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22-554: The eastern expressway was completed in 1998. Crossing the Akashi Strait, this connection links Hyōgo Prefecture on Honshu with Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku, using Awaji Island for most of its length. The route connects to the Sanyō Expressway at its northern terminus, allowing traffic to connect to Himeji , Kobe , and other major cities on Honshū. This connection uses three suspension bridges . The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge

44-929: A road connection only. The central expressway was completed in 1988. Also known as the Great Seto Bridge , this line connects Okayama Prefecture to Kagawa Prefecture . A series of six major bridges and five viaducts are used. The six bridges are the Shimotsui-Seto Bridge , Hitsuishijima Bridge , the Iwakurojima Bridge , the Yoshima Bridge , the Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge , and the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge . The Seto-Chūō bridges are also used by JR trains ( Seto-Ōhashi Line ), and are designed to accommodate high-speed Shinkansen service in

66-866: Is hot and humid. As for winter conditions, the north of Hyōgo tends to receive abundant snow, whilst the south receives only the occasional flurry. Hyōgo borders on Osaka Prefecture , Kyoto Prefecture , Tottori Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture . As of 31 March 2008, 20% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks , namely the Sanin Kaigan and Setonaikai National Parks; Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park ; and Asago Gunzan , Harima Chūbu Kyūryō , Inagawa Keikoku , Izushi-Itoi , Kasagatayama-Sengamine , Kiyomizu-Tōjōko-Tachikui , Onzui-Chikusa , Seiban Kyūryō , Seppiko-Mineyama , Tajima Sangaku , and Taki Renzan Prefectural Natural Parks. Two major artificial islands are located Hyōgo Prefecture: The city of Akō and

88-633: Is in Harima. There are 163 public and 52 private high schools within Hyogo prefecture. Of the public high schools, some are administered by the Hyogo prefectural government, whilst the others are administered by local municipalities. The sports teams listed below are based in Hyōgo. Baseball Basketball Football (soccer) Rugby Volleyball A popular troupe of Takarazuka Revue plays in Takarazuka . Arima Onsen in

110-574: The Kii Channel . The northern portion is sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka , The central highlands are only populated by tiny villages. Most of Hyōgo's population lives on the southern coast, which is part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area. Awaji is an island that separates the Inland Sea and Osaka Bay , lying between Honshu and Shikoku . Summertime weather throughout Hyōgo

132-795: The Minister of the Environment under the Natural Parks Law ( 自然公園法 ) of 1957. National parks are designated and in principle managed by the Ministry of the Environment. Quasi-national parks, of a slightly lesser beauty, size, diversity, or state of preservation, are recommended for ministerial designation and managed by the prefectures under the supervision of the ministry. Japan established its first kōen ( 公園 ) or public parks in 1873 ( Asakusa Park , Asukayama Park , Fukagawa Park , Shiba Park , and Ueno Park ). In 1911 local citizens petitioned that

154-525: The 58th, Akkeshi-Kiritappu-Konbumori Quasi-National Park . On 25 June 2024, Hidaka-sanmyaku Erimo Quasi-National Park was redesignated Hidakasanmyaku-Erimo-Tokachi National Park , making it the 35th national park. The area of each national and quasi-national park is divided into ordinary, special and marine park zones. Special zones are further subdivided into special protection and class I, II, and III special zones, restricting access and use for preservation purposes. The state owns only approximately half of

176-858: The United States on October 22, 1963, the first such arrangement between Japan and the United States. In 1981, a sister state agreement was drawn up between Hyogo and the state of Western Australia in Australia . To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this agreement in 1992, the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre was established in Perth . List of national parks of Japan#History National parks ( 国立公園 , Kokuritsu Kōen ) and quasi-national parks ( 国定公園 , Kokutei Kōen ) of Japan are places of scenic beauty that are designated for protection and sustainable use by

198-590: The east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, and Okayama and Tottori prefectures to the west. Kobe is the capital and largest city of Hyōgo Prefecture, and the seventh-largest city in Japan, with other major cities including Himeji , Nishinomiya , and Amagasaki . Hyōgo Prefecture's mainland stretches from the Sea of Japan to the Seto Inland Sea , where Awaji Island and a small archipelago of islands belonging to

220-506: The former provinces of Harima , Tajima , Awaji , and parts of Tanba and Settsu . In 1180, near the end of the Heian period , Emperor Antoku , Taira no Kiyomori , and the Imperial court moved briefly to Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital remained for five months. Himeji Castle , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , is in the city of Himeji. Southern Hyōgo Prefecture

