is a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

located in the

Kansai region The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropol ...

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders

Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 () and has a geographic area of . Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture ...

to the east,

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

to the southeast, and

Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western J ...

and Tottori prefectures to the west.

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

is the capital and largest city of Hyōgo Prefecture, and the seventh-largest city in Japan, with other major cities including

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is ...

Nishinomiya 270px, Nishinomiya City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Nishinomiya city center 1985 270px, Hirota Shrine is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 484,368 in 218,948 households and a population density ...

, and

Amagasaki 270px, Amagasaki Castle 270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center 270px, Amagasaki Station is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 455,555 in 223,812 households, and a population de ...

. Hyōgo Prefecture's mainland stretches from the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

to the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...

, where Awaji Island and a small

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

of islands belonging to the prefecture are located. Hyōgo Prefecture is a major economic center,

transportation hub A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include railway stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stops, airports, and ferry slips. ...

, and tourist destination in western Japan, with 20% of the prefecture's land area designated as Natural Parks. Hyōgo Prefecture forms part of the Kobe metropolitan area and Osaka metropolitan area, the second-most-populated urban region in Japan after the

Greater Tokyo area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefecture, Gunma, Ibaraki Prefecture, ...

and one of the world's most productive regions by GDP.

History

Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes the former

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

of Harima, Tajima, Awaji, and parts of Tanba and Settsu. In 1180, near the end of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

, Emperor Antoku, Taira no Kiyomori, and the Imperial court moved briefly to Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital remained for five months. Himeji Castle, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, is in the city of Himeji. Southern Hyōgo Prefecture was severely devastated by the 6.9 Mw

Great Hanshin earthquake The Great Hanshin Earthquake (, ) occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region of Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum intensity of 7 o ...

of 1995, which destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji, as well as

and Ashiya and the neighboring

, killing nearly 6,500 people.

Geography

Hyōgo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the

, to the south, the

. On Awaji Island, Hyōgo borders the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

coastline in the Kii Channel. The northern portion is sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka, The central highlands are only populated by tiny villages. Most of Hyōgo's population lives on the southern coast, which is part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area. Awaji is an island that separates the Inland Sea and

Osaka Bay Osaka Bay (大阪湾 ''Ōsaka-wan'' ) is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait. I ...

, lying between Honshu and

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

. Summertime weather throughout Hyōgo is hot and humid. As for winter conditions, the north of Hyōgo tends to receive abundant snow, whilst the south receives only the occasional flurry. Hyōgo borders on

Tottori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, least populous prefecture of Japan at 538,525 (2023) and has a geographic area of . ...

and

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...

. 20% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Sanin Kaigan and Setonaikai National Parks; Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park; and Asago Gunzan, Harima Chūbu Kyūryō, Inagawa Keikoku, Izushi-Itoi, Kasagatayama-Sengamine, Kiyomizu-Tōjōko-Tachikui, Onzui-Chikusa, Seiban Kyūryō, Seppiko-Mineyama, Tajima Sangaku, and Taki Renzan Prefectural Natural Parks.

Current municipalities

Islands

* Awaji Island * Ieshima Islands Two major artificial islands are located Hyōgo Prefecture: *

Port Island is an artificial island in Chūō-ku, Kōbe, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan. It was constructed between 1966-1980 (Phase 1) and 1987-2009 (Phase 2) at the Port of Kobe, and officially opened with an trade fair, exposition called "Portopia '81." It now ho ...

Rokkō Island is a Artificial island, man-made island in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. Located in the southeast region of the Port of Kobe, the island has a rectangular shape and covers . The island's central region features a residential area, sepa ...

