Fukui Prefecture
is located in the
Chūbu region on
Honshū island,
Japan. The capital is the city of
Fukui.
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.
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.
*
Awara*
Echizen*
Fukui (capital)
*
Katsuyama*
Obama*
Ōno*
Sabae*
Sakai*
TsurugaTowns 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.
* 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 m
2.
* 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.
* 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
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
FukuiThe 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.
*
Official Fukui Prefecture homepage
