Kagoshima Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
• Japanese	鹿児島県
• Rōmaji	Kagoshima-ken
Symbol of Kagoshima Prefecture
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Island	Kyushu
Capital	Kagoshima
Government
• Governor	Yūichirō Itō
Area
• Total	9,132.42 km2 (3,526.05 sq mi)
Area rank	10th
Population (December 1, 2010)
• Total	1,703,406
• Rank	24th
• Density	186.52/km2 (483.1/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	JP-46
Districts	8
Municipalities	43
Flower	Miyamakirishima (Rhododendron kiusianum)
Tree	Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora)
Bird	Lidth's Jay (Garrulus lidthi)
Website	http://www.pref.kagoshima.jp/foreign/english/index.html

Kagoshima Prefecture (鹿児島県, Kagoshima-ken^?) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu.^[1] The capital is the city of Kagoshima.^[2]

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Economy 4 Region 4.1 Cities 4.2 Districts 4.3 Mergers 5 Recreation 6 Colleges and universities 7 Transportation 7.1 Railroad 7.2 Trams 7.3 Roads 7.3.1 Expressways and toll roads 7.3.2 National Highways 7.4 Ports 7.5 Airports 8 Notable people 9 Sister relations 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 External links

  Geography

Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers. The most important group is the Amami Islands. Surrounded by the Yellow Sea to the west, at least since 1879 by Okinawa Prefecture in the south, Kumamoto Prefecture to the north, and Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, it has 2,632 km of coastline (including the 28 islands). It has a bay called Kagoshima Bay (Kinkowan), which is sandwiched by two peninsulas, Satsuma and Ōsumi. Its position made it a 'gateway' to Japan at various times in history. While Kyushu has about 13 million people there are less than 2 million in this prefecture.

The prefecture boasts a chain of active and dormant volcanoes, including the great Sakurajima, which towers out of the Kagoshima bay opposite Kagoshima city. A steady trickle of smoke and ash emerges from the caldera, punctuated by louder mini-eruptions on an almost daily basis. On active days in Kagoshima city an umbrella is advisable to ward off the ash. Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes. Major eruptions occurred in 1914, when the island mountain spilled enough material to become permanently connected to the mainland, and a lesser eruption in 1960. Volcanic materials in the soil make Sakurajima a source for record daikon radishes, roughly the size of a basketball. Many beaches around the Kagoshima Bay are littered with well-worn pumice stones. A crater lake in the southwestern tip of the prefecture, near the spa town of Ibusuki, is home to a rare species of giant eel.

As of 31 March 2008, 9% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Kirishima-Yaku and Unzen-Amakusa National Parks; Amami Guntō and Nichinan Kaigan Quasi-National Parks; and Akune, Bōnoma, Fukiagehama, Imutaike, Koshikijima, Ōsumi Nanbu, Sendaigawa Ryūiki, Takakumayama, and Tokara Rettō Prefectural Natural Parks.^[3]

  History

Kagoshima Prefecture corresponds to the ancient Japanese provinces Ōsumi and Satsuma, including the northern part of the Ryukyu Islands (Satsunan).^[4] This region played a key role in the Meiji Restoration (Saigo Takamori), and the city of Kagoshima was an important naval base during Japan's 20th century wars and the home of admiral Tōgō Heihachirō. More recent incidents are the sinking of a North Korean spy ship (100 ton class) in 2001 by the coast guard, which was later salvaged and exhibited in Tokyo, and the abduction of an office clerk from a Kagoshima beach in 1978 by agents from the same country. This became known only recently under the Koizumi administration.

  Economy

The prefecture has strong agricultural roots, which are reflected in its most well-known exports: green tea, sweet potato, radish, Pongee rice, Satsuma ware and Berkshire pork ("kurobuta"). Kagoshima prefecture's production of bonito flakes is second only to that of Shizuoka. In addition it produces Japan's largest volume of unagi eels.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has several facilities within the prefecture, including the country's main launch facility on Tanegashima and the Uchinoura Space Center.

The prefecture's gross domestic product is approximately 4.834 trillion yen.^{[citation needed]}

  Region

The following is a list of Kagoshima Prefecture's cities, and its administrative districts with their constituent towns and villages:

  Cities

Aira Akune Amami Hioki Ibusuki Ichikikushikino Isa Izumi Kagoshima (capital, core city) Kanoya

Kirishima Makurazaki Minamikyūshū Minamisatsuma Nishinoomote Satsumasendai Shibushi Soo Tarumizu

  Districts

Aira District Yūsui Izumi District Nagashima Kagoshima District Mishima Toshima Kimotsuki District Higashikushira Kimotsuki Kinkō Minamiōsumi Kumage District Minamitane Nakatane Yakushima

Ōshima District Amagi China Isen Kikai Setouchi Tatsugō Tokunoshima Uken Wadomari Yamato Yoron Satsuma District Satsuma Soo District Ōsaki

  Mergers

In the 2000s, many administrative mergers of cities towns and districts have occurred in Kagoshima Prefecture.

