Shizuoka

Shizuoka (shizOO'ôkä) [key], city (1990 pop. 472,196), capital of Shizuoka prefecture, E central Honshu, Japan, on Suruga Bay. It is a port and communications center and is known for its green tea, oranges, and lacquer ware. Long the eastern outpost for Tokyo, Shizuoka retains a castle of the last of the Tokugawa shoguns. A statue of Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, stands in a Buddhist temple in the city. Shizuoka prefecture (1990 pop. 3,670,891), 3,000 sq mi (7,770 sq km), is the chief tea-producing area of Japan. Fishing is important, and motor vehicles, ships, and textiles are also produced. In the prefecture is the celebrated volcano Mt. Fuji and the Izu Peninsula, a popular tourist attraction.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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