Toyama Prefectural Office Building01st3200

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

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Ya ...

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 ...

. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 993,848 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km² (1,640.01

sq mi The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is equa ...

). Toyama Prefecture borders

Ishikawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

to the west,

Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...

to the south,

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

to the east, and

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

to the northeast.

Toyama Toyama may refer to: Places * Toyama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island * Toyama (city), the capital city of Toyama Prefecture * Toyama Station, the main station of Toyama, Toyama * Toyama Sta ...

is the capital and largest city of Toyama Prefecture, with other major cities including Takaoka,

Imizu 270px, Tonami-yotaka festival held in June is a city located in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 93,447 in 37,734 households and a population density of 850 persons per km². Its total area was . Geography Im ...

, and Nanto. Toyama Prefecture is part of the historic

Hokuriku region The is located in the northwestern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan. It lies along the Sea of Japan and is part of the larger Chūbu region. It is almost equivalent to the former Koshi Province (Japan), Koshi Province and Hokurikudō are ...

, and the majority of the prefecture's population lives on

Toyama Bay is a bay located on the northern shores of the Hokuriku region of Honshu, Japan on the Sea of Japan. The bay borders Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures. The bay is known for the mirages on the horizon during the winter months and for being a spaw ...

, one of the largest

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

s in Japan. Toyama Prefecture is the leading industrial prefecture on the

Japan Sea 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 ...

coast and has the advantage of cheap

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

from abundant

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

resources. Toyama Prefecture contains the only known

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s in

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

outside of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, first recognized in 2012, and 30% of the prefecture's area is designated as

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

History

Historically, Toyama Prefecture was

Etchū Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today Toyama Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Etchū bordered on Noto and Kaga Provinces to the west, Shinano and Hida Provinces to the south, Echigo Province to the east and the Sea o ...

. Following the

abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lords) ...

in 1871, Etchū Province was renamed ''Niikawa Prefecture'', but Imizu District was given to Nanao Prefecture. In 1872 Imizu District was returned by the new

. In 1876, Niikawa Prefecture was merged into Ishikawa Prefecture but the merger was void in 1881 and the area was re-established as Toyama Prefecture. The Itai-itai disease occurred in Toyama around 1950.

Geography

Toyama Prefecture is bordered by

to the west, Niigata to the northeast, Nagano to the southeast,

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

to the south and

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 north. As of April 1, 2012, 30% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Chūbu-Sangaku and Hakusan National Parks; Noto Hantō Quasi-National Park; and six Prefectural Natural Parks.

Municipalities

Due to the mergers in the 2000s, Toyama has the fewest municipalities of any prefecture in Japan with 10 cities, 2 districts, 4 towns, and 1 village (before the mergers took place, the prefecture had 9 cities, 18 towns, and 8 villages).

Mergers

List of governors of Toyama Prefecture (1947–present)

* Tetsuji Tachi (館哲二) (19 April 1947 to 15 November 1947) * Takekuni Takatsuji (高辻武邦) (16 November 1947 to 30 September 1956) * Minoru Yoshida (吉田実) (1 October 1956 to 1 December 1969) * Kōkichi Nakata (中田幸吉) (30 December 1969 to 18 September 1980) * Yutaka Nakaoki (中沖豊) (11 November 1980 to 8 November 2004) * Takakazu Ishii (石井隆一) (9 November 2004 to 8 November 2020) * Hachirō Nitta (新田八朗) (9 November 2020 to present)

Economy

Agriculture

In 2014 Toyama contributed approximately 2.5% of Japan's rice production and makes use of abundant water sources originating from

Mount Tate , also known as Tateyama, is a mountain located in the southeastern area of Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the tallest mountains in the Hida Mountains at and one of Japan's along with Mount Fuji and Mount Haku. Tateyama consists of thr ...

. It also has many fisheries along its Sea of Japan coastline.

Manufacturing

Toyama is famous for its historical pharmaceutical industry which remains a top manufacturing industry in the prefecture in terms of manufacturing shipment value followed by electronic parts and devices (

industrial robots An industrial robot is a robot system used for manufacturing. Industrial robots are automated, programmable and capable of movement on three or more axes. Typical applications of robots include robot welding, welding, painting, assembly, Circu ...

, general machinery, etc.), and metal products (aluminum, copper etc.) manufacturing.

Energy

Kurobe Dam The , or , is a high variable-radius arch dam located on the Kurobe River in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The tallest dam in Japan, it supports the 335 MW Kurobe No. 4 Hydropower Plant and is owned by Kansai Electric Power Company. It was construct ...

generates electricity for the

Kansai Electric Power Company , also known as , is an electric utility with its operational area of Kansai region, Japan (including the Keihanshin megalopolis). The Kansai region is Japan's second-largest industrial area, and in normal times, its most nuclear-reliant. Bef ...

. It is located on the

Kurobe River The is a river in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The river is in length and has a watershed of . The river rises from Mount Washiba in the Hida Mountains and carves the deep valley known as the Kurobe Gorge. It comes out of the mountains at Un ...

in Toyama Prefecture.

Demographics

Toyama prefecture population pyramid in 2020

Per Japanese census data, the population of Toyama has been relatively stable since 1950.

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, ...

Hokuriku Shinkansen The Hokuriku Shinkansen () is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo with Tsuruga, Fukui, Tsuruga in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It is jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR ...

(

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

to Tsuruga via Kurobe,

Toyama City is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about north of the city of Nagoya and northwest of Tokyo. , the city had an estimated population of 415,844 in 176 ...

and Takaoka) **

Takayama Main Line The is a Japanese railway line between Gifu Station in Gifu and Toyama Station in Toyama, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line directly links the Chūkyō Metropolitan Ar ...