National parks

* Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park * Sanin Kaigan National Park * Setonaikai National Park File:Hyonosen02s1760.jpg, Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park (Mt. Hyonosen view from Yabu) File:Cercidiphyllum japonicum05s3200.jpg, Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park (Torokawataira in

Kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

) File:TakenoBeach Hyogo prefecture.jpg, Sanin Kaigan National Park (Takeno Beach in Toyooka) File:Tajima mihonoura39st3200.jpg, Sanin Kaigan National Park (Tajima-mihonoura of Sanin Coast in Shinonsen)

Mergers

Future mergers

The city of Akō and the only town in Akō District ( Kamigōri), were scheduled to merge and the city would still retain the name Akō. Akō District would be defunct if the merger was successful. However, the merger has not taken place.

Economy

Hyogo prefecture population pyramid in 2020

As in all prefectures nationwide, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries play a big role in the economy of Hyogo Prefecture. Hyōgo Prefecture also has an IT industry, many heavy industries, metal and medical, Kobe Port being one of the largest ports in Japan. Kobe Port also hosts one of the world's fastest supercomputers, and Hyogo Prefecture passed laws to keep Kobe Port free of nuclear weapons (a nuclear-free zone) since the year 1975. Hyōgo is a part of the

Hanshin Industrial Region The is one of the largest industrial regions in Japan. Its name comes from the ''on''-reading of the kanji used to abbreviate the names of Osaka (大阪) and Kobe (神戸), the two largest cities in the megalopolis. The GDP of this area (Osaka ...

. There are two research institutes of Riken, natural sciences research institute in Japan, in Kobe and Harima. " SPring-8", a synchrotron radiation facility, is in Harima. Port of Kobe01s3780

Culture

National Treasures of Japan

* Chōkō-ji in Katō *Chorakuji in Kami, Hyōgo (Mikata) * Himeji Castle in

(

) * Ichijō-ji in Kasai * Jōdo-ji in Ono * Kakurin-ji in Kakogawa * Taisan-ji in

File:Jodoji Ono Hyogo01n3200.jpg, Jōdo-ji in Ono File:Ichijoji Kasai13bs4272.jpg, Ichijo-ji in Kasai File:Kakogawa Kakurinji12n4592.jpg, Kakurin-ji in Kakogawa File:Hyogo-mikata-kami-kawai chorakuji-daibutsu.jpg, Chorakuji-daibutsu

Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings in Japan

* Izushi * Kitano-chō Yamamoto-dōri * Sasayama File:Choueke house02 1920.jpg, Kitano-chō Yamamoto-dōri File:Ganjoji-Toyooka02s4592.jpg, Izushi File:Sasayama Okachi-machi05st3200.jpg, Sasayama

Museums

* Asago Art Village in Asago * Ashiya City Museum of Art & History in Ashiya * Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum in Higashinada Ward, Kobe * Himeji City Museum of Art in

* Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art in Nada Ward,

* Kobe City Museum in Chuo Ward, Kobe * Kobe Maritime Museum in Chuo Ward, Kobe * Kosetsu Museum of Art in Higashinada Ward, Kobe * Tekisui Museum of Art in Ashiya * Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka File:Hyogo prefectural museum of art08s3200.jpg, Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art in

File:Kobe city museum01 1920.jpg, Kobe City Museum in Kobe File:Kosetsu Museum：香雪美術館 - panoramio.jpg, KOSETSU Museum of Art in Kobe File:Himeji City Museum of Art20bs4480.jpg, Himeji City Museum of Art in

File:Asago Art Village08n4272.jpg, Asago Art Village in Asago File:Tezuka osamu01 2048.jpg, Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka

Education

Universities

Amagasaki

* Sonoda Women's University * St. Thomas University (ex-Eichi University) – closed in 2015

High schools

There are 163 public and 52 private high schools within Hyogo prefecture. Of the public high schools, some are administered by the Hyogo prefectural government, whilst the others are administered by local municipalities. * Ashiya International Secondary School, founded 2003

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Hyōgo. Baseball *

Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...

(

) *

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture ...

