Shizuoka 静岡
—  Designated city  —
静岡市 · City of Shizuoka
Top left: Shizuoka Sengen Shrine; Top right: Nihondaira Stadium Middle: Mt. Fuji & Shimizu Port from Nihondaira Upper bottom left Green tea fields; Lower bottom left Toro ruins; Bottom right: Tatsumi yagura of Sunpu Castle
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Location of Shizuoka in Shizuoka
Shizuoka
Coordinates: 34°59′N 138°23′E / 34.983°N 138.383°E / 34.983; 138.383Coordinates: 34°59′N 138°23′E / 34.983°N 138.383°E / 34.983; 138.383
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu
Prefecture	Shizuoka
Government
- Mayor	Tanabe Nobuhiro
Area
- Total	1,411.85 km2 (545.1 sq mi)
Population (March 2011)
- Total	724,026
- Density	507/km2 (1,313.1/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Flowering Dogwood
- Flower	Hollyhock
- Bird	Common Kingfisher
Phone number	54-254-2111
Address	5-1 Ōtemachi, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka-ken 420-8602
Website	City of Shizuoka

Shizuoka (静岡市, Shizuoka-shi^?) is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the second-largest city of that prefecture in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 designated cities in 2005.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Basic data 1.2 Bordering municipalities 1.3 Climate 2 Nature 3 Demographics 4 Administration 4.1 Wards 4.2 Administrative District "Image Colours" 4.3 Ward offices 4.4 Mayors (since 2003 merger) 5 History 5.1 Ancient history 5.2 Pre-modern Shizuoka 5.3 From the Meiji period to World War II 5.4 Post-war Shizuoka 6 Economy 6.1 Agriculture 6.2 Fishery 6.3 Products 7 Cuisine 8 Culture 8.1 Sports 9 Transportation 9.1 Railroad 9.2 Airport 10 Colleges and universities 11 Media 11.1 Print media 11.2 Broadcast media 11.2.1 Television 11.2.2 Cable Television 11.2.3 Radio 12 Major attractions 13 Famous Historic Spots 13.1 In Aoi Ward 13.2 In Suruga Ward 13.3 In Shimizu Ward 14 Notable people 15 Sister and friendship cities 15.1 Twin cities 15.1.1 Overseas 15.1.2 Within Japan 15.2 Friendship cities 15.2.1 Overseas 15.2.2 Within Japan 16 Other

Geography

Shizuoka City centrally located in Shizuoka Prefecture, about halfway between Tokyo and Nagoya along the Tokaido Corridor, sandwiched between Suruga Bay to the south and the Minami Alps in the north. Shizuoka had the largest area of any municipality in Japan after merging with Shimizu City in April, 2003, until February 2005, when Takayama, Gifu merged with nine surrounding municipalities.

The total area is 1,411.82 km² (545.11 sq mi).[1] Shizuoka is currently the 5th largest city in Japan in terms of geographic area after Takayama, Hamamatsu, Nikkō and Kitami. It is also the 2nd largest city in Shizuoka Prefecture in terms of both geographic area and population after Hamamatsu, but ranks higher as an Urban Employment Area, and leads as a metropolitan area and business region.

Basic data

• Area of densely populated region: 98.8km²
• Urban planning area: 223.0km²
• Area zoned for urbanization: 99.2km²

Bordering municipalities

Climate

Pre-merger Shizuoka City
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     72   11 2     102   12 2     213   15 5     237   19 10     222   23 14     283   26 19     280   29 22     245   31 24     304   28 20     172   23 15     133   18 9     60   14 4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.8   53 35     4   53 36     8.4   58 42     9.3   67 51     8.7   73 58     11   78 66     11   85 72     9.7   87 74     12   82 69     6.8   73 58     5.2   65 49     2.3   57 39 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Shizuoka has an Oceanic climate on the south-central Pacific coast, which is hot and humid in the summers and rarely snows in winter. Further north, however, the mountainous Ikawa area is part of the Japanese snow country, and there are ski areas.

Climate of pre-merger Shizuoka City

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average highs	11.4	11.7	14.5	19.2	22.9	25.6	29.2	30.6	27.5	22.9	18.4	13.8	20.6
Average lows	1.6	2.1	5.4	10.4	14.4	18.7	22.4	23.5	20.4	14.7	9.2	3.7	9.5
Humidity	71.6	102.2	212.5	237.2	221.5	283.3	279.7	245.4	304.3	171.8	132.8	59.6	2321.9
Temperature: (°C); Humidity: (mm)（average from 1971 to2000)

Nature

Demographics

As of March 2011, the city has an estimated population of 724,026 and the density of 507 persons per km².

