Yamanashi Prefecture

Yamanashi Prefecture 山梨県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
• Japanese	山梨県
• Rōmaji	Yamanashi-ken
Lake Kawaguchi, one of the Fuji Five Lakes in Yamanashi Prefecture, at the foot of Mount Fuji
Flag Symbol
Anthem: Yamanashi-ken no uta
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu) (Tōkai)
Island	Honshu
Capital	Kōfu
Subdivisions	Districts: 5, Municipalities: 27
Government
• Governor	Kotaro Nagasaki (from February 2019)
Area
• Total	4,465.27 km2 (1,724.05 sq mi)
• Rank	32nd
Highest elevation (Mount Fuji)	3,778 m (12,395 ft)
Population  (January 1, 2019)
• Total	817,192
• Rank	41st
• Density	183/km2 (470/sq mi)
• Dialects	Gun'nai・Koshu・Narada
GDP [1]
• Total	JP¥ 3,566 billion US$ 32.7 billion (2019)
ISO 3166 code	JP-19
Website	www.pref.yamanashi.jp
Symbols of Japan
Bird	Uguisu (bush warbler)
Flower	Fujizakura (Fuji cherry)
Tree	Kaede (Japanese maple)

Yamanashi Prefecture (山梨県, Yamanashi-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu.^[2] Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km² (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the northeast, Nagano Prefecture to the northwest, Shizuoka Prefecture to the southwest, Kanagawa Prefecture to the southeast, and Tokyo to the east.

Kōfu is the capital and largest city of Yamanashi Prefecture, with other major cities including Kai, Minamiarupusu, and Fuefuki.^[3] Yamanashi Prefecture is one of only eight landlocked prefectures, and the majority of the population lives in the central Kōfu Basin surrounded by the Akaishi Mountains, with 27% of its total land area being designated as Natural Parks. Yamanashi Prefecture is home to many of the highest mountains in Japan, and Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan and cultural icon of the country, is partially located in Yamanashi Prefecture on the border with Shizuoka Prefecture.

The name Yamanashi Prefecture literally means Pear Mountain. Nashi specifically refers to a local Japanese breed of pears.^[4]

As in most other Japanese regions, prehistoric society in Yamanashi progressed through the hunting, fishing and gathering stage of the Jōmon period, then the rice-producing stage of the Yayoi period and subsequent village and regional formation. The Maruyama and Choshizuka Kofun (earthen burial mounds) located on Sone Hill of Nakamichi Town (Southern Kōfu) are believed to have been built from the end of the 4th century. From these remains it can be assumed that the people of Sone Hill had great influence.

During the Heian period, Kai Province was created in this area.^[5]

Among the many Kaigenji generations, those of the Takeda, Ogasawara, and Nanbu families were particularly prosperous. During the Sengoku period of the 16th century, Takeda Shingen attained the status of daimyō and built Tsuzuji Mansion and the Yōgai Castle in Kōfu. From this base, he attempted to unify and control Japan.

After Takeda's death in 1582, Kai-no-Kuni came under the control of the Oda and Toyotomi clans before being subsumed into the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period. Beneath the Edo shogunate, the Kōfu clan (based in Kuninaka, or Central and Western Yamanashi) and the Yamura clan (based in Gunnai, or Eastern Yamanashi) were formed, but in 1724 the area came under the direct control of the Shogunate. With the development of the Kōshū Kaidō (highway) and Fuji River transport, goods, materials and culture flowed into the region.

By the mid-19th century, the contradictions of military government and clan system caused stability to erode and resistance to erupt across Japan, paving the way for the Meiji Restoration of 1868.

During the Boshin War, the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma on the 29 March 1868 was a significant battle between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces immediately prior to the Imperial Forces march on Edo Castle. Preceding the Kōshū-Katsunuma battle, Kōfu Castle had been captured by troops loyal to the Emperor Meiji.

The province was renamed Kōfu Prefecture in 1869 and then Yamanashi Prefecture in 1871.^[5] The anniversary of this event on November 20, 1872, is now celebrated as Prefectural Citizen's Day in Yamanashi.

In the early part of the Meiji period (1868–1911), industrial promotion policies furthered sericulture, silk textile production and wine making industries. In 1903, after seven years of construction, including the building of a nearly three mile long tunnel at the Sasago Pass, the Chūō Railway Line from Hachiōji and central Tokyo finally reached Kōfu. The reduced journey times to the capital and the port of Yokohama brought significant change to local industry and culture.^[6]

Agricultural production in farming communities was still on a small scale at the turn of the century and land reforms had yet to be introduced. From the 1920s however, tenancy and contract disputes between landowners and farmers in Yamanashi grew increasingly common.^[7]

In 1926, the Minobu Railway Line connecting Kōfu with Shizuoka Prefecture opened, bringing an end to Fuji River transportation. The Koumi Line connecting Kobuchizawa to Kiyosato was opened by Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1933, providing access to hitherto remote highland areas on the slopes of Mt. Yatsugatake in the North of the prefecture.

