Saga Prefecture

Saga Prefecture (佐賀県 Saga-ken^?) is a prefecture in the northwest part of the island of Kyushu, Japan.^[1]

It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea.

The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita. The top porcelain houses in the country are located in these areas, including Imaemon Porcelain, Genemon Porcelain and Fukagawa Porcelain.

The capital is the city of Saga.^[2]

Saga-ben (Saga-dialect) is Saga's own variation of Japanese.

In ancient times, the area composed by Nagasaki Prefecture and Saga Prefecture was called Hizen Province.^[3] The current name dates from the Meiji Restoration. Rice farming culture has prospered here since ancient times, and vestiges can be seen at the ruins of Nabatake in Karatsu and the Yoshinogari site in Yoshinogari.

Kyushu's smallest prefecture, Saga, is located on the northwest corner of the island, bordered by the Genkai Sea and the Tsushima Strait to the north and the Ariake Sea to the south. Saga's proximity to mainland Asia has made it an important gateway for the transmission of culture and trade throughout Japanese history. Largely rural outside of the two largest cities of Saga and Karatsu, agricultural and forested lands comprise over 68% of the total prefectural land area. There are six prefectural parks and one quasi-national park in Saga.

Agriculture, forestry, and coastal fisheries form a large portion of the prefectural economy.

Karatsu, with its fine castle, is a popular tourist destination in Saga. The remains of a Yayoi village in Yoshinogari also attract large numbers of sightseers. Another place to visit is Yūtoku Inari Shrine, one of Japan's three biggest Inari shrines. 

The Genkai Sea (玄界灘 Genkai-nada^?) is a body of water that comprises the southwestern tip of the Sea of Japan and borders the northern coasts of Fukuoka and Saga prefectures.