( Inotani to

) ** Himi Line **

Jōhana Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It connects Takaoka, Toyama, Takaoka with Johana, Toyama, Johana. Route data *Operating Company: West Japan Railway Company (Services and tra ...

JR Central is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...

(

to Inotani) *

Ainokaze Toyama Railway The is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Toyama Prefecture when it was separated from the JR West network in Marc ...

( Kurikara, Ishikawa to Ichiburi, Niigata via Takaoka and

) * Manyōsen ( Third-sector

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

system in Takaoka) ** Shinminatokō Line ** Takaoka Kidō Line *

Toyama Chihō Railway The is a transportation company in Toyama, Toyama, Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The company is commonly known as . This private company operates railway, tram, and bus services in the eastern part of the prefecture. It also operates as ...

** Main Line ** Tateyama Line ** Fujikoshi Line ** Kamidaki Line ** Toyama City Tram

Expressway

Hokuriku Expressway The , (abbreviated as , is a 4-laned national Expressways of Japan, expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company. Overview The first section was opened in 1972 by Japan ...

* Nōetsu Expressway * Tōkai-Hokuriku Expressway

Air

* Toyama Airport (TOY)

Domestic

: 1 hr *

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

: 1 hr 20 min

International

Dalian Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Shenyang ...

: 2 hr 30 min via

China Southern Airlines China Southern Airlines (branded as China Southern) is a major airline in China, headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong. It is one of the three major airlines in the country, along with Air China and China Eastern Airlines. Established on 1 ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

: 2 hr 30 min via

Shanghai Airlines Shanghai Airlines is an airline headquartered in Shanghai and a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines. Shanghai Airlines operates domestic and international services. The logo is a white crane on a red vertical tail fin. The airli ...

Culture

Tourist sites

* Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route * Kurobe Gorge Railway * Unazuki Onsen *

Gokayama is an area within the city of Nanto in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its traditional '' gasshō-zukuri'' houses, alongside nearby Shirakawa-gō in Gifu Prefecture. The survival of this ...

(UNESCO World Heritage Site) *Mitsui Outlet Park, Hokuriku Oyabe

UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites

* Gokayama Historical Village ( Nanto City)

National Treasures of Japan

* Zuiryū-ji Temple ( Takaoka City)

Festivals

Spring

*All Japan Chindon Competition (

(

Toyama Castle Toyama Castle moat is a flatland-style Japanese castle located in the city of Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It is also called Azumi Castle (安住城 ''Azumi-jō''). Built in 1543, the castle and its surrounding ...

Park), Mid April *Tonami Tulip Fair ( Tonami City), May *Marumage Festival ( Himi City), May 17

Summer

*Sassa Narimasa Sengoku Era Festival (

), Late July *Japan Wildlife Film Festival (Toyama Prefecture), Early August

Fall

*Toyama Festival (

), Sept. 1 * Owara Kaze no Bon (

( Yatsuo Area)), Sept. 1–3

Winter

*Nanto Toga Soba Festival ( Nanto City ( Toga Village Area)), Mid Feb.

Regional foods

*Trout Sushi ('' Masuzushi'') *White Shrimp (''Shiro Ebi'') *Matured Yellow Tail (''Buri'') *Firefly Squid (''Hotaru Ika'') *Fish Paste (''

Kamaboko is a type of Curing (chemistry), cured , a processed seafood product common in Japanese cuisine. It was initially made in the year 1115. Production and uses is made by forming various Purée, pureed deboned whitefish (fisheries term), whit ...

'')

Regional sake

*Tateyama (立山) *Narimasa (成政) *Masuizumi (満寿泉) *Sanshoraku (三笑楽)

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Toyama. Football *

Kataller Toyama is a football club based in Toyama, Capital of Toyama Prefecture. The club currently play in J2 League after promotion from J3 in 2024, Japanese second tier of professional football. History The idea of a merged club had been discussed by t ...

(

) Basketball *

Toyama Grouses The Toyama Grouses (富山グラウジーズ,''Toyama Guraujīzu'') are a Japanese basketball team, playing in the second division of the B.League. They are based in Toyama Prefecture. Head coaches *Masato Fukushima *Takatoshi Ishibashi *Charle ...

(

) Baseball * Toyama Thunderbirds (

) Rugby Union * Takaoka Mariners ( Takaoka)

International relations

Liaoning Province ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

, since May 9, 1984 *

São Paulo State SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...

, since July 18, 1985 * Oregon State, since October 19, 1991 * Primorsky Region, since August 26, 1992 *

Basel-Stadt Canton of Basel-Stadt or Basel-City ( ; ; ; ) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of three municipalities with Basel as the capital. It is traditionally considered a " half-canton", the other half being B ...

, since October 26, 2009 *

Andhra Pradesh State Andhra Pradesh (ISO: , , AP) is a state on the east coast of southern India. It is the seventh-largest state and the tenth-most populous in the country. Telugu is the most widely spoken language in the state, as well as its official lang ...

, since December 29, 2015

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* Prefecture, N. (2022). Toyama Prefecture- The East Asia Local and Regional Government Congress. Retrieved 1 July 2022, from https://www3.pref.nara.jp/eastasia_e/1080.html * McClean, C. (2022). 10 Fun Facts About Toyama Prefecture, Japan - Multicultural Kid Blogs. Retrieved 1 July 2022, from https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/2021/11/15/toyama-prefecture/

External links

National Archives of Japan Toyama Map (1891)
{{Authority control Chūbu region Prefectures of Japan Hokuriku region