242-571: The future, although there are no current plans to extend the Shinkansen to Shikoku. The western expressway was completed in 1999. Commonly known as the Shimanami Kaidō , this connection links Hiroshima Prefecture to Ehime Prefecture . The link consists of nine bridges: the Shin-Onomichi Bridge, Innoshima Bridge , Ikuchi Bridge, Tatara Bridge , Ōmishima Bridge, Hakata-Ōshima Bridge , and

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264-459: The land area). On 27 March 2015, the 32nd national park was established, Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park , on 15 September 2016, the 33rd, Yanbaru National Park , and on 7 March 2017, the 34th, Amami Guntō National Park , subsuming Amami Guntō Quasi-National Park . On 25 March 2016, a further quasi-national park was established, Kyoto Tamba Kogen Quasi-National Park , on 27 March 2020, Chūō Alps Quasi-National Park , and, on 30 March 2021,

286-540: The largest ports in Japan. Kobe Port also hosts one of the world's fastest supercomputers, and Hyogo Prefecture passed laws to keep Kobe Port free of nuclear weapons (a nuclear-free zone ) since the year 1975. Hyōgo is a part of the Hanshin Industrial Region . There are two research institutes of Riken , natural sciences research institute in Japan, in Kobe and Harima. " SPring-8 ", a synchrotron radiation facility,

308-439: The national, quasi-national, and prefectural natural parks. With minor amendments this established the framework that operates today. As of 1 April 2014, there were 31 national parks and 56 quasi-national parks, with the national parks covering 20,996 km (5.6% of the land area) and the quasi-national parks 13,592 km (3.6% of the land area). In addition, there were 314 prefectural parks covering 19,726 km (5.2% of

330-556: The old National Parks Law, in colonial Taiwan in 1937: the Tatun National Park (the smallest in Japan); Tsugitaka - Taroko National Park, (the largest); and Niitaka - Arisan National Park (with the highest mountain in then Japan). Ise-Shima was the first to be created after the war , and a further seven had been added by 1955. In 1957 the Natural Parks Law replaced the earlier National Parks Law, allowing for three categories:

352-510: The only town in Akō District ( Kamigōri ), were scheduled to merge and the city would still retain the name Akō . Akō District would be defunct if the merger was successful. However, the merger has not taken place. As in all prefectures nationwide, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries play a big role in the economy of Hyogo Prefecture. Hyōgo Prefecture also has an IT industry, many heavy industries, metal and medical, Kobe Port being one of

374-574: The prefecture are located. Hyōgo Prefecture is a major economic center, transportation hub , and tourist destination in western Japan, with 20% of the prefecture's land area designated as Natural Parks . Hyōgo Prefecture forms part of the Kobe metropolitan area and Osaka metropolitan area , the second-most-populated urban region in Japan after the Greater Tokyo area and one of the world's most productive regions by GDP . Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes

396-575: The shrines and forests of Nikkō be placed under public protection. In 1929 the National Parks Association was formed. In 1931 the first National Parks Law ( 国立公園法 ) was passed. After much study and survey, in March 1934 the first parks were established — Setonaikai , Unzen and Kirishima — with five more in December and a further four two years later. Three further parks were established under

418-588: The south of the province in Kita-ku, Kobe is one of the Three Ancient Springs in Japan. The north of Hyogo Prefecture has sightseeing spots such as Kinosaki Onsen, Izushi , and Yumura Onsen . Takeda Castle in Asago is often referred to locally as the "Machu Picchu of Japan". The matsuba crab and Tajima beef are both national delicacies. Hyogo entered a sister state relationship with Washington state in

440-502: The three-part Kurushima-Kaikyō Bridge . It is the only route that can be crossed on bicycle or by foot. Hy%C5%8Dgo Prefecture Hyōgo Prefecture ( 兵庫県 , Hyōgo-ken ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu . Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 (as of 1 June 2019 ) and a geographic area of 8,400 square kilometres (3,200 square miles). Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to

462-461: Was severely devastated by the 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, which destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji , as well as Nishinomiya and Ashiya and the neighboring Osaka Prefecture , killing nearly 6,500 people. Hyōgo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the Sea of Japan , to the south, the Seto Inland Sea . On Awaji Island , Hyōgo borders the Pacific Ocean coastline in

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484-526: Was the world's longest suspension bridge, and connects Kobe to Awaji Island ( Awaji, Hyogo ). The others are the Ōnaruto Bridge , connecting Awaji to Ōge Island ( Naruto, Tokushima ) across the Naruto Strait , and the Muya Bridge connecting Ōge Island with Shikoku. Although the connection was initially designed to accommodate railway service as well as road traffic, economic considerations turned it into

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