Demographic	Population		As of
Male	352,	747	2011-03
Female	371,	279
Households	298,	127
Foreign	8,	441	2009
Total	724,	026	2011-03

Administration

Wards

Aoi Ward (葵区, Aoi-ku^?)

Administrative center, made up of the former Shizuoka north of the Tōkaidō Main Line excluding Osada district

Suruga Ward (駿河区, Suruga-ku^?)

Former Shizuoka south of the Tōkaidō Main Line and Osada district

Shimizu-ku (清水区, Shimizu-ku^?)

Former city of Shimizu and towns of Kanbara and Yui.

Administrative District "Image Colours"

On 22 December, 2006, each of the wards' District Image Colours and Logo Marks」 were established.

Aoi Ward	■ Aoi Ward Green
Suruga Ward	■ Suruga Ward Red
Shimizu Ward	■ Shimizu Ward Blue

Ward offices

• Shizuoka City Office/Aoi Ward Office:
  〒420-8602 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ward, Ootemachi 5-1
  • Aoi Ward Ikawa Branch Office:
    〒428-0504 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ward, Ikawa 656-2
• Suruga Ward Office:
  〒422-8550 Shizuoka City, Suruga Ward, Minami Yahata-chou 10-40
  • Suruga Ward Osada Branch Office:
    〒421-0132 Shizuoka City, Suruga Ward, Kami-Kawahara 13-1
• Shimizu City Office/Shimizu Ward Office:
  〒424-8701 Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ward, Asahi-chou 6-9
  • Shimizu Ward Kanbara Branch Office:
    〒421-3211 Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ward Kanbara Shinden 1-21-1

Mayors (since 2003 merger)

Term	Name	Start	Finish
1-2	Zenkichi Kojima	14 April, 2003	12 April, 2011
3	Nobuhiro Tanabe	13 April, 2011	current

History

Ancient history

The area that is now the city of Shizuoka has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Numerous kofun have been found within the city limits, and the Toro archaeological site indicates that a major Yayoi period (circa 400 BC-300 AD) settlement existed in what is now part of the central city area.

Suruga was established as a province of Japan in the early Nara period. At some point between the year 701 and 710, the provincial capital was relocated from what is now Numazu, to a more central location on the banks of the Abe River at a location named Sunpu (駿府^?) (a contraction of “Suruga no Kokufu” (駿河の国府^?)) or alternatively “Fuchū” (府中^?).

Pre-modern Shizuoka

During the Muromachi period, Sunpu was the capital of the Imagawa clan. The Imagawa were defeated at the Battle of Okehazama, and Sunpu was subsequently ruled by Takeda Shingen, followed by Tokugawa Ieyasu. However, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Ieyasu, and installed Nakamura Kazutada to rule Sunpu. After the Toyotomi were defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu recovered Sunpu, reassigning it to his own retainer, Naitō Nobunari in 1601. This marked the start of Sunpu Domain.

In April 1606, Ieyasu officially retired from the post of Shogun, and retired to Sunpu, where he established a secondary court, from which he could influence Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada from behind the scenes. Subsequently, aside for brief periods, Sunpu was tenryō (territory under direct administration by the Shogunate), ruled by the Sunpu jōdai (駿府城代^?), an appointed official based in Sunpu.

From the Meiji period to World War II

In 1869, after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the former shogunal line, headed by Tokugawa Iesato was sent to Sunpu and assigned the short-lived Shizuoka Domain. The same year, Sunpu was renamed "Shizuoka". Shizuoka Domain became Shizuoka Prefecture with the abolition of the han system in 1871, which was expanded in 1876 through merger with the former Hamamatsu Prefecture and western portions of Ashigaru Prefecture in 1876. Shizuoka Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line was opened on February 1, 1889. The same day, a fire burned down most of downtown Shizuoka.

The modern city was founded on April 1, 1889. At the time, the population was 37,681, and Shizuoka was one of the first 31 cities established in Japan.

An electric tram service began in 1911. In 1914, due to heavy rains caused by a typhoon, the Abe River flooded, inundating the downtown area. In the national census of 1920, the population of Shizuoka was 74,093. The area of the city continued to expand through the 1920s and 1930s through merger with outlying towns and villages. In 1935, the city was struck by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake, resulting in much damage. Although soon rebuilt, a large fire in 1940 again destroyed much of the center of the city.