  Recreation

No major baseball or soccer club is based in the prefecture. A number of Kagoshima's ballparks play host to well-known teams:

• Kagoshima Prefectural Ballpark (鹿児島県立球場) Camp home of Chiba Lotte Marines
• Kagoshima Municipal Ballpark (鹿児島市営球場)
• Ibusuki Municipal Ballpark (指宿市営球場) Camp home of Kokutesu Swallows
• Yunomoto Ballpark (湯之元球場) Camp home of Yakult Atoms
• Kagoshima Prefectural Kamonoike Trackfield (鹿児島県立鴨池陸上競技場)　Camp home of Júbilo Iwata
• Kagoshima Fureai Sportsland (鹿児島ふれあいスポーツランド) Camp home of Sagan Tosu
• Kagoshima Prefectural Kamonoike Trackfield (鹿児島県立鴨池陸上競技場)　Camp home of Toshiba Fuchu Brave Rupas

The Kirishima-Yaku National Park is located in Kagoshima Prefecture.

  Colleges and universities

• Kagoshima University
• National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya
• The International University of Kagoshima
• Kagoshima Immaculate Heart University
• Daiichi Institute of Technology
• Shigakukan University
• Kagoshima Prefectural College
• Kagoshima Immaculate Heart College
• Kagoshima Women's Junior College
• Daiichi Junior College of Infant Education

  Transportation

  Railroad

• JR Kyushu
  • Kyushu Shinkansen
  • Kagoshima Line
  • Nippo Line
  • Ibusuki Makurazaki Line
  • Hisatsu Line
  • Shibushi Line
  • Kitto Line
• Hisatsu Orange Railway

  Trams

• Kagoshima City Tram

  Roads

  Expressways and toll roads

• Kyushu Expressway
• Miyazaki Expressway
• Ibusuki Toll Road
• South Kyushu Expressway
• Hayato Road

  National Highways

• Route 3 (Kitakyushu-Fukuoka-Kurume-Kumamoto-Minamata-Izumi-Satsuma Sendai-Kagoshima)
• Route 10 (Kitakyushu-Nakatsu-Beppu-Saiki-Nobeoka-Miyazaki-Miyakonojo-Kagoshima)
• Route 58 (Amami Island)
• Route 220 (Miyazaki-Nichinan-Shibushi-Kanoya-Tarumizu-Kirishima)
• Route 223
• Route 224
• Route 225
• Route 226
• Route 267 (Hitoyoshi-Isa-Satsuma Sendai)
• Route 268 (Minamata-Isa-Ebino-Kobayashi-Miyazaki)
• Route 269
• Route 270
• Route 328 (Kagoshima-Isa-Izumi)
• Route 389 (Ōmuta-Tamana-Unzen-Minamishimabara-Amakusa-Akune)
• Route 447 (Ebino-Isa-Izumi)
• Route 448
• Route 499
• Route 504 (Kanoya-Kirishima-Satsuma-Izumi)

  Ports

• Kagoshima Port
  • Domestic ferry route to Sakurajima, Kikai Island, Tokunoshima, Amami Island, Tanegashima, Yakushima, Yoron Island, Okinoerabu and Naha.
  • High-speed craft route to Ibusuki, Tanegashima and Yakushima.
  • International container hub port
• Shibushi Port
  • Ferry route to Osaka, Tokyo, Naha and Amami Island
  • International and domestic container hub port
• Naze Port
  • Ferry Route to Osaka, Kobe, Kagoshima, Yakushima, Tanegashima, Tokunoshima and Naha.
• Yakushima Port
• Tanegashima Port
• Tokunoshima Port

  Airports

• Kagoshima Airport
• Amami Airport
• Tokunoshima Airport
• Tanegashima Airport
• Yakushima Airport
• Okinoerabu Airport
• Yoron Airport

  Notable people

  Sister relations

• Miami, USA
• Naples, Italy
• Jeollabuk-do, South Korea, October 1989 duo-declaration
• Georgia, United States November 28, 1966 became a sister state
• Jiangsu, China
• Gifu Prefecture July 27, 1971 became a sister prefecture

  See also

• 2006 Kuril Islands earthquake
• Sakurajima daikon

  Notes

  References

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

  External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kagoshima prefecture

• (English) Official Kagoshima Prefecture homepage
• National Archives of Japan ... Kagoshima map (1891)

Kagoshima Prefecture Subprefectures Ōshima Kumage Cities Aira Akune Amami Hioki Ibusuki Ichikikushikino Isa Izumi Kagoshima (capital) Kanoya Kirishima Makurazaki Minamikyūshū Minamisatsuma Nishinoomote Satsumasendai Shibushi Soo Tarumizu Districts Aira Izumi Kagoshima Kimotsuki Kumage Ōshima Satsuma Soo See also: Cities and towns and villages by district

Regions and administrative divisions of  Japan Regions Hokkaido Tōhoku Kantō Nanpō Islands Chūbu Hokuriku Kōshin'etsu Shin'etsu Tōkai Kansai Chūgoku San'in San'yō Shikoku Kyushu Northern Kyushu Ryukyu Islands Prefectures Hokkaido Hokkaido Tōhoku Aomori Iwate Miyagi Akita Yamagata Fukushima Kantō Ibaraki Tochigi Gunma Saitama Chiba Tokyo Kanagawa Chūbu Niigata Toyama Ishikawa Fukui Yamanashi Nagano Gifu Shizuoka Aichi Kansai Mie Shiga Kyoto Osaka Hyōgo Nara Wakayama Chūgoku Tottori Shimane Okayama Hiroshima Yamaguchi Shikoku Tokushima Kagawa Ehime Kōchi Kyushu Fukuoka Saga Nagasaki Kumamoto Ōita Miyazaki Kagoshima Okinawa

Coordinates: 31°24′N 130°31′E / 31.4°N 130.517°E / 31.4; 130.517