Tochigi Prefecture

Tochigi Prefecture sits in the northern part of Japan’s Kantō region on Honshu, one of only eight prefectures in the country without a coastline. It borders Fukushima to the north, Gunma to the west, Saitama to the south, and Ibaraki to the southeast. The capital and largest city is Utsunomiya; other major cities include Oyama, Tochigi, and Ashikaga. The prefecture covers 6,408 square kilometers and had a population of about 1.9 million as of June 2023.

The northern half is mountainous and draws many tourists. The Nasu area is known for its hot springs, local sake, ski resorts, the Imperial Family’s villa, and a Shinkansen station. The city of Nikkō is home to ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples that together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tochigi has a humid temperate climate with wide temperature swings: dry, arid winters and humid summers with frequent thunderstorms.

Before the Meiji Restoration, the area was called Shimotsuke Province. In the early 1400s, the Ashikaga Gakkō—Japan’s oldest institution of higher learning—was re-established here, hosting over 3,000 students by the 1500s. Saint Francis Xavier described it as the best university in Japan. After shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu died in the early 1600s, the Nikkō Tōshō-gū shrine was built in 1617 on what the shōguns considered holy ground to honor him. This put Nikkō on the national map, and later Tokugawa rulers built the Nikkō Kaidō road connecting the area to Edo and staged lavish processions to worship Ieyasu. In the late 1800s, after the Tokugawa shogunate fell, the new government created the prefectural system. The capital was first set in Tochigi City in 1873, then moved to Utsunomiya in 1884. Following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, radioactivity levels in Utsunomiya were measured at 33 times normal.

Utsunomiya is famous for its many gyoza specialty shops and also hosts Bell Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in the northern Kantō region. The prefecture contains fourteen cities and several towns within its districts. About 21% of its land is designated as natural parks, including Nikkō National Park, Oze National Park, and eight prefectural parks.

Tochigi’s economy benefits from its proximity to Tokyo. The Kiyohara Industrial Complex is one of Japan’s largest inland industrial zones. Manufacturing makes up 36.6% of the prefecture’s output, led by vehicle parts and accessories, followed by vehicles, radios and televisions, pharmaceuticals, and wireless communication equipment. Agriculture generates about 274 billion yen annually, with rice, vegetables, and livestock prominent. Tochigi is especially known for strawberries, Chinese chives, and Japanese pears sold domestically and abroad. Forests cover roughly 55% of the prefecture, and mushrooms—mainly shiitake—account for half of the forest industry’s output, worth about 5.6 billion yen.

The prefecture hosts numerous universities and colleges, including Ashikaga Institute of Technology, Bunsei University of Art, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Hakuoh University, International University of Health and Welfare, Jichi Medical University, Oyama National College of Technology, Sakushin Gakuin University, Sano College, Teikyo University, several Tochigi Colleges of Industry and Technology, Utsunomiya Kyowa University, and Utsunomiya University.

Sports teams based in Tochigi include the football clubs Tochigi City FC and Tochigi SC, the ice hockey team Nikkō Ice Bucks, the basketball team Utsunomiya Brex, and the Twin Ring Mote circuit for motorsports.