is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 386,999 in 164,087 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 999 persons per km². The total area of the city was .

Geography

Okazaki is in the coastal plains of southeastern Aichi Prefecture. The ground rises to undulating hills in the former Nukata area to the northeast. About 60 percent of the city area is forested and remains sparsely populated. Okazaki is about from Tokyo, to the southwest.

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Okazaki is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Okazaki has grown steadily over the past 60 years. This fast population growth reflects the low unemployment rate, as well as affordable housing close to Nagoya. Of the total population, in November 2019 there were 12,581 are foreign nationals (2.92% of the total, compared with the nationwide average of 1.55%). There are 6,148 foreign males and 6,433 foreign females with a total of 6990 households. Including those registered as stateless, the foreign population comes from 71 nationalities, though more than half are from

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Other significant foreign communities include Koreans, Chinese and Filipinos.

Surrounding municipalities

;

Toyokawa is a city in the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 183,930 in 72,949 households, and a population density of 1,141 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Toyokawa, famous for its Toyoka ...

* Shinshiro *

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Nishio is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, in the Chūbu region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 169,984 in 65,553 households, with a population density of 1,054 persons per km². The total area of the city was . It is a regional ...

* Kōta * Anjō *

Gamagōri is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,063 in 32,800 households, and a population density of 1,407 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Gamagōri is situated on the coast of Mik ...

Cityscape

File:Otogawa-Sakuranoshirobashi-4.jpg,

Skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylines ...

of Okazaki City and Oto River File:Okazakijo2.JPG,

Okazaki Castle is a Japanese castle located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Okazaki Castle was home to the Honda clan, ''daimyō'' of Okazaki Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with Tokugawa Ieyasu an ...

File:Hatcho-Miso-Kakukyu-3.jpg, Hatchō town File:Okazaki-Minami-Park-6.jpg, OkazakiMinami Park File:Higashi-Park-Elephant-2.jpg, OkazakiHigashi Park Zoo

History

Origins

The area around present-day Okazaki has been inhabited for many thousands of years. Archaeologists have found remains from the

Japanese Paleolithic The is the period of human inhabitation in Japan predating the development of pottery, generally before 10,000 BC. The starting dates commonly given to this period are from around 40,000 BC; although any date of human presence before 35,000 BC ...

period. Numerous remains from the

Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...

, and especially from the

Yayoi The started at the beginning of the Neolithic in Japan, continued through the Bronze Age, and towards its end crossed into the Iron Age. Since the 1980s, scholars have argued that a period previously classified as a transition from the Jōmon p ...

and

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

s, have been found, including many ''

kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』� ...

'' burial mounds.

Sengoku period

During the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, the area was controlled by the

Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of th ...

, a branch of which later rose to prominence as the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

, who ruled Japan during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

Edo period

During this time,

Okazaki Domain was a feudal domain of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period, Japan located in eastern Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Okazaki Castle in what is now the city of Okazaki, Aichi. It was ruled by a number ...

, a feudal ''han'' was established to rule the immediate area around Okazaki and was entrusted to a ''

fudai daimyō was a class of ''daimyō'' (大名) in the Tokugawa Shogunate (徳川幕府) of Japan who were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa before the Battle of Sekigahara. ''Fudai daimyō'' and their descendants filled the ranks of the Tokugawa admini ...

''. Several smaller domains were in the present-day city limits, including Fukozu (later Mikawa-Nakajima), Okudono Domain and Nishi-Ohira Domain. The town prospered as a post station on the Tōkaidō connecting Edo with

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

Meiji period

Following the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, the modern town of Okazaki was established on October 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system in Nukata District of

. On October 1, 1914, Okazaki annexed neighboring Hirohata Town. Okazaki was proclaimed a city on July 1, 1916. The city suffered damage in both the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake (which killed 9 people) and the 1945 Mikawa earthquake (which killed 29 people). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the July 19, 1945 Bombing of Okazaki killed over 200 people and destroyed most of the city center. Although Okazaki was the location of an

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

airfield, military installations were not damaged in the attack.