The capital city, Kōfu, suffered extensive damage during a major air raid on the night of 6 July 1945.^[8] From 1945 onwards, as part of economic initiatives introduced under the post war Government of Occupation, agricultural land reforms significantly increased the number of individual farms and promoted fruit farming and viticulture throughout the prefecture. At first with limited success in 1946, but on a much more sustained basis in 1951, dairy farming, introduced by American Paul Rusch, became a feature of highland pastures surrounding the town of Kiyosato.^[9]

Small scale manufacturing industries and commerce grew at rapid speed during the expansion of the post-war Japanese economy. The 1982 opening of the Chūō Expressway also led to significant growth in service industries, transport logistics and tourism.

In common with many similar sized cities during the 1990s, rapid growth in car ownership, out of town shopping, and improved transportation links to Tokyo, caused a drop in commercial activity and land values in the center of the prefectural capital Kōfu. To counterbalance this trend the prefectural government launched a city center revitalization plan in 2008, promoting downtown tourist attractions such as redeveloped land North of Kōfu station, Maizuru Castle Park and new residential, cultural and government office facilities.

Planned changes in transportation infrastructure also promise to significantly impact the Yamanashi economy in the coming decades; under mountains in the eastern part of the prefecture is a completed 42.8 km section of the SCMaglev test track, a section of the planned Chūō Shinkansen.

The maglev line is designed to ultimately connect Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka with a station also planned to the South of Kōfu.^[10]

Central Government permission to proceed with an extension to the existing test track was granted on May 27, 2011. At the end of 2013 construction was already well advanced as far as Fuefuki.

JR Central is considering opening a demonstration service from a new station in Kōfu by the 2020 Summer Olympics so that visitors can also ride on the experimental track through the Yamanashi mountains.^[11]

Yamanashi Prefecture is bordered by Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, and Nagano Prefecture. The prefecture is landlocked, with high mountains surrounding the central Kōfu Basin. Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes region is located on the southern border with Shizuoka. Mount Fuji provides rain shadow effects, and as a result, the prefecture receives only about 818 mm of rainfall a year.

As of April 1, 2012, 27% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Chichibu Tama Kai, Fuji-Hakone-Izu, and Minami Alps National Parks; Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen Quasi-National Park; and Minami Alps Koma and Shibireko Prefectural Natural Parks.^[12]

78% of the prefecture is covered by forests, making it one of the most densely wooded prefectures in Japan. Land cultivated for agriculture is mainly restricted to the lower elevations of the Kōfu basin.^[13]

Thirteen cities are located in Yamanashi Prefecture:

Name		Area (km2)	Population	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji
Chūō	中央市	31.69	30,835
Fuefuki	笛吹市	201.92	69,463
Fujiyoshida	富士吉田市	121.74	48,782
Hokuto	北杜市	602.48	46,888
Kai	甲斐市	71.95	75,706
Kōfu (capital)	甲府市	212.47	187,985
Kōshū	甲州市	264.11	31,526
Minami-Alps	南アルプス市	264.14	71,618
Nirasaki	韮崎市	143.69	29,483
Ōtsuki	大月市	280.25	23,976
Tsuru	都留市	161.63	30,311
Uenohara	上野原市	170.57	23,158
Yamanashi	山梨市	289.8	34,738

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Name		Area (km2)	Population	District	Type	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji
Dōshi	道志村	79.57	1,676	Minamitsuru District	Village
Fujikawa	富士川町	111.98	15,125	Minamikoma District	Town
Fujikawaguchiko	富士河口湖町	158.4	26,540	Minamitsuru District	Town
Hayakawa	早川町	369.86	994	Minamikoma District	Town
Ichikawamisato	市川三郷町	75.18	15,799	Nishiyatsushiro District	Town
Kosuge	小菅村	52.78	701	Kitatsuru District	Village
Minobu	身延町	302	11,674	Minamikoma District	Town
Nanbu	南部町	200.63	7,222	Minamikoma District	Town
Narusawa	鳴沢村	89.58	3,152	Minamitsuru District	Village
Nishikatsura	西桂町	15.22	4,298	Minamitsuru District	Town
Oshino	忍野村	25.05	9,710	Minamitsuru District	Village
Shōwa	昭和町	9.08	20,338	Nakakoma District	Town
Tabayama	丹波山村	101.3	529	Kitatsuru District	Village
Yamanakako	山中湖村	52.81	5,826	Minamitsuru District	Village

Yamanashi has a sizable industrial base in and around Kōfu city, with jewelry and robotics industries being particularly prominent. The headquarters of FANUC, manufacturer of factory automation systems, is based in Oshino in the south of the prefecture.^[14]

The prefecture is also host to numerous fruit farms and vineyards. Yamanashi is one of the major fruit producing regions in Japan, being the top domestic producer of grapes, peaches, plums as well as wine.

