Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture (愛知県) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 and a geographic area of 5172.92 km2 with a population density of 1460 PD/km2. Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture to the north, and Shizuoka Prefecture to the east. Nagoya is the capital and largest city of the prefecture.

Overview
Nagoya is the capital and largest city of Aichi Prefecture, and the fourth-largest city in Japan. Other major cities include Toyota, Okazaki, and Ichinomiya. Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya form the core of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, the third-largest metropolitan area in Japan and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. Aichi Prefecture is located on Japan's Pacific Ocean coast and forms part of the Tōkai region, a subregion of the Chūbu region and Kansai region. Aichi Prefecture is home to the Toyota Motor Corporation. Aichi Prefecture had many locations with the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, The Chubu Centrair International Airport, and the Legoland Japan Resort.

Geography
Located near the center of the Japanese main island of Honshu, Aichi Prefecture faces the Ise and Mikawa Bays to the south and borders Shizuoka Prefecture to the east, Nagano Prefecture to the northeast, Gifu Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture to the west. It measures 106 km east to west and 94 km south to north and forms a major portion of the Nōbi Plain. With an area of 5172.48 km2 it accounts for approximately 1.36% of the total surface area of Japan. The highest spot is Chausuyama at 1,415 m above sea level.

The western part of the prefecture is dominated by Nagoya, Japan's third largest city, and its suburbs, while the eastern part is less densely populated but still contains several major industrial centers. Due to its robust economy, for the period from October 2005 to October 2006, Aichi was the fastest growing prefecture in terms of population, beating Tokyo, at 7.4% and around with after Saitama Prefecture.

23% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Aichi Kōgen, Hida-Kisogawa, Mikawa Wan, and Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Parks along with seven Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities
Thirty-eight cities are located in Aichi Prefecture.


 * Aisai
 * Ama
 * Anjō
 * Chiryū
 * Chita
 * Gamagōri
 * Handa
 * Hekinan
 * Ichinomiya
 * Inazawa
 * Inuyama
 * Iwakura
 * Kariya
 * Kasugai
 * Kitanagoya
 * Kiyosu
 * Komaki
 * Kōnan
 * Miyoshi
 * Nagakute
 * Nagoya (capital)
 * Nishio
 * Nisshin
 * Okazaki
 * Ōbu
 * Owariasahi
 * Seto
 * Shinshiro
 * Tahara
 * Takahama
 * Tokoname
 * Tōkai
 * Toyoake
 * Toyohashi
 * Toyokawa
 * Toyota
 * Tsushima
 * Yatomi

Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district:


 * Aichi District
 * Tōgō
 * Ama District
 * Kanie
 * Ōharu
 * Tobishima
 * Chita District
 * Agui
 * Higashiura
 * Mihama
 * Minamichita
 * Taketoyo
 * Kitashitara District
 * Shitara
 * Tōei
 * Toyone
 * Nishikasugai District
 * Toyoyama
 * Niwa District
 * Fusō
 * Ōguchi
 * Nukata District
 * Kōta

Demographics


As of 2001, Aichi Prefecture's population was 50.03% male and 49.97% female. 139,540 residents (nearly 2% of the population) are of foreign nationality.

History
Originally, the region was divided into two provinces of Owari and Mikawa. After the Meiji Restoration, Owari and Mikawa were united into a single entity. In 1871, after the abolition of the han system, Owari, with the exception of the Chita Peninsula, was established as Nagoya Prefecture, while Mikawa combined with the Chita Peninsula and formed Nukata Prefecture. Nagoya Prefecture was renamed to Aichi Prefecture in April 1872 and was united with Nukata Prefecture on November 27 of the same year.

The government of Aichi Prefecture is located in the Aichi Prefectural Government Office in Nagoya, which is the old capital of Owari. The Aichi Prefectural Police and its predecessor organisations have been responsible for law enforcement in the prefecture since 1871.

The Expo 2005 World Exposition was held in Seto and Nagakute.

Etymology
In the third volume of the Man'yōshū there is a poem by Takechi Kurohito that reads: "The cry of the crane, calling to Sakurada; it sounds like the tide, draining from Ayuchi flats, hearing the crane cry". Ayuchi is the original form of the name Aichi, and the Fujimae tidal flat is all that remains of the earlier Ayuchi-gata. It is now a protected area.

For a time, an Aichi Station existed on the Kansai Line (at the time the Kansai Railway) between Nagoya and Hatta stations, but its role was overtaken by Sasashima-raibu Station on the Aonami Line and Komeno Station on the Kintetsu Nagoya Line.