(

) Basketball * Kobe Storks (

) Football (soccer) *

INAC Kobe Leonessa INAC Kobe(INAC神戸レオネッサ, Ainakku-Kōbe Reonessa) is a professional Japanese women's soccer, football club from Kobe, founded in 2001. INAC stands for International Athletic Club, while Leonessa means Lioness in Italian language, Ita ...

(Women's) (Kobe) *

Vissel Kobe is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. They are currently the J1 League champions. The club's home stadium is Noevir Stad ...

(

) Rugby * Kobelco Steelers (

) * World Fighting Bull (

) Volleyball * Hisamitsu Springs (

) * JT Marvelous (

)

Tourism

A popular troupe of Takarazuka Revue plays in Takarazuka. Arima Onsen in the south of the province in Kita-ku, Kobe is one of the Three Ancient Springs in Japan. The north of Hyogo Prefecture has sightseeing spots such as Kinosaki Onsen, Izushi, and Yumura Onsen. Takeda Castle in Asago is often referred to locally as the "Machu Picchu of Japan". The matsuba crab and Tajima beef are both national delicacies. File:170811 Rokko-Arima Ropeway Kobe Japan00n.jpg, Arima Onsen, Kobe File:Night view of Osaka bay.jpg, Million-dollar view, Kobe File:Kobe Mosaic06s4s3200.jpg, Harborland – Meriken Park area in Kobe File:Westin Awaji Island Hotel 06.jpg, Awaji Yumebutai in Awaji File:Ichikawa river Ikuno Asago Hyogo01s5bs4272.jpg, Kuchiganaya in Asago File:Kinosaki onsen02 1920.jpg, Kinosaki Onsen File:Yumura onsen11s1920.jpg, Yumura Onsen File:Tonomine highland 01 b.jpg, Tonomine highland in Kamikawa File:Kounotori 06f4439.jpg, Toyooka Stork Park File:20130507 takeda castle 10.jpg, Takeda Castle

Festivals and events

*Miyuki Street New Year's midnight traditional sale, Himeji *Nishinomiya Shrine's Ebisu Festival in January *Yanagihara Ebisu Festival in January, Kobe *Tada Shrine's Genji Festival in April, Kawanishi *Kobe Festival and Parade in May *Aioi Peron Festival in May *Himeji

Yukata A is an unlined cotton summer kimono, worn in casual settings such as summer festivals and to nearby bathhouses. The name is translated literally as "bathing cloth" and originally were worn as bathrobes; their modern use is much broader, and ar ...

Festival in June *Dekansho Bon Dancing Festival in August, Sasayama *Nada Fighting Festival, Himeji *Kobe Luminarie in December *Ako Chushingura Parade

Transportation

Rail

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

** San'yō Shinkansen ** JR Kobe Line ** Wadamisaki Line ** San'yō Main Line ** San'in Line ** Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line) ** Kakogawa Line ** Bantan Line **

Kishin Line is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Himeji, Hyōgo and Niimi, Okayama, Japan. The name of the line comes from the first kanji of Himeji () and Niimi () which the line connects. Stations *S: Trains stop *s: ...

** Akō Line * Hankyu Railway ** Kobe Line ** Kobe Kosoku Line ** Itami Line ** Imazu Line ** Koyo Line ** Takarazuka Line * Nose Railway **Myoken Line **Nissei Line * Shintetsu ** Arima Line ** Kobe Kosoku Line ** Sanda Line ** Kōen-Toshi Line ** Ao Line * Kobe Municipal Subway ** Seishin-Yamate Line **

Kaigan Line The , also known as the "Yumekamome" (), is one of two lines of the Kobe Municipal Subway. Trains of the line are propelled by linear motors. This is the third linear motor rapid transit line to be built in Japan. History Construction of the ...