Modern Okazaki

In 1955, through a series of mergers and consolidations, the area of Okazaki expanded considerably. The former towns of Iwazu, Fukuoka, and Yahagi, and the villages of Motojuku, Yamanaka, Kawai, Fujikawa, and Ryugai were all merged into Okazaki. The 1959

Isewan Typhoon Typhoon Vera, also known as the , was an exceptionally intense tropical cyclone that struck Japan in September 1959, becoming the strongest and deadliest typhoon on record to make landfall on the country as a Category 5 equivalent storm. Th ...

caused considerable damage, and killed 27 residents. On October 15, 1962, Okazaki annexed the neighboring town of Mutsumi. Okazaki was proclaimed a

core city In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city i ...

on April 1, 2003, with increased autonomy from the prefectural government. On January 1, 2006, the town of Nukata (from Nukata District) was merged into Okazaki.

Government

Mayor-council

Okazaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city legislature of 37 members.

Prefectural Assembly

The city contributes five members to the

Aichi Prefectural Assembly The is the legislative assembly of Aichi Prefecture. Its 103 members are elected in 57 districts by single non-transferable vote (SNTV) to four-year terms. The assembly is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural ordinances, voting on ...

House of Representatives

In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 12 of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Public

Police

Aichi Prefectural Police The is the prefectural police force responsible, under the control of the Aichi Prefectural Public Safety Commission, for policing Aichi Prefecture. History Its origins date back to 1871 ( Meiji 4), when its predecessor organisation, the A ...

**Okazaki police station

Firefighting

*Okazaki Fire department **Okazaki-Naka fire department **Okazaki-Higashi fire department **Okazaki-Nishi fire department

Health care

*Hospital **Aichi Prefectural Hospital **Okazaki City Hospital

Post office

*Okazaki Post office

Library

*Okazaki City Library File:Okazaki-Police-Station-1.jpg, Okazaki Police Station File:Okazaki City Naka Fire Station 1.jpg, Okazaki Fire Department File:Okazaki-City-Hospital-4.jpg, Okazaki City Hospital File:Okazaki-Post-Office-1.jpg, Okazaki Post Office File:Libra Okazaki ac (10).jpg, Okazaki City Library and Community Plaza

International relations

Twin towns/sister cities

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

（

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

）- Since November 1984 *

Uddevalla Uddevalla (old no, Oddevold) is a town and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. In 2015, it had a population of 34 781. It is located at a bay of the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla are ...

（

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

）- since September 1968 *

Hohhot Hohhot,; abbreviated zh, c=呼市, p=Hūshì, labels=no formerly known as Kweisui, is the capital of Inner Mongolia in the north of the People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrative, economic and cultural center.''The Ne ...

（

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

）- since August 1987

Economy

Okazaki was noted in the Meiji period as a centre for textiles and commerce and the production of ''

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus '' Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spre ...

''; modern Okazaki is a hub for the chemical and machinery industries.

Primary sector of the economy

Agriculture

Konjac Konjac (or konjak, ) is a common name of the East and Southeast Asian plant ''Amorphophallus konjac'' ( syn. ''A. rivieri''), which has an edible corm (bulbo-tuber). It is also known as konjaku, konnyaku potato, devil's tongue, voodoo lily, sn ...

Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus '' Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spre ...

Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

;

Japan Agricultural Cooperatives , also known as or JA Group, refers to the national group of 694 regional co-ops in Japan that supply members with input for production, undertake packaging, transportation, and marketing of agricultural products, and provide financial services. A ...

* JA Aichi Mikawa

Forestry

Cryptomeria ''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae, formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' L ...

Chamaecyparis obtusa ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; ja, 檜 or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and orna ...

;Forest Association *Okazaki Forest Association

Secondary sector of the economy

The area has historically been one of the main centres of the production of stone ''

tōrō are a type of traditional East Asian lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. Originating in China, stone lanterns spread to Japan, Korea and Vietnam, though they are most commonly found in both China – extant in Buddhist temples and traditional ...

'' (Japanese lanterns). The traditional

stonemasonry Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

there was registered by the government as a

Japanese craft Traditional in Japan have a long tradition and history. Included in the category of traditional crafts are handicrafts produced by an individual or a group, as well as work produced by independent studio artists working with traditional craft m ...

in 1979. *

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Okazaki Factory

Tertiary sector of the economy

;Shopping center * APiTA Okazaki-Kita * Æon Mall Okazaki * Æon Town Okazaki-Miai *Com Town *EruEru Town *Luvit Park *Okazaki CIBICO *Oto Riverside Terrace *Resupa *Wing Town File:Okazaki-Iwanakacho-1.jpg,

Paddy field A paddy field is a flooded field (agriculture), field of arable land used for growing Aquatic plant, semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in sout ...

in Iwanaka Town File:Mitsubishi ECLIPSE CROSS G Plus Package (DBA-GK1W-XTPX) front.jpg,

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a compact crossover SUV (subcompact crossover SUV from 2017-2020) produced by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors since October 2017. It was previewed by the ''XR-PHEV'' and ''XR-PHEV II'' concepts, revealed in 2 ...

