Tochigi Prefecture (栃木県, Tochigi-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu.[1] Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the west, Saitama Prefecture to the south, and Ibaraki Prefecture to the southeast.

Utsunomiya is the capital and largest city of Tochigi Prefecture, with other major cities including Oyama, Tochigi, and Ashikaga.[2] Tochigi Prefecture is one of only eight landlocked prefectures and its mountainous northern region is a popular tourist region in Japan. The Nasu area is known for its onsens, local sake, and ski resorts, the villa of the Imperial Family, and the Nasushiobara station of the Shinkansen railway line. The city of Nikkō, with its ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Prefectural overview

Situated among the inland prefectures of the northern part of the Kantō region, Tochigi is contiguous with Ibaraki, Gunma, Saitama, and Fukushima Prefectures.

The climate of Tochigi may be classified as a humid temperate zone with broad variations in temperature. Winters are arid with dry winds, while summers are humid with frequent thunderstorms.

The population of Tochigi as of November 2010 is approximately 2,005,096.

Located in the center of the prefecture is the largest open plain in the Kantō region. Shirane (2,578 metres (8,458 ft)), Nantai (2,484 metres (8,150 ft)) and Nasudake (1,917 metres (6,289 ft)) mountain are in the northern part of the area. Kinugawa, Nakagawa, and Watarase River originate in this region, which flow across the Kanto plain before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Tochigi is the 20th largest prefecture in Japan with a total area of 6,408.09 square km.

As of 1 April 2012, 21% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Nikkō National Park, Oze National Park, and eight Prefectural Natural Parks.

History

Before the Meiji Restoration, Tochigi was known as Shimotsuke Province.[5]

In the early 15th century, Ashikaga Gakkō, Japan’s oldest school of higher education, was re-established, holding over 3,000 students by the 16th century. Saint Francis Xavier introduced Ashikaga to the world as the best university in Japan.

In the early 17th century, Japan was unified by the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu. After his death, Tōshō-gū shrine was built in Nikkō on what the shōguns thought of as holy ground to protect and worship Ieyasu. The establishment of the Nikkō Tōshō-gū in 1617 brought Nikkō to national attention.[citation needed] The Tokugawa shogunate developed the Nikkō Kaidō (日光街道, part of the major road connecting Nikkō with Edo) and required lavish processions to worship Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa line of shōguns.

In the late 19th century, the Tokugawa shogunate fell and the new government established the prefectures. The prefectural capital was established in the city of Tochigi after the unification of Utsunomiya Prefecture and Tochigi Prefecture in 1873.[6] By 1884, however, the capital was transferred to Utsunomiya.

In March 2011, following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, levels of radioactivity in Utsunomiya were 33 times higher than normal.

Geography

The chief city of Utsunomiya is famous for its many gyoza specialist shops. Also located in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture has one of the largest shopping malls in the North Kantō region, Bell Mall.

Cities

Fourteen cities are located in Tochigi Prefecture:
Utsunomiya

Ashikaga
Kanuma
Mooka
Nasukarasuyama
Nasushiobara
Nikkō
Ōtawara
Oyama
Sakura
Sano
Shimotsuke
Tochigi
Utsunomiya (capital)
Yaita

Towns

These are the towns in each district:

Haga District
Haga
Ichikai
Mashiko
Motegi
Kawachi District
Kaminokawa
Nasu District
Nakagawa
Nasu

Shimotsuga District
Mibu
Nogi
Shioya District
Shioya
Takanezawa

Industry and agriculture

Located close to Tōkyō, Tochigi is home to many corporations and industrial zones, including the Kiyohara Industrial Complex, one of the largest inland industrial complexes in the country.

Industrial manufacturing accounts for 36.6% of the prefecture’s total output. Vehicle parts and accessories are the primary products, followed by vehicles, radios and televisions, pharmaceuticals, and wireless communication equipment.

Below are goods manufactured in Tochigi with the highest market share in Japan:

(The 2004 industrial analysis report published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)

The annual gross agricultural output in Tochigi is about 274 billion yen. Rice, vegetables, and livestock are produced in the region. Tochigi is also known for strawberries, Chinese chives, and Japanese pears sold throughout Japan and exported to other countries. Approximately 55% of Tochigi is covered by forests. Mushrooms, such as Shiitake mushrooms, make up half of the forest industry, with an output of approximately 5.6 billion yen.

Education

Tochigi is home to many universities and colleges including those for science and technology, literature, medicine, education, and art. Below is an alphabetical list of some of the universities located in Tochigi.

Ashikaga Institute of Technology
Bunsei University of Art, Utsunomiya
Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Mibu
Hakuoh University, Oyama
International University of Health and Welfare, Otawara
Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke
Oyama National College of Technology
Sakushin Gakuin University, Utsunomiya
Sano College
Teikyo University, Utsunomiya
Tochigi College of Industry and Technology (Central), Utsunomiya
Tochigi College of Industry and Technology (North), Nasu
Tochigi College of Industry and Technology (South), Ashikaga
Utsunomiya Kyowa University, Utsunomiya and Nasushiobara
Utsunomiya University

People

Politicians and activists

Mayumi Moriyama, Japanese politician and former cabinet member
Yoshimi Watanabe, the president of Your Party
Toshimitsu Motegi, Japanese politician, several times a minister, including minister of foreign affairs in 2019 – 2021[1]

