The Host City of FujiFuji
The city of Fuji is located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, near the center of the main Japanese island of Honshu. It stretches across the southern base of Mt. Fuji and faces the Pacific Ocean. The city was formed when two townships merged in 1966. Today, it has a population of 229,000.
The city is famous as a center of paper production. Other industries include chemical fibers and pharmaceuticals.
Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3.8 million and is located along the Pacific coast of central Honshu. The Izu Peninsula--which has many tourist resorts--and Mt. Fuji are located in the eastern half of the prefecture.
With its mild and humid climate, the prefecture is renowned as a center of tea and mandarin orange production. Fishing is also an important industry, the lake Hamanako being famous for eel cultivation. It's also a big producer of textiles, musical instruments, and paper. Automaking and chemicals are notable industries, too.
The region has been well-travelled for centuries, since the Tokaido--the most important land route in old Japan connecting Tokyo (then called Edo) with Kyoto and Osaka--ran through the prefecture. Today, Shizuoka attracts visitors from all over the world to its Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, Southern Alps National Park, and many hot spring resorts.
