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Through Japan, Archipelago and Volcano
Kumamoto is the capital and largest city of Kumamoto Prefecture, with other major cities including Yatsushiro, Amakusa, and Tamana. Kumamoto Prefecture is located in the center of Kyūshū on the coast of the Ariake Sea, across from Nagasaki Prefecture, with the mainland separated from the East China Sea by the Amakusa Archipelago. Kumamoto Prefecture is home to Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan and among the largest in the world, with its peak 1,592 metres (5,223 ft) above sea level.
History
Historically, the area was called Higo Province; the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system. The current Japanese orthography for Kumamoto literally means "bear root/origin," or "origin of the bear." However, Man'yōgana-like phonetic transcriptions based on the kanji for "a ball, a sphere" (球 ) and "to polish, to grind, to brush (one's teeth)" (磨 ) are used for the names of the Kuma River (球磨川) and Kuma District (球磨郡). The Kuma element also appears in the ancient Kumaso.
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Geography
Kumamoto Prefecture is in the center of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four major Japanese islands. It is bordered by the Ariake inland sea and the Amakusa archipelago to the west, Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture to the north, Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south.
Mount Aso (1,592 m (5,223 ft)), an extensive active volcano, is in the east of Kumamoto Prefecture. This volcano is located at the centre of the Aso caldera.
As of 31 March 2019, 21% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as natural parks: the Aso Kujū and Unzen-Amakusa National Parks; Kyūshū Chūō Sanchi and Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Parks; and Ashikita Kaigan, Itsuki Gokanoshō, Kinpōzan, Misumi-Ōyano Umibe, Okukuma, Shōtaisan, and Yabe Shūhen Prefectural Natural Parks.
Cities
Fourteen cities are located in Kumamoto Prefecture:
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district:
Mergers
Demographics
As of 1 June 2019, the population was 1,748,134 inhabitants with a population density of 236 inhabitants per square kilometre (610/sq mi). The prefecture ranks 23rd in Japan.
Economy
The largest motorcycle production facility in the world is located in Kumamoto.
In 2023, Mitsubishi Electric announced plans to spend 100 billion yen on a new semiconductor factory in Kumamoto, with a target start date of April 2026 to begin production.
Tourism
- Kumamoto Castle
- Mount Aso is one of the world's largest active volcanoes.
- Suizenji Park
- Tsūjun Bridge, the largest stone aqueduct in Japan is in Yamato
The prefecture has a mascot named "Kumamon", a black bear with red cheeks, who was created to attract tourists to the region after the Kyushu Shinkansen line opened.
Education
Universities
National
- Kumamoto University
Public
- Prefectural University of Kumamoto
Private
- Heisei College of Music
- Kumamoto Gakuen University
- Kumamoto Health Science
- Kyushu Lutheran College
- Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare
- Shokei Gakuin University
- Sojo University
Transportation
Rail
- Hisatsu Orange Railway
- JR Kyushu
- Hisatsu Line
- Hohi Line
- Kagoshima Line
- Kyushu Shinkansen
- Misumi Line
- Kumamoto Electric Railway
- Kumagawa Railroad
- Minami Aso Railway
Tramway
- Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau
Road
Expressways and toll roads
- Kumamoto Amakusa Road
- Kyushu Chūō Expressway
- Kyushu Expressway
- South Kyushu Expressway
National highways
- Route 3
- Route 57
- Route 208 (Kumamoto-Tamana-Arao-Ōmuta)
- Route 212
- Route 218 (Kumamoto-Takachiho-Nobeoka)
- Route 219
- Route 265
- Route 266
- Route 267 (Hitoyoshi-Isa-Satsuma-Satsumasendai)
- Route 268
- Route 324
- Route 325 (Yamaga-Minamiaso-Takamori-Takachiho)
- Route 387
- Route 388 (Saiki-Nobeoka-Unomae)
- Route 389
- Route 442
- Route 443
- Route 445
- Route 501 (Ōmuta-Arao-Uto)
- Route 503
Ports
Ferry routes
Airports
- Amakusa Airport
- Kumamoto Airport
Sports
These sports teams are based in the prefecture:
- Professional:
- Blaze Kumamoto – Men's association football
- Mashiki Renaissance Kumamoto – Women's association football
- Roasso Kumamoto – Men's football and J League Second Division
- Amateur:
- Kumamoto Golden Larks – regional baseball
Kumamoto Prefecture hosted the 2019 World Women's Handball Championship, having previously hosted the 1997 World Men's Handball Championship.
Sister cities
Kumamoto Prefecture is the 'sister state/prefecture' of Montana in the United States.
San Antonio, Texas is Kumamoto's sister city; it holds an annual fall festival 'akimatsuri' for its Japanese citizens. In 2015 the mascot, 'Kumamon' visited as an honorary ambassador during the festival located at the Japanese Tea Gardens.
Notable people
- Naoichi Fujimori, father of Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori
- Kouki Fujiwara, drummer of WANIMA
- Madoka Hisagae, female Japanese fencer
- Kimeru, pop artist
- Kazuaki Kiriya, filmmaker
- Miku Kobato, founder and vocalist of Band-Maid
- Tetsu Komai, Hollywood actor
- Jun Kunimura, Japanese actor
- Yuri Masuda, singer
- Kenta Matsumoto, vocalist and bassist of WANIMA
- Yuki Midorikawa, manga author, creator of Natsume's Book of Friends and Hotarubi no Mori e
- Munetaka Murakami, Japanese baseball player
- Kunio Nakagawa, Japanese Army general
- Shodai Naoya, Sumo wrestler
- Koushin Nishida, guitarist of WANIMA
- Tetsuya Noda, contemporary artist
- Eiichiro Oda, manga author, creator of One Piece
- Hitomi Tanaka, pornographic actress
- Ichiki Tatsuo, journalist and defector in the Indonesian National Revolution
- Katsuhiro Ueo, drifting driver
- Tomiko Van, singer, vocalist of Do As Infinity
- Aki Yashiro, Japanese singer