Akita Prefecture (秋田県; Akita-ken) is located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.
History
The famous Heian period waka poet, Ono no Komachi, is said to have been born here (but the true location of her birth is uncertain).
Geography
Located in the north of Honshu Island, Akita Prefecture faces the Sea of Japan in the west and is bordered by Aomori in the north, Iwate in the east, Miyagi in the south east, and Yamagata in the south.
Akita Prefecture is rectangular in shape, roughly 181 km from north to south and 111 km from west to east. The Ou Mountains mark the eastern border of the prefecture, and the higher Dewa Mountains run parallel through the center of the prefecture. Like much of northern Japan, the prefecture has cold winters, particularly away from the sea.
The Oga Peninsula is a prominent feature of the coastline.
Cities
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district.
Mergers
(as of 01/01/06)
Future Mergers
More information on merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan
Economy
Like much of Tōhoku, Akita's economy remains dominated by traditional industries, such as agriculture, fishing, and forestry. This has led many young people to migrate to Tokyo and other large cities.
Tourism
Near Lake Tazawa, there are a number of hot springs resorts (onsen), these are popular with tourists from all over Japan. In addition there are a number of seasonal festivals (matsuri) which offer a glimpse of rural or traditional Japan.
Kakunodate is a particularly charming old town, full of preserved samurai houses. The Aoyagi house is the former residence of Odano Naotake, the man who illustrated Japan's first modern guide to the human anatomy. The house is now a museum and gallery of medical illustrations and traditional crafts.
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akita_Prefecture under GFDL
