 Aomori Prefecture (青森県, Aomori-ken) - A
prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The
capital is the city of Aomori. Aomori was named after the
Aomori Bay (青森湾; Aomori-wan), which the Ainu described
simply as the "big bay" (大湾/アオモイ; Ao-moi).
Aomori Prefecture is the northernmost prefecture on Honshū
and faces Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait. It borders
Akita and Iwate in the south. Oma, at the northwestern tip
of the axe-shaped Shimokita Peninsula, is the northernmost
point of Honshū. The Shimokita and Tsugaru Peninsulas
enclose Mutsu Bay. Between those peninsulas lies the
Natsudomari Peninsula, the northern end of the Ōu Mountains.
The three peninsulas are prominently visible in the
prefecture's symbol, a stylized map.
Lake Towada, a crater lake, straddles Aomori's boundary with
Akita.
 The Aomori Prefecture came into existence in 1871. Aomori
Town was established in 1889. The town was incorporated as a
city in 1898 with a population of 28,000.
Around one o'clock in the afternoon of May 3, 1910 a fire
broke out in the Yasukata district. Fanned by strong winds,
in four short hours the fire devastated the whole city. The
conflagration claimed 26 lives and injured a further 160
residents. It destroyed 5,246 houses and burnt 19 storage
sheds and 157 warehouses.
At 10:30 p.m. on July 28, 1945 a squadron of American B29
bombers approached Aomori from the west and, in less than
two hours bombed over 90% of the city.
Radio Aomori (RAB) made its first broadcast in 1951. Four
years later, the first fish auctions were held. 1958 saw the
completion of the Municipal Fish Market as well as the
opening of the Citizen's Hospital. In the same year, the
Tsugaru Line established a rail connection with Minmaya
Village at the tip of the peninsula.
Meanwhile, various outlying towns and villages were being
incorporated into the growing city and with the absorption
of Nonai Village in 1962, Aomori became the largest city in
the prefecture.
In March 1985, after 23 years of unremitting labor and an
enormous financial investment of 700 billion yen, the Seikan
Tunnel finally linked the islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō,
thereby becoming the longest tunnel of its kind in the
world. Almost exactly three years later, on March 13,
railroad service was inaugurated on the Tsugaru Kaikyo Line.
That same day saw the end of the Seikan Ferry service, thus
closing a chapter of history which began in 1908. During
their 80 years of service, the familiar ferries of the
Seikan line sailed between Aomori and Hakodate some 720,000
times, carrying 160 million passengers.
In April 1993, the enthusiasm of Aomori City and a group of
six other local communities was rewarded with the opening of
Aomori Public College. Defining its mission as "turning out
graduates with an awareness both of their own city and of
the world beyond it", the college has assumed the core
functions necessary to provide such learning and culture. At
the same time, it strives to serve the local community at
large and to play a leading role in this age of
internationalization and information exchange.
In August 1994, Aomori City penned an "Education, Culture
and Friendship Exchange Pact" with Kecskemet in Hungary. One
year later a similar treaty was signed with Pyongtaek City
in South Korea, and cultural exchange activities began with
exchanges of woodblock prints and paintings.
Also, in April 1995, Aomori Airport became the first airport
in the northern Tohoku region to offer regular international
air service to Seoul, South Korea, and Khabarovsk, Russia.
In June, 2007, 4 North Korean defectors reached Aomori
Prefecture, after having been at sea for 6 days, marking the
second known case ever where defectors have successfully
reached Japan by boat.
Ten cities are located in Aomori Prefecture:
Aomori (capital)
Goshogawara
Hachinohe
Hirakawa
Hirosaki
Kuroishi
Misawa
Mutsu
Towada
Tsugaru
Information source: “Aomori Prefecture.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 21 Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Aomori Prefecture>. |
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