Athletes

Ayagawa Gorōji, the second yokozuna sumo wrestler
Hiromi Hara, former footballer
Yumiko Hara, marathon runner
Hokutōriki Hideki, sumo wrestler
Takuro Ishii, baseball player for the Yokohama BayStars
Guts Ishimatsu, boxer, actor and comedian
Toshiaki Kawada, professional wrestler
Tochigiyama Moriya, sumo wrestler
Yoko Shibui, marathon runner
Akashi Shiganosuke, first-ever yokozuna sumo wrestler
Hidetoshi Wakui, footballer
Shunsuke Watanabe, baseball player for the Chiba Lotte Marines

Entertainers

Arisa Komiya, voice actress and actress
Minori Chihara, voice actress and a singer
Toshio Furukawa, voice actor
Rina Koike, actor and model
Hikaru Midorikawa, voice actor
Fumie Mizusawa, voice actress
Yūko Ōshima, singer (AKB48) and actress
Fumika Suzuki, gravure idol and model
Umi Tenjin, voice actor
Tomoko Yamaguchi, actress and singer
Hitomi Honda, singer (AKB48, Iz*One)

Musicians, composers and artists

Yasushi Ishii, composer
Tanaka Isson, artist
Shima Kakoku, artist and photographer
Masao Urino, writer and director
Nobuko Yoshiya, novelist
Toyotarou, mangaka

Notorious

Chiyo Aizawa, high-profile murderer
Yoshio Kodaira, rapist and serial killer
Hiroshi Ogawa, murderer (less well known as a baseball player)

Miscellaneous

Masaru Ibuka, co-founder of Sony
Hiromichi Kataura, carbon nanotube research
Kuniaki Koiso, World War II general
Takeji Nara, World War II general
Yumio Nasu, World War II major general
Namihei Odaira, founder of Hitachi
Tsutomu Oohashi, scientist

Sports

Football (Soccer)

Tochigi S.C. (Utsunomiya)

Ice hockey

Nikkō Ice Bucks (Nikkō)

Basketball

Utsunomiya Brex

Motorsport

Twin Ring Motegi circuit
Nikkō Circuit

Cycling

Tour de Tochigi, a cat 2.2 3-day road race of the UCI Asia Tour

Tourism

Nikkō National Park is famous for its UNESCO World Heritage Site which was registered as the 10th World Heritage Site in 1999. This encompasses Rinnō-ji, Nikkō Tōshō-gū, Mount Nantai, and Futarasan Shrine. The Kegon Falls, also in Nikkō, is popular with tourists. To travel between the city and the falls, automobiles and buses take the Irohazaka, a road with dozens of switchbacks. In addition, 400-year-old Japanese Cedars (about 13,000 in total) line the famous Cedar Avenue of Nikkō for roughly 35 km, making it the longest tree-lined avenue in the world.[8]

A more recent and modern attraction is the Twin Ring Motegi Circuit race course, which hosts the only IndyCar race outside the United States. The track also hosts many other race events including Formula One and motorcycle races as well as festivals and fireworks events.

Tochigi has many traditional festivals and events such as Nikkō Tōshō-gū’s 1000 Samurai Procession and Horseback Archery Festival, and the city of Tochigi’s Autumn Festival where doll floats are pulled around the city once every five years.

Other attractions include:

Nikkō Tōshō-gū
Rinnō-ji
Futarasan Shrine
Kegon Falls
Lake Chūzenji
Kirifuri Falls
Mashiko
Shiobara Hot Spring
Nasu resort area
Kinugawa (hot spring)
Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura
Cannabis Museum

Transportation and access

Roads

Traversing the prefecture along the north–south axis and connecting to the rest of the country are the Tōhoku Expressway and the new and old Route 4. From east to west spans Route 50, connecting southern Tochigi with Ibaraki and Gunma Prefectures.

Also connecting Tochigi, Gunma, and Ibaraki is the Kita-Kantō Expressway, with the 18.5 km that connect the Tochigi-Tsuga Interchange and the Utsunomiya-Kaminokawa Interchange. Portions of the Kita-Kantō Expressway are still being constructed and is set to be fully completed by 2011. The highway will link the region’s other main transport arteries, the Tōhoku, the Jōban and the Kan-Etsu Expressways, providing a link to the international port of Hitachinaka in Ibaraki.

Rail

The Tōhoku Shinkansen and the JR Utsunomiya Line are the main railways running north and south in Tochigi. Shinkansen runs from Tokyo Station to Oyama in south Tochigi in 43 minutes. Utsunomiya can be reached by rail in as little as 48 minutes, and many parts of Tochigi are within commuting range of central Tokyo. To the east and west, the Mito and Ryōmō Lines connect Tochigi to Ibaraki and Gunma.

Freight is served by the Utsunomiya Freight Terminal.

East Japan Railway Company
Tōhoku Shinkansen
Shōnan-Shinjuku Line
Utsunomiya Line (Tōhoku Main Line)
Nikkō Line
Ryōmō Line
Mito Line
Karasuyama Line
Tobu
Isesaki Line
Nikkō Line
Kinugawa Line
Utsunomiya Line
Sano Line
Mooka Railway
Yagan Railway
Watarase Keikoku Line

Air travel

Fukushima Airport is approximately an hour’s drive from Utsunomiya on the Tōhoku Expressway. International and national air transportation is through Narita International Airport to the east of Tokyo, approximately three hours by vehicle from Utsunomiya.