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Prefecture flag
Main City: Kanazawa
Population: 1,125,000 people, ranking 34/47 prefectures (2021)
Area: 4,185 km2
Geographical / Landscape description
Ishikawa Prefecture is located approximately in the centre of the Japanese archipelago with a major part of the prefecture, the Noto Peninsula, jutting out into the Sea of Japan.
This area is surrounded on three sides by the ocean. Because of its location, Ishikawa Prefecture has been a major gateway to and from the continent of Asia across the Sea of Japan since ancient times. The southern part is wider and consists mostly of mountains with the prefecture’s chief city, Kanazawa, located on the coastal plain.
Climate
The average temperature in Kanazawa is 14.3°C, not much different from Tokyo’s average of 15.9°C.
Kanazawa gets more sunshine from spring to fall than does Tokyo. Although it is snowy in winter, in recent years the annual amount of snowfall has been decreasing.
The frequency of earthquakes in the region has been the lowest in Japan for the past 30 years.
Recent history, culture
In Ishikawa Prefecture, traditional Japanese culture is still very much a part of daily life; it is a defining characteristic of the people who live there. The origin of this strong culture dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1868), when the Maeda Clan, who ruled the area, used their wealth to promote culture and education.
The love of culture has been passed down to this day, and people take classes in cultural activities such as the tea ceremony and flower arranging, as well as traditional performing arts such as Noh plays and Japanese music and dance. Crafts such as lacquerware, ceramics, silk dyeing, and gold leaf also developed as indispensable elements of interior decoration, implements, and clothing.
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