File:Higashiokazakiekimae-Dori-6.jpg, Shopping Street File:Okazaki-Kamimyodaijicho-16.jpg, Oto Riverside Terrace

Education

Universities and colleges

National Institutes of Natural Sciences The (NINS) is an inter-university research institute corporation consisting of five member institutes: the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Astronomical Observatory (NAOJ), the National Institute for fusion Science, Japan, Nat ...

* National Institute for Physiological Sciences *

National Institute for Basic Biology The (NIBB) is a research institute and post graduate university in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was founded in 1977 to promote biological research in Japan in cooperation with public and private universities, and research institute ...

Aichi Gakusen University is a private university with campuses in Okazaki, Aichi and Toyota, Aichi , formerly known as Koromo, is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 426,162 and a population density of 464 people per km2. The to ...

* Aichi Gakusen College *

Aichi Sangyo University is a private university in Okazaki, Aichi is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 386,999 in 164,087 households, and a population density of 999 persons per km². The total area of the city was . ...

* University of Human Environments * Okazaki Women's Junior College *

Yamasa Institute The Yamasa Institute (Japanese: YAMASA言語文化学院) is a private Japanese Language school located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture. The Institute began language instruction in 1989, and was founded through the Hattori Foundation, a philanthro ...

Primary and secondary schools

Okazaki has 48 public elementary schools and 21 public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one private middle school. The city has seven public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education and four private high schools, including the

Hikarigaoka Girls' High School is a high school for girls in Okazaki, Aichi is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 386,999 in 164,087 households, and a population density of 999 persons per km². The total area of the city wa ...

. The prefecture also operates four special education schools for the handicapped, and the national government operates one special education school as well. The city formerly housed the Escola São Paulo, a Brazilian international school.

Transportation

Railway

Highspeed rail

The

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opened in 1964, ...

passes through Okazaki city limits but does not stop. The nearest Shinkansen stations are , and .

Conventional lines

;

Central Japan Railway Company *

Tōkaidō Main Line The is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) network, connecting and stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parallel ...

： ;

Meitetsu , referred to as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the ''Panorama Car'' and the '' Panorama Car Super'', both of which of ...

* Nagoya Line： ; Aikan logomark

Aichi Loop Line Co Ltd *

Aichi Loop Line The is a Japanese railway line connecting Okazaki Station in Okazaki and Kōzōji Station in Kasugai, operated by the . The company or the line is abbreviated as . This is the only line the company operates. Despite its name, the line is not ...

：

Roads

Highways

Tōmei Expressway The is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. The expressway is designated as E1 under the "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering", because it parallels Nati ...

(Asian Highway Network

AH1 Asian Highway 1 (AH1) is the longest route of the Asian Highway Network, running from Tokyo, Japan via Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to the border between Turkey and Bulgaria west of Istanbul ...

) *

Shin-Tōmei Expressway The , literally meaning New Tōmei, is a national expressway in Japan running parallel to the Tomei Expressway as an alternate route. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. The expressway is also numbered E1A under the "2016 Proposa ...

Japan National Route

* * * * File:Higashi-Okazaki-Station-1.jpg, Higashi-Okazaki Station File:Okazaki-Station-1.jpg, Okazaki Station File:Okazaki IC.jpg, Okazaki IC File:Okazakisa.JPG, Okazaki SA File:Okazaki Route1.jpg, Okazaki

Japan National Route 1 is a major highway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It connects Chūō, Tokyo in the Kantō region with the city of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture in the Kansai region, passing through the Chūbu region en route. It follows the old Tōkaidō west ...

Local attractions

Okazaki Castle

was originally built in 1455. Captured by the

in 1524 (and probably relocated from the other side of the river), the castle remains associated with

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

, even though the latter transferred to Edo in 1590. During the

it served as the seat of the

and dominated the city until the

Fireworks

Okazaki is famous for its

fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...

. The Tokugawa shogunate restricted production of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

outside of the immediate region of Okazaki (with few exceptions). Even today, more than 70% of Japan's fireworks are designed and manufactured here. A large fireworks festival, which people from all over Japan come to see, is held annually on the first Saturday in August in the area surrounding Okazaki Castle.

