 Chūbu (中部地方, Chūbu-chihō)
- The central region of Honshū,
Japan's main island.
The Chūbu, or central region, encompasses nine prefectures
in the midland of Japan, west of the Kantō region: Aichi,
Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama,
and Yamanashi.
The region is the widest part of Honshū and is characterized
by high, rugged mountains. The Japanese Alps divide the
country into the Pacific side, known as the front of Japan,
or Omote-Nihon (表日本, Omote-Nihon) sunny in winter, and the
Sea of Japan side, or Ura-Nihon (裏日本, Ura-Nihon), the back
of Japan, snowy in winter.
The region comprises three distinct subregions.
Hokuriku (北陸, Hokuriku), a coastal strip on the Sea of
Japan that is a major wet-rice producing area. The road
through Hokuriku region was Hokurikudō (北陸道).
The Central Highland (中央高地, Central Highland), commonly
called Koshin (甲信), an inland region between Hokuriku and
Tōkai. The roads through Central Highland were Nakasendō
(中山道) and Kōshū Kaidō (甲州街道).
Tōkai (東海, Tōkai), the eastern seaboard, a narrow corridor
along the Pacific Coast. The road through Tōkai region was
Tōkaidō (東海道).
Hokuriku region lies north of the massive mountains that
occupy the central Chūbu region. The district has a very
heavy snowfall and strong winds in winter. Its turbulent
rivers are the source of abundant hydroelectric power.
Niigata Prefecture is the site of domestic gas and oil
production. Industrial development is extensive, especially
in the cities in Niigata and Toyama Prefectures. Fukui and
Ishikawa Prefectures also have large manufacturing
industries. Hokuriku's development have owed markets in
historically Kansai and recently Kantō regions as well as
Tōkai region. Its port facilities are mainly to serve trade
with Russia, Korea and China. In winter its roads are
sometimes blocked by snow. Niigata's transportation with
Toyama used to be geographically limited and had strong
influence from Kantō region. Because of these Niigata
Prefecture is often classified as Kōshinetsu region with
Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures of the Central Highland.
The Central Highland is an area of complex and high rugged
mountains--often called the roof of Japan--that include the
Japanese Alps. The population is chiefly concentrated in six
elevated basins connected by narrow valleys. Tosan was long
a main silk-producing area, although output declined after
World War II. Much of the labor formerly required in silk
production was absorbed by the district's diversified
manufacturing industry, which included precision
instruments, machinery, textiles, food processing, and other
light manufacturing. Prefecturally it is Yamanashi, Nagano,
and northern Gifu Prefectures.
The Tōkai region, bordering the Pacific Ocean, is a narrow
corridor interrupted in places by mountains that descend
into the sea. Since the Tokugawa period (1600-1867), this
corridor has been important in linking Tokyo, Kyoto, and
Osaka. One of old Japan's most famous roads, the Tōkaidō,
ran through it connecting Edo (Tokyo, since 1868) and Kyoto,
the old imperial capital; in the twentieth century, it
became the route of new super-express highways and
high-speed railroad lines. Prefecturally it is Shizuoka,
Aichi, southern Gifu and Mie Prefectures. The latter three
prefectures are also called Chūkyō region.
A number of small alluvial plains are found in the corridor
section. A mild climate, favorable location relative to the
great metropolitan complexes, and availability of fast
transportation have made them truck-gardening centers for
out-of-season vegetables. Upland areas of rolling hills are
extensively given over to the growing of mandarin oranges
and tea. The corridor also has a number of important small
industrial centers. The western part of Tōkai includes the
Nobi Plain, where rice was grown by the seventh century A.D.
Nagoya, facing Ise Bay, is a center for heavy industry,
including iron and steel and machinery manufacturing.
It is located between Kantō and Kansai, and includes the
major city of Nagoya as well as long Pacific and Sea of
Japan coastlines, extensive mountain resorts, and Mount
Fuji.
Information source: “Chūbu region.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 6 Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Chūbu region>. |
|