During World War II, Shizuoka lacked targets of major military significance, and was initially only lightly bombed during several American air raids. However, in a major firebombing raid of June 19, 1945, the city suffered an extreme amount of damage with high civilian casualties.

Post-war Shizuoka

The area of the city continued to expand through the 1950s and 1960s through merger with outlying towns and villages. On October 1, 1964, the Tokaido Shinkansen began services to Shizuoka, and on April 25, 1969 the city was connected to the Tomei Expressway. On July 7, 1974, the Abe River flooded, and landslides occurred during heavy rains, killing 23 people.

On August 16, 1980, a major gas leak in an underground shopping center near Shizuoka Station resulted in an explosion, killing 15 people and seriously injuring 233 others. The Shizuoka City Hall moved to new premises in 1986. On April 1, 1992, Shizuoka was designed a core city by the central government, giving it increased autonomy.

The April 1, 2003 merger with Shimizu city (current Shimizu-ku) greatly expanded the area and population of Shizuoka, which then became a designated city on April 1, 2005, and was divided into three wards.

Kanbara merged with Shizuoka on March 31, 2006, becoming part of Shimizu Ward. On November 1, 2008, Yui also merged into Shimizu Ward.

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%

Fuji Dream Airlines is headquartered in Aoi-ku, City of Shizuoka.

Agriculture

Green tea (お茶, ocha^?)

Varieties such as Motoyama and Yabukita are grown in all corners of the city, and the varieties grown especially in the Warashina area in Aoi Ward and the Ryōgōchi area of Shimizu Ward are known for their high quality

Strawberries

"Stonewall strawberries" (石垣いちご, ishigaki ichigo^?) are strawberries that grow in holes on inclined stone walls, grown especially along an 8 km (5 mi) stretch of Kunō Kaidō (route 150), also known as "Strawberry Road", along the coast of Suruga Bay.

Japanese horsheradish (わさび, wasabi^?)

especially in areas such as Utōgi in Aoi Ward

Mandarin Oranges and other citrus fruits

especially Satsuma, a seedless and easy-peeling citrus mutant, known as mikan (みかん^?) or formally unshū mikan (ウンシュウミカン^?)

Lotus roots

especially in the Asahata area of Aoi Ward

Roses

especially in the Ihara and Okitsu areas in Shimizu Ward

Peaches

especially in the Osada area

Fishery

Shimizu Port boasts the largest haul of tuna in all Japan. Kanbara Harbour enjoys a prosperous haul of sakura ebi, and Mochimune Harbour enjoys a prosperous haul of shirasu sardines.

Products

Abekawa Mochi is a type of rice cake (or mochi) in kinako soy flour that is a specialty of Shizuoka.

Shizuoka 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 wood was used to produce 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 its plastic scale model kits and is resident to its long established companies such as Aoshima, Fujimi, Hasegawa and the most renowned of them all, Tamiya. The city hosts the long-running Shizuoka Hobby Show annually in May at Twin Messe Shizuoka, which attracts visitors from around the world.

Cuisine

Oden

a Japanese dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konnyaku, and processed fish cakes stewed in a light, soy-flavoured dashi broth.

Oden in Shizuoka uses a dark coloured broth flavoured with beef stock and dark soy sauce. All ingredients are skewered. Dried, ground fish (sardine, mackerel, or katsuobushi) and aonori powder (edible seaweed) are sprinkled on top before eating.

Gyoza

Soba noodles

Seafood

Zoni soup

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.

Culture

There are three main festivals on Shizuoka's calendar.

Shizuoka Festival (静岡まつり, Shizuoka Matsuri^?)

The City's April festival during the high point of the year for Cherry Blossoms. A flower-viewing procession imitates the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu's custom of taking daimyo (feudal lords) to Sengen Shrine to view the cherry blossoms [2].

Abekawa Fireworks (安倍川花火, Abekawa Hanabi^?)

A gigantic fireworks display held upstream on Shizuoka's Abe River in late July.

Daidogei World Cup (大道芸ワールドカップ, Daigougei Waarudo kappu^?)

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 come from around the world and perform throughout the central part of the city as well as in some peripheral locations. From 2005, it expanded from a 3-day to a 4-day festival.

Sports

With the Shimizu merger, Shimizu S-Pulse became the major soccer club in the city. Recently, however, a new rival club, Shizuoka F.C. from Suruga, has been rising in the regional league ranks as a contender for a place in the Japan Football League.

