Shizuoka (静岡市, Shizuoka-shi) - The capital
city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is a city designated
by government ordinance (a "designated city").
Economy
Shizuoka has 39,237 businesses as of 2004, placing it first
in the prefecture.
Employment by industry: Agriculture 0.1%, Manufacturing:
26.9%, Service 73.0%
Agriculture
Green tea
Strawberries
Wasabi
Mandarin Oranges and other citrus fruits
Lotus Roots
Roses
Fishery
Shimizu Port boasts the largest haul of tuna in all Japan.
Kanbara Harbour enjoys a prosperous haul of sakura ebi.
Mochimune Harbour enjoys a prosperous haul of shirasu
sardines.
Products
Abekawa Mochi (rice cakes in kinako soy flour) are produced
in Shizuoka
Shizouka has a long history of being involved in the craft
industries going back over 400 years ago, using trees,
including hinoki cypress. The model industry goes back to
the late 1920s when was trees was used to produce wooden
model toys, using sashimono woodworking joinery techniques,
purely for educational purposes. Craftsmen later moved on to
lighter woods including balsa, but following the war, with
the importation of US built scale models, many companies
either turned to plastic models to compete or went under.
The town has since became internationally notable for for
its plastic scale model kits and is resident to its long
established companies such as Aoshima, Hasegawa and the most
renowned of them all, Tamiya. The town hosts the long
running Shizuoka Hobby Show annually in May at the Twin
Messe Shizuoka, the show attracts visitors worldwide.
Cuisine
Oden
Gyoza
Soba noodles
Seafood
Zoni
Rice cakes in a broth cooked with vegetables, popular at New
Year's.
Tororo
A grated yam soup. Chojiya, a tororo restaurant founded in
1598 in Mariko-juku area of Shizuoka, west of the Abe River,
was made famous by Hiroshige when he depicted it in his
series of ukiyoe prints of the 53 stops along the Tōkaidō,
entitled The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō.
Culture
There are three main festivals on Shizuoka's calendar.
Shizuoka Matsuri (静岡祭り): The Cities April Festival during
the high point of the year for Cherry Blossom, a
flower-viewing procession, imitates the shogun Tokugawa
Ieyasu's custom of taking daimyo (feudal lords) to Sengen
Shrine to view the cherry blossoms.
Abekawa Hanabi (安倍川花火): A gigantic firework display held
upstream of Shizuoka's Abe River in late July.
Daidogei (大道芸): Street Performance World Cup. Probably the
biggest event on Shizuoka's Calendar, it is an annual
International Busker's Festival, held in November. It
includes various shows such as juggling, pantomime, magic,
etc. Performers gather from Japan and abroad to create
wonder and laughter here and there in the town. From 2005,
it expanded from a 3-day to a 4-day festival.
The city also has a strong tradition of soccer. An example
of this is its J. League club Shimizu S-Pulse.
Shizuoka Festival: April.
Transportation
Railroad
Shizuoka lies on the JR main rail line from Tokyo to Osaka "Tōkaidō
Main Line" and is well served by the Tōkaidō Shinkansen,
limited express and regional trains. The central station of
Shizuoka is close to the city centre. Shizuoka also has an
LRT line "Shizuoka Railway".
Airport
Tokyo International Airport(Haneda), Narita International
Airport, and Chūbu Centrair International Airport are
commonly used. To allow for growth in air travel to
Shizuoka, Shizuoka Airport is currently under construction
and expected to be completed and operational by March, 2009.
This location is between Makinohara and Shimada.
Information source: “Shizuoka, Shizuoka.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 2 Mar. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Shizuoka, Shizuoka>. |
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