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Japan Chubu
The Chubu, or central, region encompasses nine
prefectures in
the midland of Japan, west of the Kanto region. The
region is the
widest part of Honshu and is characterized by high, rugged
mountains. The Japanese Alps divide the country into the
sunnier
Pacific side, known as the front of Japan, or Omote-Nihon,
and the
colder Sea of Japan side, or Ura-Nihon, the back of Japan.
The
region comprises three distinct districts: Hokuriku, a
coastal
strip on the Sea of Japan that is a major wet-rice
producing area;
Tosan, or the Central Highlands; and Tokai, or the eastern
seaboard, a narrow corridor along the Pacific Coast.
Hokuriku lies west of the massive mountains that occupy
the
central Chubu region. The district has a very heavy
snowfall and
strong winds. Its turbulent rivers are the source of
abundant
hydroelectric power. Niigata Prefecture is the site of
domestic gas
and oil production. Industrial development is extensive,
especially
in the cities of Niigata and Toyama. Fukui and Kanazawa
also have
large manufacturing industries. Hokuriku developed largely
independently of other regions, mainly because it remained
relatively isolated from the major industrial and cultural
centers
on the Pacific Coast. Because port facilities are limited
and road
transport hampered by heavy winter snows, the district
relied
largely on railroad transportation
(see Railroads and Subways
, ch.
4).
The Tosan district is an area of complex and high
rugged
mountains--often called the roof of Japan--that include
the
Japanese Alps. The population is chiefly concentrated in
six
elevated basins connected by narrow valleys. Tosan was
long a main
silk-producing area, although output declined after World
War II.
Much of the labor formerly required in silk production was
absorbed
by the district's diversified manufacturing industry,
which
included precision instruments, machinery, textiles, food
processing, and other light manufacturing.
The Tokai district, bordering the Pacific Ocean, is a
narrow
corridor interrupted in places by mountains that descend
into the
sea. Since the Tokugawa period (1600-1867), this corridor
has been
important in linking Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. One of old
Japan's
most famous roads, the Tokaido, ran through it connecting
Edo
(Tokyo, since 1868) and Kyoto, the old imperial capital;
in the
twentieth century, it became the route of new
super-express
highways and high-speed railroad lines.
A number of small alluvial plains are found in the
corridor
section. A mild climate, favorable location relative to
the great
metropolitan complexes, and availability of fast
transportation
have made them truck-gardening centers for out-of-season
vegetables. Upland areas of rolling hills are extensively
given
over to the growing of mandarin oranges and tea. The
corridor also
has a number of important small industrial centers. The
western
part of Tokai includes the Nobi Plain, where rice was
grown by the
seventh century A.D. Nagoya, facing Ise Bay, is a center
for heavy
industry, including iron and steel and machinery
manufacturing.
Data as of January 1994
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