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Economy:                                               SHIKOKU

         Cultivated areas occupy nearly one-sixth of the pre-                                                         C h
         fecture. Rice is the principal crop with over 90 per-                                                        a
                                                                                                                      p
         cent of the farmlands being rice fields.  Eastern Shiga                                                       t
         is famous for cattle breeding and southeastern Shiga                                                         e r
         is famous for green tea. On Lake Biwa, some people
         are engaged in fishery and freshwater pearl farming.
         Many Shiga people are active in commerce and are
         often called Omi merchants, sometimes even Omi
         thieves -- usually by other envious merchants.

         Tradition:
         -Biwa: A town on the northern shore of Lake Biwa,
         the largest freshwater lake in Japan.  The lake is one
         of the world's oldest lakes, dating to at least 4 million
         years.  This is the Pure land of the god-
         dess Benzaiten because the shape of the lake is simi-
         lar to that of the biwa, her favorite instrument.
         -Goshu ondo: A type of music and a traditional Japa-
         nese dance song.
                                                                   Shikoku, located south of Honshu and east of the
         -Sawayama: A castle in the city of Hikone.
                                                                island of Kyushu, is the smallest, and least populated
         -Tonda Puppet Troupe: Founded in the 1830s, it is      of the four main islands of Japan. Its ancient names
         one of the most active groups performing traditional   include Iyo-no-futana-shima, Iyo-shima, and Futana-
         ningyo joruri or Bunraku puppetry in Japan.            shima. The current name refers to the four former
                                                                provinces which made up the island: Awa, Tosa, San-
         Cuisine:
                                                                uki, and Iyo.
            -Fermented sushi of crucian carp: An ancient
            style of sushi with a pungent odor.                 The Shikoku region, comprising Shikoku and its sur-
                                                                rounding islets, consists of four prefectures: Ehime,
            -Lightly seasoned champon.                          Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima.

            -Red-colored konjac.

            -Somen: with grilled mackerel (yaki-saba somen).    EHIME
            -Tsukemono: root crops consisting of mallard na-    A prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan.  The
            be or mallard sukiyaki found in northern Shiga.     capital is Matsuyama.

            -Wagyu: Omi beef as medicinal food to shoguns.
                                                                Total Area: 5,676.44 km2 (2,191.69 sq mi)

                                                                Total Population: 921,977

                                                                Major Cities:

                                                                Imabari              Saijo          Uwajima

                                                                Iyo                  Seiyo          Yawatahama
                                                                Matsuyama (capital)  Shikokuchuo  Ozu

                                                                Niihama              Toon


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