Economy
Gross domestic product (2018) is the second largest in Japan, the shipment value of manufactured goods (2018) is the first in Japan, annual product sales (2019) is the third largest in Japan, and its agricultural output (2018) is eighth in Japan. Aichi's agriculture industry and commerce are all ranked high in Japan, and the industrial structure is well-balanced.
 * Main industry
 * Automotive industry
 * Aerospace Industry
 * Ceramics Industry
 * Steel, Alloy steel Industry

Companies headquartered in Aichi include the following.

Companies such as Fuji Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Motors, Pfizer, Sony, Suzuki, Bodycote, and Volkswagen Group also operate plants or branch offices in Aichi.

Sister Autonomous Administrative division

 * 🇦🇺 Victoria, Australia – May 2, 1980
 * 🇨🇳 Jiangsu, China – July 28, 1980
 * 🇹🇭 Bangkok, Thailand – July 9, 2012
 * 🇨🇳 Guangdong, China – November 25, 2013
 * 🇰🇷 Gyeonggi Province, South Korea – November 10, 2015
 * 🇺🇸 Texas, United States – April 22, 2016
 * Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – September 13, 2016
 * 🇺🇸 Washington, United States – October 18, 2016
 * 🇧🇪 Brussels, Flemish Region, Wallonia, Belgium – May 15, 2017
 * 🇺🇸 Indiana, United States – September 15, 2017
 * 🇺🇸 Kentucky, United States – October 23, 2017
 * 🇫🇷 Occitanie, France – June 5, 2018
 * 🇧🇷 São Paulo, Brazil – September 10, 2018

Rail

 * JR logo (central).svg Central
 * Shinkansen jrc.svgdo Shinkansen
 * ■Tokaido Line
 * ■Chūō Main Line
 * ■Kansai Line
 * ■Taketoyo Line
 * ■Iida Line


 * Meitetsu_logomark_2.svgtsu
 * Nagoya Line
 * Inuyama Line
 * Komaki Line
 * Centrair Line
 * Tokoname Line
 * Seto Line
 * Toyokawa Line
 * Gamagori Line
 * Toyota Line
 * Chita Line
 * Mikawa Line
 * Bisai Line
 * Chikko Line
 * Tsushima Line


 * KintetsuLogo.svgtsu
 * Nagoya Line


 * Aonami_line_logo.svgi Line
 * Nagoya Subway Logo (black).svga Municipal Subway
 * Nagoya Subway Logo V2 (Higashiyama Line).svghiyama Line
 * Nagoya Subway Logo V2 (Meijo Line).svg Line
 * Nagoya Subway Logo V2 (Tsurumai Line).svgmai Line (connecting to Meitetsu Toyota and Inuyama Line)
 * Nagoya Subway Logo V2 (Sakura-dori Line).svga-dori Line
 * Nagoya Subway Logo V2 (Meiko Line).svg Line
 * Nagoya Subway Logo V2 (Kamiiida Line).svgida Line (connecting to Meitetsu Komaki Line)


 * Toyotetsu logomark.svgashi Railroad
 * Aikan_logomark.svg Loop Line

People movers and tramways

 * Nagoya Guideway Bus
 * Linimo
 * Toyohashi Railroad

Road
Expressways and toll roads


 * Chuo Expressway
 * Higashi-Meihan Expressway (East Meihan Expressway)
 * Isewangan Expressway (Ise Bayside Expressway)
 * Meishin Expressway
 * Mei-Nikan Expressway
 * Nagoya Expressway
 * Shin-Meishin Expressway
 * Shin-Tōmei Expressway
 * Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway
 * Tomei Expressway
 * Chita Peninsula Road
 * South Chita Road
 * Chubu International Airport Connecting Road
 * Chita across Road
 * Nagoya Seto Road

National highways


 * Route 1
 * Route 19 (Nagoya-Kasugai-Tajimi-Nagiso-Matsumoto-Nagano)
 * Route 22 (Nagoya-Ichinomiya-Gifu)
 * Route 23 (Ise-Matsuzaka-Suzuka-Yokkaichi-Nagoya-Toyoake-Chiryu-Gamagori-Toyohashi)
 * Route 41 (Nagoya-Komaki-Inuyama-Gero-Takayama-Toyama)
 * Route 42
 * Route 151
 * Route 153
 * Route 154
 * Route 155 (Tokoname-Chita-Kariya-Toyota-Seto-Kasugai-Komaki-Ichinomiya-Tsushima-Yatomi)
 * Route 247
 * Route 248
 * Route 257 (Hamamatsu-Shinshiro-Toyota-Ena-Nakatsugawa-Gero-Takayama)
 * Route 259
 * Route 301
 * Route 302
 * Route 362
 * Route 363
 * Route 366
 * Route 419
 * Route 420
 * Route 473 (Gamagori-Okazaki-Toyota-Shitara-Hamamatsu)
 * Route 474
 * Route 475

Airports

 * Chubu Centrair International Airport
 * Nagoya Airfield

Ports

 * Nagoya Port – International Container hub and ferry route to Sendai and Tomakomai, Hokkaido
 * Mikawa Port – mainly automobile and car parts export and part of inport base
 * Kinuura Port – Handa and Hekinan

Universities
National universities
 * Aichi University of Education
 * Graduate University for Advanced Studies - Okazaki Campus (National Institute for Basic Biology, Japan, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Japan)
 * Nagoya Institute of Technology
 * Nagoya University
 * Toyohashi University of Technology

Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Aichi.

