Mighty mountains of our province�Cwith Mt�DChokai high above�D Surfs that pound with mighty fury at our Oga Peninsula. Lakes Towada and Tazawa mystic and known far and wide�D Famed for beauty beyond comparing�C Source of all our endless pride�D Mighty rushing mountain rivers�C Our beloved Akita�I Akita Prefectural Song
	Profile of Akita Prefecture Located in the northeast part of Honshu Island on the Japan sea side�CAkita Prefecture shares the same latitude with Beijing�CMadrid and New York�DNestled in steep�Chigh mountains�CAkita is bordered on the north by Aomori Prefecture�Cthe east by Iwate Prefecture and on the south by Miyagi and Yamagata Prefectures�DThe Sea of Japan borders Akita on the west�Cwith the Oga Peninsula jutting off into the sea�DIn the eastern part of the prefecture the Ou Sanmyaku mountain range runs north to south averaging 1000 meters in height�DOff the sea of Japan in the eastern part of Akita Prefecture�Calso running north to south are the Dewa Sanchi Mountains averaging 400 meters in height�DIn between the Dewa Sanchi Mountains and the Sea of Japan �Cthe three large rivers of Akita�Cthe Yoneshiro River�Cthe Omonogawa River and the Koyoshi River�Crun into the Japan Sea through a coastal plain which they created�D The sixth largest prefecture in Japan with an area of 11,612.95 square kilometers�CAkita has 9 cities and 60 towns and villages�DAccording to the latest census (October 1�C1995) the population is 1,213,655 people�DHowever�Cwhen compared to the 1982 census�Cthe figures show the overall population decreasing while the elderly population is increasing�DThis population problem has become a basic problem for Akita Prefecture�D The climate in Akita is characteristically marked by long winters and short summers�DThe coastal regions of Akita tend to be mild�Cwith a warm current circulating around the area�DThe Oga Peninsula and the Yuri Region in the southwest do not receive much snow and are said to be �geasily bearable�D�hCompared to the coast�Cthe interior regions of Akita Prefecture are hotter in the summer and colder in the winter with lots of snow fall�DIn particular the Yokote Basin is a region well known for its overwhelming snowfall�D Industry in Akita has primarily centered around rice farming�Cbut while the farming industry continues�Clumber and wood products and nonferrous metal industries are also continuing to develop with the addition of new processing machines�DRecently�Cthe Biomic Center�Cthe General Food Products Research Institute�Cthe Akita Research Institute for Advanced Technology and the Institute of Advanced Wood Processing Technology are all enthusiastically pursuing research in their respective fields�DThese institutes aim to modernize and bring new technology to the industries in Akita by researching the resources that Akita has to offer�D The arrangements for a high speed transportation system in Akita are also continuing at a rapid pace�DThe International Terminal at Akita Airport is now completed�Ga large section of the Akita Expressway is already open�Gthe bullet train (Shinkansen) will run from Tokyo to Akita in 1997�Gthe Noshiro/Odate Airport will open in 1998�DBy the 21st century�CAkita will have realized its goal of offering roundtrip transport to anywhere in the country within one day�D
	Akita's Beatiful Countryside Akita is known for its beautiful scenic contrasts between the sea�Cthe mountains�Cand the lakes�DTowada/Hachimantai National Park embraces the mystic Lake Towada and the natural beauty of the Hachimantai Area�DThe stark�Cjagged�Crough beauty of Akita's coast�Cthe volcanic lakes and the rolling grass covering Mt�DKanpuzan can all be seen in the Oga Peninsula Semi-National Park�DIn the Kurikoma Semi-National Park lie such beatiful sights as the Sukawa Highlands�Cthe Kawarage Jigoku�Cand the Oyasukyo Hot Geysers�DAnd�Cin the Chokai Semi-National Park�Crises the �gMount Fuji of the North�C�hthe most famous mountain in the Tohoku region�CMt�DChokai�DOutside of these 4 National and Semi-National Parks are such beautiful places as the legendary Lake Tazawako�Cand the Shirakami Mountain Range�Cwhere the largest registered Virgin Beech Tree forest grows�DAkita truly a nature treasure house�DWith its natural beauty and clear demarkation of the four seasons�Cpeople who have visited Akita are often deeply moved by its charm�D In the midst of the bountiful green�Cboth the old and the new exist in harmony�DFrom the cultureal city center of Akita City�Cthe old and traditional in Kakunodate Town�Cto the rural in Omagari City�Cyou can have peace of mind wherever you go in Akita Prefecture�DFarm villages�Cwith long cultural heritages and kind-hearted people�Cgrow up in the middle of this beautiful�Cbut sometimes harsh�Cnatural environment�DMountains�Crivers�Cthe sea�Ctowns�Gthe feelings of the people who live in this environment�GAkita can truly be called the Beautiful Country�D The History of Akita The first mention of �gAkita�hin Japanese history books comes in the year 658 when it was written that the Yamato Chyotei's influence had extended to this land�DUnder the ancient provincial system (kokugun system)�CAkita Prefecture was the Ugo section of the Dewa Province (present day Akita and Yamagata prefectures)�DConstruction of Akita Castle began in 733 to replace an earlier outpost located farther south on a site that is now the city of Akita�DAkita castle was one of a series of outposts in the Dewa province used between the 8th and 10th centuries for the pacification of the Ezo tribesman�DIn the latter part of the 8th century the governor of Dewa moved his headquarters here and Akita become the Yamato Chotei's political and economical center of the north�DAkita castle was abandoned sometime after the 9th century but a replacement was built nearby and the area always remained strategically important�DThe area was rules by the Satake Family during the Edo period for 260 years�Cuntil the Meiji Era�DDuring this time Akita was especially known for its developing farming�Cforestry and mining enterprises�DIn 1871�Cthe area previously known as the Haihan Area became Akita Prefecture�D Onward Toward the 21st Century Presently in Akita Prefecture�Cthere remain problems concerning the decreasing population and the income difference with bigger cities�DHowever�Cwhat the big cities lack is the beautiful nature and traditional culture�Cthe steady warmth of the people and the abundant natural resources which still run strong in Akita Prefecture�D Four years ago �Cthe Akita New General Development Plan�Cwas implemented to improve Akita and halt the aforementioned problems�DThis plan has varying purposes as these catch phrases show�F�gThe realization of a healthy�Cindividual�Cbountiful life�C�h�gthe formation of a charming community where young people can settle down�D�h�gthe development of industry with a strong foundation�Cand�glively exchange in and out of the coutry�D�h Akita is especially active in the field of international exchange�Cfrom continuing friendship exchanges with Russia�CChina�CHungary and the United States (Minnesota) on the one hand�Cto hosting technical research students from developing countries on the other�DIn October of 1995�Cthe Akita International Exchange Network was established which links the people of Akita Prefecture�Cin all the cities�Ctowns and villages to the activities of various international exchange groups�DThis new network has spurred internationalization in Akita even more�DAkita Prefecture aims to be a window for the world with its opening on the Japan Sea�DWith the cooperation of the government and citizens�CAkita Prefecture is actively advancing forward with its exchanges and joint effort with the various countries of the world�D