Shizuoka静岡県

Shizuoka-ken, しずおかけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.

Shizuoka has a long Pacific coastline with Mount Fuji at its eastern end. It has two designated cities: Shizuoka and Hamamatsu.

Open Shizuoka on the map

Facts

Japanese name

静岡県

Reading

Shizuoka-ken / しずおかけん

Region

Chūbu 中部

Capital

Shizuoka 静岡市

Largest municipality

Hamamatsu City 浜松市, 790,718 people, more than the capital

Population

3,633,202 (2020 census)

Area

7,777 km²

Density

467 people per km²

Municipalities

35: 23 cities and 12 towns

Designated cities

Shizuoka City and Hamamatsu City

Districts (郡)

5

Codes

JIS 22, ISO 3166-2 JP-22

Website

www.pref.shizuoka.jp

Tree

fragrant olive モクセイ（キンモクセイ）

Flower

azalea ツツジ

Bird

Japanese paradise flycatcher サンコウチョウ

The tree, flower, and bird are the prefectural symbols, chosen by ordinance. Every prefecture has all three.

The most populous municipalities

2020 census. Share is the municipality's part of the prefecture's population. The other 25 are listed below.

How an address here begins

The prefecture name is written first, then the municipality name, then the name of one of Shizuoka's 3 wards. The guide explains the rest of the address, and the map finds any address you paste into it.

Neighbouring prefectures

• Kanagawa神奈川県
• Yamanashi山梨県
• Nagano長野県
• Aichi愛知県

Questions about Shizuoka

Is Shizuoka a city or a prefecture?

Shizuoka (静岡県) is a prefecture, one of Japan's 47. Shizuoka City (静岡市) is a municipality inside it and its capital. On its own, the name usually means the city. With 県 on the end it means the prefecture.

What is the capital of Shizuoka?

Shizuoka City (静岡市). The prefectural office is there. It is not the largest municipality: Hamamatsu City (浜松市) had more people at the 2020 census, 790,718.

What does 県 mean in 静岡県?

県 (ken) means prefecture. It is the ordinary word for prefecture, used by 43 of the 47. The other four are Tokyo (都), Hokkaidō (道), Osaka, and Kyoto (府), which are the same kind of government with a different word at the end of the name.

How many municipalities are in Shizuoka?

35: 23 cities and 12 towns. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. Two of them are designated cities, divided into wards: Shizuoka City (3 wards) and Hamamatsu City (3 wards). The wards are offices of the city, not governments. The towns and villages are grouped into five districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.

What is the population of Shizuoka?

3,633,202 at the 2020 census, on 7,777 km², which is 467 people per km². Shizuoka is the 10th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 13th largest by area.

Which prefectures border Shizuoka?

Four prefectures: Kanagawa (神奈川県), Yamanashi (山梨県), Nagano (長野県), and Aichi (愛知県). Borders across water are not counted.

What region is Shizuoka in?

Chūbu (中部). A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government, so Shizuoka elects a governor and an assembly but the region elects nothing.

How is Shizuoka written in Japanese?

静岡県, read Shizuoka-ken and written しずおかけん in hiragana. The last character, 県, is the word for prefecture, and the name is often used without it in English.

How does an address in Shizuoka begin?

With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 静岡県静岡市… (Shizuoka-ken, Shizuoka-shi, …). In Shizuoka the ward name is written after the city name, since it is a designated city. After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.

What is the largest city in Shizuoka?

Hamamatsu City (浜松市), with 790,718 people at the 2020 census. The capital, Shizuoka, is not the largest. The three most populous municipalities are Hamamatsu City (浜松市, 790,718), Shizuoka City (静岡市, 693,389), and Fuji City (富士市, 245,392).

What are the symbols of Shizuoka?

The prefectural tree is the fragrant olive (モクセイ（キンモクセイ）), the flower the azalea (ツツジ), and the bird the Japanese paradise flycatcher (サンコウチョウ). Shizuoka chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.