''Hatchō miso''

''Hatchō miso'' (八丁味噌) is a dark ''

'' paste made using a process of steaming soybeans (instead of boiling) followed by maturation in cedar barrels under the weight of 3 tons of carefully stacked river stones for at least 2 years. Located 8 ''chō'' (''hatchō'', or approximately 900m) west of Okazaki Castle near the Yahagi river, there are two 8-cho miso companies — Maruya from 1337 and Kakukyu.http://www.kakukyu.jp/global/english.asp Kakukyu The old tiled buildings are heritage listed and Kaku has been a family business for 18 generations. It is one of the most famous ''miso'' producers in Japan, supplying the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

by appointment, and popular as a health food. 2006 NHK morning drama serial, ''Junjo Kirari'' (Sparkling Innocence) was largely filmed in and around the Hatchō miso grounds. Tours are available every 30 minutes and free samples are provided. Hatchō miso's health properties are considered so great that it was donated to

Chernobyl Chernobyl ( , ; russian: Чернобыль, ) or Chornobyl ( uk, Чорнобиль, ) is a partially abandoned city in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, situated in the Vyshhorod Raion of northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Chernobyl is about no ...

's citizens following the disaster, to help prevent and treat radiation sickness.

Takisan

The Buddhist temple of Takisan-ji (7th century) includes several

Important Cultural Properties of Japan An The term is often shortened into just is an item officially classified as Tangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs ( Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) and judged to b ...

. The main hall is from the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

and is the location of a fire festival held each February on the closest Saturday to the lunar calendar New Year. The distinctive ''

Sanmon A , also called , is the most important gate of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple, and is part of the Zen '' shichidō garan'', the group of buildings that forms the heart of a Zen Buddhist temple.JAANUS It can be often found in temples of other de ...

'' gate and the main image are designated as important cultural properties. Adjoining the temple is Takisan Tōshō-gū, a

Shinto Shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

built in 1646 by

Tokugawa Iemitsu Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who a ...

. File:Okazakijo2.JPG,

File:Hatcho-Miso-Kakukyu-1.jpg, Hatcho miso kakukyu File:Onimatsuri1.JPG, Oni Matsuri (Takisan-ji) File:Daijuji sanmon.jpg,

Daiju-ji Daiju-ji () is a Buddhist temple located in Okazaki, Aichi. Built by Matsudaira Chikatada (松平親忠) in 1475, Daiju-ji was the family temple of the Matsudaira (松平氏) and Tokugawa clans (德川氏) which ruled Japan between 1600 and 1868 ...

File:Igahachimangu.jpg, Iga-Hachimangū File: Takisan-ji Hondo 150505.JPG, Takisan-ji File:Rokusho1.jpg, Rokusho-jinja File:Zuinen1.jpg, Zuinen-ji File:Tenon1.jpg, Ten'on-ji File:Shinpuku1.jpg, Shinpuku-ji

Culture

Language

While the local

Mikawa dialect The is a Japanese dialect spoken in eastern half of Aichi Prefecture, former Mikawa Province. It is subdivided into western variety centered Okazaki and eastern variety centered Toyohashi. The Mikawa dialect is classified into the Gifu-Aich ...

is considered to be generally indistinguishable from what is considered modern standard

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, there are subtle and distinctive differences. Mikawa dialect has, on the other hand, substantial differences when compared to the dialect of

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

and western areas of Aichi, where the

Nagoya dialect The is a Japanese dialect spoken in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. In a wide sense, Nagoya dialect means the dialect in the western half of the prefecture (formerly part of Owari Province), and in that case, it is also called Owari dialect (尾張� ...

(also known as ''Owari-ben'', Owari being the traditional name for the Nagoya region) is the traditional dialect. Cognitively Mikawa-ben and modern contemporary Japanese are extremely close, in part due to the influence of the Tokugawa shogunate and accidents of history. In recent decades a large number of people moving into Okazaki and the surrounding cities (particularly to work in the motor vehicle industry) and mass media have influenced the local dialect, with the result that in day-to-day life more people are using only standard Japanese.

Notable people from Okazaki

Takako Okamura is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She had her debut in 1982 as part of the folk duo with the single ''Matsu-wa'' that became a success in Japan. The duo disbanded in 1984, and Okamura started a successful solo career in 1985. By 2006, she had re ...

, singer-songwriter *

Yuki Fukaya is a former Japanese footballer. He last played for Ehime F.C. Honors and awards Oita Trinita * J. League Cup (1) - 2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage cris ...