** Hokushin Line *Hojo Railway (Ao-Hojo) * Hanshin Railway ** Main Line ** Kobe Kosoku Line ** Mukogawa Line ** Hanshin Namba Line * Sanyo Railway ** Main Line ** Aboshi Line * Chizu Express * Kitakinki Tango Railway ** Miyazu Line

People movers

* Kobe New Transit ** Port Liner ** Rokkō Liner

Road

Expressways

*Bantan Expressway * Chūgoku Expressway *

Hanshin Expressway The is a network of expressways surrounding Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, Japan. History Operated by , it opened in 1962. Portions of the Hanshin Expressway about east of Fukae Station collapsed during the Kobe earthquake on 17 January 1995 ...

*Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway *Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway * Meishin Expressway * San'yō Expressway *Second Shinmei road

National highways

*Route 2 *Route 9 *Route 28 *Route 29 *Route 43 *Route 171 *Route 173 *Route 174 (Sannomiya-Kobe Port) *Route 175 *Route 176 *Route 178 *Route 179 *Route 250 *Route 312 *Route 372 *Route 373 *Route 426 *Route 427 *Route 428 *Route 429 *Route 436 *Route 477 *Route 482 *Route 483

Ports

* Akashi Port * Kobe Port – Mainly international container hub port * Shikama Port – Mainly Shōdo Island route ferry

Airport

* Kobe Airport * Konotori Tajima Airport

Notable people

* Ume Aoki, manga artist * Mana Ashida, child actress from

Koichi Domoto is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, television personality, voice actor. Along with Tsuyoshi Domoto (with whom he has no blood-relation), he is a member of the duo Domoto, who holds the Guinness World Recor ...

, singer of

KinKi Kids is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Starto Entertainment (formerly of Johnny & Associates). Domoto was formed in 1993 as Kinki Kids and officially debuted on July 21, 1997. With more than 30 m ...

Heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

, musician, singer-songwriter and bassist of

X Japan is a Japanese Rock music, rock band from Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki (musician), Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi (musician), Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power metal, power/speed metal band with ...

is from

Hiro Fujiwara is a Japanese manga artist. The manga artist was once active under her previous pen name, at the end of the 1990s, but has abandoned the name after she won the Best Rookie award in the LMS for ''Kaeri Michi, Yuki no Netsu''. Her first series, ...

, manga artist * Miracle Hikaru, comedian and impersonator is from Toyooka *

Kanō Jigorō was a Japanese judoka, educator, politician, and the founder of judo. Judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic Games, Olympic sport. Pedagogical ...

, founder of the martial art Judo * Jun, musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist of

Phantasmagoria Phantasmagoria (), alternatively fantasmagorie and/or fantasmagoria, was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images – such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts – typicall ...

is from

* Shinji Kagawa, footballer from

* Tomoya Kanki, drummer of One Ok Rock * Takumi Kawanishi (J-pop idol singer and dancer, member of JO1) * Tomomi Ogawa, bassist of

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

* Itzuki Yamazaki, professional wrestler from Ieshima * Kaoru, guitarist of

Dir En Grey Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en grey) is a Japanese Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitari ...

* Ayaka Kimura, actress, former singer of Coconuts Musume is from Kobe * Keiko Kitagawa, actress from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and Buzzer Beat was born in Kobe *

Miho Komatsu is a former Japanese singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Kobe, Japan, Komatsu began her career as a songwriter, writing "Kono Machi de Kimi to Kurashitai" for Field of View. In May 1997, she released her debut single "Nazo (song), Nazo", w ...

, singer and songwriter from

* Yūji Kuroiwa, politician from

, current governor of

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

Kamui Kobayashi is a Japanese racing driver and motorsport executive, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, Toyota and in Super Formula for KC Motorgroup, KCMG. Kobayashi competed in Formula One from to . In end ...

, former

Sauber Sauber Motorsport AG, currently competing in Formula One as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and also known simply as Kick Sauber or Sauber, is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 (as PP Sauber AG) by Peter Sauber, who pro ...

and Toyota Racing driver from

* Chisa Maekawa, singer of Girl Next Door *

Kiyomatsu Matsubara was a Japanese people, Japanese marine biologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. Born Kiyomatsu Sakamoto in Hyogo Prefecture, Kiyomatsu Matsubara was the first professor of the Department of Fisheries of the University of Kyoto and is consider ...