Baseball

 * Central League
 * Chunichi Dragons (Nagoya)

Soccer

 * J.League
 * Nagoya Grampus (Nagoya and Toyota)
 * JFL
 * FC Maruyasu Okazaki (Okazaki)
 * Tokai Regional League
 * FC Kariya (Kariya)
 * L.League
 * NGU Loveledge Nagoya (Nagoya)

Basketball

 * B.League
 * SAN-EN NeoPhoenix (Toyohashi and Hamamatsu)
 * SeaHorses Mikawa (Kariya)
 * Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (Nagoya)
 * Toyotsu Fighting Eagles Nagoya (Nagoya)
 * Aisin AW Areions Anjo (Anjō)

Volleyball

 * V.League
 * Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza (Inazawa)
 * JTEKT Stings (Kariya)
 * Denso Airybees (Nishio)
 * Toyota Auto Body Queenseis (Kariya)

Rugby

 * Japan Rugby League One
 * Toyota Verblitz (Toyota)
 * Shuttles Aichi (Kariya)

Futsal

 * F.League
 * Nagoya Oceans (Nagoya)

Football

 * X-League
 * Nagoya Cyclones (Nagoya)
 * Kirix Toyota Bull Fighters (Toyota)
 * Aichi Golden Wings (Nagoya and Toyota)
 * AFL
 * Nagoya Redbacks Australian Football Club (AFL Japan) (Nagoya)

Tourism
Notable sites in Aichi include the Meiji Mura open-air architectural museum in Inuyama, which preserves historic buildings from Japan's Meiji and Taishō periods, including the reconstructed lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright's old Imperial Hotel (which originally stood in Tokyo from 1923 to 1967).

Other popular sites in Aichi include the tour of Toyota car factory in the city by the same name, the monkey park in Inuyama, and the castles in Nagoya, Okazaki, Toyohashi, and Inuyama.

Aichi Prefecture has many wonderful beaches. For example, Himakajima Beach, Shinojima Beach, Akabane Beach and Utsumi Beach.

Notable people from Aichi

 * Manabu Kubota (born 1981), football player who played for Yokohama FC and New Wave Kitakyushu.
 * F Chopper Koga (FチョッパーKOGA), bass player and leader of the rock band Gacharic Spin
 * Yūki Ishikawa (石川祐希), professional volleyball player, Japan National Team, Power Volley Milano Italy Super Lega
 * Takahiro Sakurai (born 1974), Japanese actor, narrator and radio personality
 * Syoh Yoshida (born 1984), Japanese artist
 * Yuki Yamada (actor) (born 1990), Japanese actor
 * Yoshiaki Katayama (born 1993), racing driver
 * Tatsuya Kataoka (born 1975), racing driver
 * Haruna Ono (musician), lead vocals and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Scandal
 * Mami Sasazaki (musician), lead guitar and vocalist for the rock band Scandal
 * Suzuki Ichiro, professional baseball player, member of Japan national baseball team and 2x time World Baseball Classic Champion
 * Koji Kondo (born 1961), composer and pianist born in Nagoya who works on video game soundtracks for Nintendo
 * Kazuchika Okada (born 1987), professional wrestler from Anjō
 * Akira Toriyama (born 1955), manga artist and character designer from Kiyosu
 * Aoi Morikawa (born 1995), actress and model
 * Sato Keigo (born 1998), singer, member of JO1
 * Kimata Syoya (born 2000), singer, member of JO1
 * Kimura Masaya (born 1997), singer, dancer, member of INI (Japanese boy group)
 * Sakurai Miu (born 2002), singer, member of Me:I
 * Kato Cocoro (born 2000), singer, member of Me:I
 * Maria Makino, idol singer and member of Morning Musume

Festival and events

 * UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
 * Owari Tsushima Tenno Matsuri (Aisai, Tsushima)
 * Inuyama Festival (Inuyama)
 * Kamezaki Shiohi Festival (Handa)
 * Chiryu Festival (Chiryū)
 * Sunari Festival (Ama District Kanie)