, professional soccer player * Naoko Fukazu, professional women's table tennis player *

Sei Hiraizumi is a Japanese actor. In 1964, Hiraizumi joined Daiei Film company and started his acting career. In the 1970s to early 1980s, he appeared in a lot of jidaigeki and detective television dramas as a guest villain actor. Hiraizumi starred as Koichi ...

, actor *

Kotaro Honda , born on February 23, 1870 in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture – February 12, 1954) was a Japanese metallurgist and inventor. He invented KS steel (initials from Kichiei Sumitomo), which is a type of magnetic resistant steel that is three times mo ...

, scientist, metallurgist * Yuko Kawai, pianist *

Motoo Kimura (November 13, 1924 – November 13, 1994) was a Japanese biologist best known for introducing the neutral theory of molecular evolution in 1968. He became one of the most influential theoretical population geneticists. He is remembered in geneti ...

, biologist * Takashi Kondō, voice actor *

Takeshi Nagata was a Japanese geophysicist. He studied geomagnetism. He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society is the highest award given by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). The RAS Counc ...

, geophysicist *

Immi Mayu Nakazawa (中澤真由 ''Nakazawa Mayu''), known by the stage name immi, is a Japanese Electronica singer and songwriter. She is signed onto DefStar Records. While she writes and composes her own music, she is also regularly produced b ...

, musician *

Kotomitsuki Keiji is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Okazaki City. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1999. He reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in November 2000 and won one ''yūshō'' or tournament championship, in Septem ...

, sumo wrestler *

Ryo Miyaichi is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League and the Japan national team. Miyaichi began his professional career at Arsenal after a successful trial in 2010. However, without a British ...

, professional soccer player *

Daisuke Nakajima is a retired Japanese racing driver; the son of Satoru Nakajima and the younger brother of Kazuki Nakajima, both of whom have driven in Formula One. Career Having started his career in go-karts on the Japanese circuit, Nakajima moved into singl ...

, race car driver *

Satoru Nakajima is a Japanese former racing driver. He is a five-time Japanese Top Formula champion, and was the first full-time Japanese Formula One driver. Accordingly, he is responsible for several firsts for Japanese drivers in Formula One, including bei ...

, race car driver *

Kazuki Nakajima is a retired Japanese professional racing driver who drove in Formula One for the Williams-Toyota team from to . In 2012 and 2014, he won the Super Formula Championship driving for TOM'S. Racing for Toyota Gazoo Racing, he won the 2018, 2019 a ...

, race car driver * Masamitsu Naito , politician *

Hitoshi Ogawa was a Japanese racing car driver. Career During the 1980s, he competed in several Fuji Grand Champion Series races. Ogawa won the 1989 All Japan Formula 3000 Championship and finished 2nd in the same championship in 1990. In the same year, tea ...

, race car driver *

Takahiro Sakurai is a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and radio personality from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His well-known roles include heroes such as Cloud Strife in ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'', Suzaku Kururugi in ''Code Geass'' and X in ''Mega Man X' ...

, voice actor * Yasuo Segawa, illustrator * Shiga Shigetaka, geographer *

Seiken Sugiura Seiken Sugiura (杉浦正健 ''Sugiura Seiken'', born July 26, 1934) is a Japanese politician and lawyer. He was named Minister of Justice on October 31, 2005 and served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Being a Buddhist, h ...

, politician *

Nozomi Takeuchi is a Japanese gravure idol, and a female talent. She is from Okazaki, Aichi, belonged to the show-business production ''Yume Kikaku''. Her nickname is 'Kojocho' (means a factory manager), derives from her handle name of the official blog. She gra ...

, gravure idol * Yumiko Tsuzuki, professional women's volleyball player *

Hiromasa Yamamoto is a former Japanese football player. Playing career Yamamoto was born in Okazaki on June 5, 1979. After graduating from Shimizu Higashi High School, he joined J1 League club Júbilo Iwata in 1998. However he could hardly play in the match ...

, professional soccer player *

Yūki Ishikawa is a Japanese male professional volleyball player from Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. Ishikawa is the first volleyball player to have a wax figure in Japan. Currently, his wax figure is displayed at Madame Tussauds Tokyo. Ishikawa was n ...

, professional men's volleyball player * Yasunobu Okada, professor, National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS).

References

External links

* (with link to English pages)
Okazaki International Association website
{{Authority control Brazilian communities Cities in Aichi Prefecture