Toyama Prefecture, Administrative division in central Honshu, Japan
Toyama is an administrative division in central Honshu, situated between the Sea of Japan and the mountains of the interior highlands. The territory stretches from the coastal plain along Toyama Bay to the peaks of the Tateyama range, which form the southern border with the neighboring region.
The region was formerly called Etchu and was reorganized in several stages during the late 19th century. The current administrative form came into being in 1881, when the final boundary arrangement was completed.
The name comes from the capital city of the same name, which now serves as the economic center of the region. Traditional crafts such as metal casting and copperware making still shape the streetscape of Takaoka, where workshops display their products in small shops.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen connects the capital to Tokyo and other major cities along the west coast. Within the region, local trains and intercity buses make it easier to travel between individual towns and valleys.
In the southern mountains lie the only known glaciers in East Asia outside Russia, discovered in 2012. Despite their small size, they prove that even in temperate latitudes permanent ice is possible when altitude and snowfall combine.
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