Shizuoka wants you badly -- if your company is considering building a base in the prefecture or doing business with any of the 100 or so local firms.

Corresponding with a rising trend among local-level governments nationwide, the prefecture -- best known as the home of Mount Fuji -- is aggressively campaigning to attract foreign investment.

Shizuoka already hosts 170 foreign firms in sectors ranging from retail to manufacturing, and hopes to see more businesses flood in. It is armed with a range of subsidies and information to guide foreign managers through the often-complicated process of beginning operations in a new city.