Transportation

Railroad

Shizuoka lies on the Tōkaidō Main Line, the JR main rail line from Tokyo to Osaka, and is well-served by the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, limited express and regional trains. The central station of Shizuoka is in the city centre. Shizuoka also has an LRT line, the Shizuoka Railway, administered by the Shizuoka Railway Co., Ltd. (静岡鉄道（静鉄）, Shizuoka Tetsudou (Shizutetsu)^?) Shizuoka Station.

Airport

The nearest airport is Shizuoka Airport, between Makinohara and Shimada. The more distant Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), Narita International Airport, and Chūbu Centrair International Airport are commonly used.

Colleges and universities

Shizuoka University (静岡大学, Shizuoka Daigaku^?)

National university, founded 1949. Main campus in Suruga Ward. Abbreviated to 静大 (Shizudai).

Prefectural University of Shizuoka (静岡県立大学, Shizuoka Kenritsu Daigaku^?)

Public university whose main campus is in Suruga Ward, close to Kusanagi Station.

Tokai University (東海大学, Toukai Daigaku^?)

Shimizu campus of the Tokyo-based private university

Tokoha Gakuen University (常葉学園大学, Tokoha Gakuen Daigaku^?)

Private university founded in 1946

Shizuoka Eiwa Gakuin University (静岡英和学院大学, Shizuoka Eiwa Gakuin Daigaku^?)

Co-educational private university founded by missionaries from the Methodist Church of Canada with the support of the Shizuoka prefectural government. First institution in Shizuoka Prefecture to offer secondary education for girls. Two-year Shizuoka Eiwa College was established in 1966, and Eiwa became a four year coeducational university in 2002.

Media

Print media

The Shizuoka Shimbun is the area's primary newspaper.

Broadcast media

Television

• NHK Shizuoka (Analogue Channel 9; Digital Channel 1)
• NHK Shizuoka Educational Channel (Analogue Channel 2; Digital Channel 2)
• Shizuoka Broadcasting System “Shizuoka Broadcasting” (Analogue Channel 11; Digital Channel 6)
• TV Shizuoka “Television Shizuoka” (Analogue Channel 35; Digital Channel 8)
• Shizuoka Daiichi Television “Shizuoka First Television” (Analogue Channel 31; Digital Channel 4)
• Shizuoka Asahi Television “Shizuoka Asahi Television” (Analogue Channel 33; Digital Channel 5)

Cable Television

Shizuoka Cable Television (Dream Wave Shizuoka)

Radio

• NHK1 882 kHz
• NHK2 639 kHz FM88.8 MHz
• SBS 1404 kHz
• K-MIX 79.2 MHz
• FM・Hi！76.9 MHz
• Marine Pal (FM Shimizu) 76.3 MHz
• Guzen Media Japan A podcast and vidcast based in Shizuoka, Japan.

Major attractions

• Nihondaira (日本平)
• Miho no Matsubara (三保の松原)

Famous Historic Spots

In Aoi Ward

Shizuoka Sengen Shrine

A collection of Shinto shrines that was patronised by powerful warrior clans since ancient times, most notably the Tokugawa clan.

Sunpu Park/Sunpu Castle ruins

The castle of the Imagawa and Tokugawa clans, originally built in 1599, was destroyed in 1869. Today, only the moats remain. The rest was turned into a park, and is now a popular place for hanami.

In Suruga Ward

Toro (登呂 遺跡, Toro iseki^?)

Late Yayoi archaeological site notable as the first archaeological site excavated in Japan in which remains of a 1st century AD Yayoi-era wet-rice Paddy fields were found.

Kunōzan Tōshōgū

Shintō shrine that was the original burial place of Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the oldest of the Tōshō-gū shrines in Japan. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on April 17, although its spring festival from February 17-18 is a larger event.

Mariko-juku

Twentieth of the fifty-three stations of the old Tōkaidō road, an old travel route during the Edo period.

In Shimizu Ward

Miho Peninsula

Famous for the scenic Miho no Matsubara (三保の松原, Miho Pine Grove^?), renowned as a seashore with beautiful green pine trees and white sands spanning over seven kilometers, designated as one of New Three Views of Japan (新日本三景, Shin Nihon Sankei^?). Also known as the scene of the legend of Hagoromo, which is based on the traditional swan maiden motif.

