Prefectural flower	Prefectural tree	Prefectural bird
azalea	fragrant olive	black paradise flycatcher (Terpsipbone atrocaudata)

The goal of Shizuoka prefecture is to create a pleasant industrial society that provides a perfect balance between natural beauty and high technology. The prefecture is famous for Mount Fuji, the symbol of Japanese scenic beauty and one of the loveliest mountains in the world. The prefecture's many charms, however, extend far beyond the spacious plain spreading out from the base of the mountain.

Located along the Pacific Ocean inl Japan, Shizuoka extends 155 km. east and west, and 118 km. north and south, for a total of 7,773 sq. km.(3,000sq. mi.). It boasts a rich natural environment that includes mountains and lakes as well as a 500-km. coastline. Numerous rivers flowing down from lofty 3,000-m. mountains, including the Fuji, Oi, and Tenryu rivers, provide an abundant supply of water.

Shizuoka is blessed with four lovely seasons. Except for the mountainous region in the north, the prefecture as a whole enjoys a temperate maine climate. It almost never snows in the flatlands. The prefecture's average annual temperature is 16¡C, the average rainfall 2,360 mm.

Shizuoka's rich historical past gives it a special character. During the Warring States period in the sixteenth century when this part of the country was ruled by the Imagawa clan, whose headquarters were located in Sumpu(now the city of Shizuoka), the region was so prosperous that it was called the "Kyoto of the East." The prefecture abounds with historical sites, a vestige of major building projects undertaken by the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu(1542-1616), who transformed Sumpu into a castle town rivaling Edo, the former name for Tokyo.

The old Tokaido highway linking Kyoto and Edo passed through Shizuoka. Twenty-two of the fifty-three views of post towns on the highway that wewe depicted in Fifty-Three Stages of the Tokaido, a collection of prints by the world-famous woodblock artist Ando Hiroshige(1797-1858), were located in Shizuoka prefecture. The sites now part of twelve cities and six towns. In 1853, shortly before the Edo period(1603-1867) came to an end, the Black Ships led by Commodore Mtthew Perry of the United States Navy suddenly arrived at the shores of Japan, triggering the opening of the country after 250 years of seclusion. Shimoda, where the first United States consul Townsend Harris was stationed, lies at the southeastern tip of the Izu penisula in Shizuoka prefecture.

With its well-developed infrastructure and extensive taransporation network that includes the Bullet Train(the super-express "Shinkansen") and the Tomei Expressway, Shizuoka has displayed remarkable growth as an industrial region on the Pacific coast, while preserving its special charm as the home of numerous natural parks. Major construction projects that have recently attracted attention include the new Shizuoka airport, a second Tomei Expressway, the Chubu Nihon Highway through the center of the prefecture, the Izu Ju-Kan Highway traversing Izu peninsula, and the Hamamatsu technopolis. These infrastructural projects are intended to lay the groundwork for the twenty-first century, while trying to nurture a sense of well-being and foster a society that is full of vitality. A steady stream of ambitious projects is being produced to develop the prefecture.

In addition to the green tea produced for well-known labels, which accounts for about half of all the tea grown in Japan, Shizuoka is noted for its fruit and agricultural and marine products. The eastem part of the prefecture specializes in machine tools, electrical supplies and appliances, synthetic fibers, paper and pulp; the central part in canning, processed ocean products, furniture, wood products and plastic toys; the western part in musical instruments(pianos, guitars and the like), motorcycles and textiles.