, ichthyologist, herpetologist and marine biologist * Hitoshi Matsumoto, comedian, from Amagasaki *

Aya Matsuura is a former Japanese pop singer and actress, from Himeji, Hyogo, Japan. Career 2000–2009: Hello! Project Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become ...

, singer is from

* Ryuto Kazuhara, vocalist of Generations from Exile Tribe is from

* Mina Myoui – American-born Japanese singer of South Korean group

Twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...

. Raised in

* Hiro Matsushita – Businessman, former driver in

Champ Car Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., a Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing T ...

series. Chairman of

Swift Engineering Swift Engineering is an American engineering firm that builds Autonomous robot, autonomous systems, helicopters, submarines, spacecraft, ground vehicles, robotics, and composite parts. The chairman and CEO is Hiro Matsushita, a former racecar dr ...

& Swift Xi *

Miyavi , better known by his stage name MIYAVI (雅, ''Miyabi'', stylized in all caps), is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor known for his finger- slapping style of playing a guitar. He has been active since 1999, f ...

, musician, although born in

Konohana-ku, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Japan, wards of Osaka city, Japan. It stands at the mouth of the Yodo River. It is home to the popular western-style theme park of Universal Studios Japan. It will be the site of Expo 2025, a World's Fair to be held in 2025 ...

grew up in Kawanishi * Minako Nishiyama, contemporary artist *

Rena Nōnen , known professionally as , is a Japanese actress, fashion model and singer from Kamikawa, Hyōgo Prefecture. She is best known for her lead roles on the NHK drama series '' Amachan'' (2013). In July 2016, it was announced that she changed her s ...

known professionally as , actress, singer, fashion model from Kamikawa *

Masamune Shirow , better known by his pen name , is a Japanese manga artist. Shirow is best known for the manga ''Ghost in the Shell'', which has since been turned into three theatrical anime films, two anime television series, an anime television film, an ani ...

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

artist was born in Kobe * So Taguchi, outfielder for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

* Masahiro Tanaka, pitcher for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

* Nagaru Tanigawa, creator of the ''

Haruhi Suzumiya is a Japanese light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito. It was first published in 2003 by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan with the novel ''The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', and has since been followed ...

'' series was born in

Kinki The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolit ...

* Tsuneko Taniuchi, contemporary performance artist * Fumito Ueda, video game creator of '' Ico'', '' Shadow of the Colossus'', and '' The Last Guardian'' * Juri Ueno, Japanese Academy Award-winning actress best known for her performances in '' Swing Girls'' and the live-action adaptation of '' Nodame Cantabile'', is from Kakogawa * Shota Yasuda, guitarist of Kanjani Eight is from Amagasaki *

Piko Piko may refer to: *PIKO, a model train manufacturer *Piko Interactive, an American game developer and publisher. *Piko (singer) (b. 1988), a Japanese pop singer *Piko (Filipino game), a Filipino children's game similar to hopscotch *Piko, renamed ...

, musician,

Vocaloid is a singing Speech synthesis, voice synthesizer software product. Its signal processing part was developed through a joint research project between Yamaha Corporation and the Music Technology Group at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona. The s ...

singer born in Kobe, Hyōgo

Sister regions

Hyogo entered a sister state relationship with

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

in the United States on October 22, 1963, the first such arrangement between Japan and the United States. In 1981, a sister state agreement was drawn up between Hyogo and the state of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this agreement in 1992, the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre was established in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

.Hyogo.com.au

Notes

Citations

General references

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth (2005)
''Japan Encyclopedia''
Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. . .

External links

Official Hyōgo prefecture homepage

Hyōgo prefecture tourist guide

Hyōgo Business & Cultural Center

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyogo Prefecture Kansai region Prefectures of Japan