In addition, roughly 40% of the mineral water bottled in Japan comes from Yamanashi, mainly from around the Southern Alps, Mount Fuji, and Mitsutōge areas. The quality of the water sources in the Southern Alps prompted Suntory Group to open the Hakushu distillery in the northern Yamanashi town of Hokuto.

Per Japanese census data, Yamanashi prefecture had negative population growth from 1950 to 1970 and again in the 21st century, with the population peaking at roughly 890,000 around the turn of the millennium.

The natural scenery and cultural sights of Yamanashi are popular destinations for both domestic and international tourists due to the prefecture's proximity to the crowded Tokyo conurbation and ease of access by road and rail. Mount Fuji, the Fuji Five Lakes region, the highland resort region of Kiyosato, the city of Kōfu, the Senga Falls, Koshu wineries, the temple of Erin-ji in Koshu, and the Kuonji Temple at Minobu are a few of the most popular places to visit.

The Fuji-Q Highland amusement park at Fujiyoshida with roller coasters Eejanaika, and Takabisha, the world's steepest roller coaster, is also a popular destination for day trips. It also features Do-Dodonpa, the world's fastest accelerating roller coaster. At one point, it was also the world's fastest roller coaster before Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster took the record in 2003.

The natural topography of the region makes Yamanashi popular with mountaineering, hiking and climbing enthusiasts throughout the year. The highest mountain in Japan, Mount Fuji, at 3,776 m (12,388 ft) and the second highest mountain in Japan, Mount Kita, at 3,193 m (10,476 ft) are both located within Yamanashi. The Mt. Fuji summer hiking season in July and August attracts thousands of overnight hikers typically starting at the Fifth Station in the late evening and climbing through the night to witness the sunrise at the summit.

Although not as tall, Mount Minobu, a popular place for Buddhist pilgrimage, offers extensive views from the summit of the mountain. Parts of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park, and Minami Alps National Park are all located in Yamanashi.

Given the area's volcanic activity, natural hot springs, or onsens, are found in abundance. Some of the more well known are Shimobe Onsen, Isawa Onsen and Yamanami Onsen.

The mascot of the prefecture is Hishimaru (菱丸), a Kai Ken dog who is based on the local Sengoku-era daimyō Takeda Shingen. He wears a kabuto with the crest of the Takeda clan.^[16]

• Shingen festival, held each March in the precincts of Kōfu Castle and Takeda Shrine in commemoration of Takeda Shingen's role in prefectural history.
• Fujiyoshida fire festival, marks the end of the summer climbing season on Mount Fuji. Held on the last weekend in August.
• Yatsugatake county fair and Paul Rusch festival. Held each October in Kiyosato to celebrate the life and work of Paul Rusch, his contributions to local agricultural development and US Japan friendship.

• Tsuru University
• University of Yamanashi
• Yamanashi Eiwa College
• Yamanashi Gakuin University
• Yamanashi Prefectural University

Ventforet Kōfu, the J2 League association football (soccer) team is based in Kōfu. The team's home ground is the Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium.

Since 2005 the Fujizakura Country Club in Fujikawaguchiko has also hosted the Fujisankei Classic golf tournament, an annual event on the Japan Golf Tour.

• Central Japan Railway Company
  • Minobu Line
• Chūō Shinkansen(Under construction)
• East Japan Railway Company
  • Chūō Main Line
  • Koumi Line
• Fuji Kyuko
  • Fujikyuko Line

• Chūbu-Ōdan Expressway (under construction)
• Chuo Expressway
• Higashifuji-goko Road
• Kōfu Yamanashi Road

• UHF Television Yamanashi (UTY)
• Yamanashi Broadcasting System (YBS)

• FM Fuji (FMF)

• Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea, since 1992
• Fairfield, California, United States, since the 1970s
• Iowa, United States, since 1960
• Madison County, Kentucky, United States, since 1988
• Minas Gerais, Brazil, since 1973
• Saône-et-Loire, France, since 2000
• Sichuan Province, China, since 1985

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Yamanashi prefecture (category)

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Yamanashi.

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Geographic data related to Yamanashi Prefecture at OpenStreetMap

35°37′N 138°37′E / 35.617°N 138.617°E / 35.617; 138.617