Notable people

• Princess Akishino — princess in the Japanese Imperial Family
• Yoshitaka Amano — illustrator and animator, designed the artwork for the original Final Fantasy video game
• Masafumi Goto — lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist of the J-rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation
• Koji Gyotoku — football player and coach of Bhutan national football team
• Kazuyoshi Hoshino — racing driver
• Takashi Kiuchi (Masuda) — Rome/Tokyo Olympic basketball player
• Keiko Masuda — Singer, "Kei" of female pop music duo Pink Lady
• Kazuyoshi Miura — football player
• Kawashita Mizuki — cartoonist, creator of Strawberry 100%
• Riyo Mori — Miss Universe 2007
• Mitsuyo Nemoto — Singer, "Mie" of Pink Lady
• Momoko Sakura — cartoonist, creator of Chibi Maruko-chan
• Keisuke Serizawa — textile designer, Honorary Citizen
• Atsuto Uchida — football player
• Takahiro Yamada — bassist of Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Sister and friendship cities

Shizuoka has twin and friendship relationships with several cities.

Twin cities

Overseas

• Stockton, California, United States (since October 16, 1959)
• Omaha, Nebraska, United States (since April 1, 1965)
• Shelbyville, Indiana, United States (since November 3, 1989)
• Cannes, France (since November 5, 1991)

Within Japan

• Muroran, Hokkaidō (since December 24, 1976)
• Jōetsu, Niigata (since October 12, 1995)

Friendship cities

Overseas

• Huế, Vietnam (since April 12, 2005)

Within Japan

• Saku, Nagano (since October 12, 1989)

Other

City Song 

Watashi no Machi, Shizuoka 『わたしの街 静岡』

• Written: 13 April, 2005
• Lyrics: Citizen competition entry
• Music, Additions: Kei Ogura
• Arranged: Shin Kawabe
• Eri Itō sang on the CD release

Shizuoka Prefecture Shizuoka (capital city) Wards Aoi | Suruga | Shimizu Hamamatsu Wards Naka | Higashi | Nishi | Kita | Minami | Hamakita | Tenryū Other cities Numazu | Atami | Mishima | Fujinomiya | Itō | Shimada | Fuji | Iwata | Yaizu | Kakegawa | Fujieda | Gotemba | Fukuroi | Shimoda | Susono | Kosai | Izu | Omaezaki | Kikugawa | Izunokuni | Makinohara Kamo District Higashiizu | Kawazu | Minamiizu | Matsuzaki | Nishiizu Tagata District Kannami Suntō District Shimizu | Nagaizumi | Oyama Haibara District Yoshida | Kawanehon Shūchi District Mori

Metropolitan cities of Japan Tokyo Metropolis Special wards of Tokyo (Adachi · Arakawa · Bunkyō · Chiyoda · Chūō · Edogawa · Itabashi · Katsushika · Kita · Kōtō · Meguro · Minato · Nakano · Nerima · Ōta · Setagaya · Shibuya · Shinagawa · Shinjuku · Suginami · Sumida · Toshima · Taitō) Designated cities Chiba · Fukuoka · Hamamatsu · Hiroshima · Kawasaki · Kitakyūshū · Kobe · Kyoto · Nagoya · Niigata · Okayama · Osaka · Sagamihara · Saitama · Sakai · Sapporo · Sendai · Shizuoka · Yokohama Core cities Akita · Amagasaki · Aomori · Asahikawa · Fukuyama · Funabashi · Gifu · Hakodate · Higashiōsaka · Himeji · Iwaki · Kagoshima · Kanazawa · Kashiwa · Kawagoe · Kōchi · Kōriyama · Kumamoto · Kurashiki · Kurume · Maebashi · Matsuyama · Miyazaki · Morioka · Nagano · Nagasaki · Nara · Nishinomiya · Ōita · Okazaki · Ōtsu · Shimonoseki · Takamatsu · Takasaki  · Takatsuki · Toyama · Toyohashi · Toyota · Utsunomiya · Wakayama · Yokosuka Special cities Akashi · Atsugi · Chigasaki · Fuji · Fukui · Hachinohe · Hirakata · Hiratsuka · Ibaraki · Ichinomiya · Isesaki · Jōetsu · Kakogawa · Kasugai · Kasukabe · Kawaguchi · Kishiwada · Kōfu · Koshigaya · Kumagaya · Kure · Matsumoto · Mito · Nagaoka · Neyagawa · Numazu · Odawara · Ōta  · Sasebo  · Sōka  · Suita  · Takarazuka  · Tokorozawa  · Tottori  · Toyonaka  · Tsukuba  · Yamagata  · Yamato  · Yao  · Yokkaichi Prefectural capitals (not included above) Fukushima · Tsu · Naha · Saga · Matsue · Tokushima · Yamaguchi