Prefecture/City:	Wakayama Prefecture
Capital/Prefecture:	Wakayama City
Governor/Mayor:	Yoshinobu Nisaka
Area:	4,726 square km (1,825 square miles)
Population:	978,494 as of December 2013
Flower:	Japanese apricot blossom
Tree:	Ubame oak
Bird:	Japanese white-eye

Business & Industry:

Growing fruit is very active throughout the prefecture. In particular, production of Japanese apricots, Japanese persimmons and tangerines is Japan’s largest. The northern part of the prefecture is close to Osaka, and manufacturing companies especially those in the steel and oil industries are located in this area.

Tourism & Culture:

If you’re lucky, you may encounter whales in a whale-watching tour off the prefecture’s east coast. In the mountains, walking the sacred pilgrimage routes connecting grand shrines through wild forests returns you to the atmosphere of 2,000 years ago. They are included on the World Heritage Site list.

Famous for:

A mailbox 10 meters deep in the sea, listed by Guinness World Records as the mailbox set in the world’s deepest place.