern end of the Ou Mountains. The three peninsulas are prominently visible in the prefecture's symbol, a stylized map.
Lake Towada, a crater lake, straddles Aomori's boundary with Akita.
Aomori Prefecture - Cities
- Aomori (capital)
- Goshogawara
- Hachinohe
- Hirakawa
- Hirosaki
- Kuroishi
- Misawa
- Mutsu
- Towada
- Tsugaru
Aomori Prefecture - Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district.
- Higashitsugaru District
- Hiranai
- Imabetsu
- Sotogahama
- Yomogita
- Kamikita District
- Momoishi
- Noheji
- Rokkasho
- Rokunohe
- Shichinohe
- Shimoda
- Tohoku
- Yokohama
- Kitatsugaru District
- Itayanagi
- Nakadomari
- Tsuruta
- Minamitsugaru District
- Fujisaki
- Ikarigaseki
- Onoe
- Owani
- Nakatsugaru District
- Nishitsugaru District
- Sannohe District
- Gonohe
- Nanbu
- Sannohe
- Shingō
- Takko
- Shimokita District
- Higashidori
- Kazamaura
- Oma
- Sai
Aomori Prefecture - Mergers
(as of 01/01/06)
On January 1, 2005 the town of Towadako merged into the city of Towada.
On February 11, 2005 the new city of Tsugaru was formed from the merger of the town of Kizukuri and the villages of Inagaki, Kashiwa, Morita, and Shariki, all from Nishitsugaru District.
On March 14, 2005 the towns of Kawauchi and Ohata and the village of Wakinosawa merged into the city of Mutsu.
On March 28, 2005 the town of Kanagi and the village of Shiura merged into the city of Goshogawara.
On March 28, 2005 the town of Kanita and the villages of Tairadate and Minmaya merged to form the new town of Sotogahama.
On March 28, 2005 the village of Tokiwa from Minamitsugaru District merged into the town of Fujisaki.
On March 28, 2005 the town of Nakasato and the village of Kodomari from Kitatsugaru District merged to form the new town of Nakadomari.
On March 31, 2005 the village of Nangou merged into the city of Hachinohe.
On March 31, 2005 the village of Iwasaki from Nishitsugaru District merged into the town of Fukaura.
On March 31, 2005 the village of Tenmabayashi from Kamikita District merged into the town of Shichinohe.
On March 31, 2005 the town of Kamikita from Kamikita District merged into the town of Tohoku.
On April 1, 2005 the town of Namioka merged into the city of Aomori.
On January 1, 2006 the town of Nagawa and the village of Fukuchi from Sannohe District merged into the town of Nanbu.
On January 1, 2006 the towns of Nagawa from Sannohe District and the town of Hiraka and the village of Inakadate from Minamitsugaru District merged to form the new city of Hirakawa.
Aomori Prefecture - Future mergers
On February 27, 2006 the town of Iwaki and the village of Souma will merge into the city of Hirosaki.
On March 1, 2006 the towns of Momoishi, Aomori and Shimoda will merge to form the new town of Oirase.
Aomori Prefecture - Economy
Like much of Tōhoku, the Aomori region remains dominated by traditional industries such as farming, forestry, and fishing.
Aomori Prefecture - Demographics
Many young people depart Aomori for cities like Tokyo or Sendai looking for excitement or jobs, and Aomori records its population as having peaked in 1983.
Aomori Prefecture - Culture
Aomori Prefecture - Tourism
Aomori is especially famous for its apple orchards.
Lake Towada, a beautiful caldera, lies on the boundary between Akita and Aomori Prefectures. The Oirase river drains Lake Towada; in the summer it is refreshing and in the autumn the leaves are breathtaking.
Mount Osore, the Mountain of Dread, is near Mutsu on the Shimokita Peninsula.
The Hakkoda Mountains in Aomori provide excellent hiking in the warmer seasons. However, the winter proved disastrous to over 200 soldiers who died during a military maneuver in the area in deep snow.
Aomori Prefecture - Prefectural symbols
The Aomori prefectural symbol is a stylized map of the prefecture, showing the crown of Honshu: the Tsugaru, Natsudomari and Shimokita Peninsulas.
Aomori Prefecture - Miscellaneous topics
The two major dialects of Japanese spoken in Aomori Prefecture are Tsugaru-ben (津軽弁) and Nambu-ben (南部弁); the former is prevalent in the area around Aomori City, and the latter is heard in and around the city of Hachinohe.
Other related archives2005, 2006, Ainu, Ajigasawa, Akita, Aomori, April 1, February 11, February 27, Fujisaki, Fukaura, Fukuchi, Gonohe, Goshogawara, Hachinohe, Higashidori, Higashitsugaru District, Hiraka, Hiranai, Hirosaki, Hokkaido, Honshu, Ikarigaseki, Imabetsu, Inagaki, Inakadate, Itayanagi, Iwaki, Iwasaki, Iwate, January 1, Japan, Kamikita, Kamikita District, Kanagi, Kanita, Kashiwa, Kawauchi, Kazamaura, Kitatsugaru District, Kizukuri, Kodomari, Kuroishi, Lake Towada, March 1, March 14, March 28, March 31, Minamitsugaru District, Minmaya, Misawa, Momoishi, Momoishi, Aomori, Morita, Mount Osore, Mutsu, Nagawa, Nakasato, Nakatsugaru District, Namioka, Nanbu, Nangou, Nishimeya, Nishitsugaru District, Noheji, Ohata, Oirase river, Oma, Onoe, Ou Mountains, Owani, Rokkasho, Rokunohe, Sai, Sannohe, Sannohe District, Sendai, Shariki, Shichinohe, Shimoda, Shimokita District, Shimokita Peninsula, Shingō, Shiura, Souma, Tairadate, Takko, Tenmabayashi, Tohoku, Tokiwa, Tokyo, Towada, Towadako, Tsugaru, Tsugaru Strait, Tsuruta, Tōhoku, Tōhoku Region, Wakinosawa, Yokohama, Yomogita, apple, caldera, crater, district, prefecture
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Aomori Prefecture", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
