Regions
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Hokkaidō
Hokkaido (北海道, literally "North Sea Circuit"), formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater Seikan Tunnel. The largest city on Hokkaido is its capital, Sapporo, which is also its only ordinance-designated city.
Tōhoku
Tohoku means "northeast" and the Tohoku region occupies the northeastern part of Honshu (the largest island of Japan). The area is also known as Michinoku (みちのく). Tohoku, like most of Japan, is hilly or mountainous, with the Ou Mountains running north-south.
The population estimated in 2008 is 9,438,621, which is the same as Sweden, Beｌgium, Portugal. Tohoku is 66,889km² in area, which is 1.5 times larger than Holland, Switzerland, Denmark. The population density is 144 persons per km², which is almost the same as Switzerland.
Kantō
The Kanto region of Japan, located on the island of Honshu is the most highly developed, urbanized, and industrialized part of Japan. The region comprises seven prefectures; Tokyo, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa. The total population of the Kanto region numbers 40 million people (about a third of Japan's total population), with over 34 million living in the Greater Tokyo Area.
Chūbu
The region is the widest part of Honshū and the central part is characterized by high, rocky mountains.It is in middle of Japanese Archipelago. The east side is surrounded by the Tohoku region and the Kanto region, the west is by the Kinki region, the south by the Pacific Ocean, and the north by the Sea of Japan.
It is located directly between the Kantō region and the Kansai region and includes the major city of Nagoya as well as long Pacific and Sea of Japan coastlines, extensive mountain resorts, and Mount Fuji.
- Sometimes divided into:
Kansai or Kinki
The Kansai region (関西地方, Kansai-chihō) or the Kinki region (近畿地方, Kinki-chihō) lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Sometimes Fukui Prefecture, Tokushima Prefecture and Mie Prefecture are also included. While the use of the terms "Kansai" and "Kinki" have changed over history, in most modern contexts the two can be considered the same.
Chūgoku
Chugoku region is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. The climate between the Sanin area and the Sanyo area are quite different. The Sanin area has the "Sea of Japan" climate, and in winter it snows a lot. The whole area of Tottori, the inland of Shimane, parts of the northern part of Okayama and Hiroshima are the heavy snowfall area. On the contrary, the Sanyo area has the "Seto Inland Sea" climate, which makes it rain seldom all year.
Shikoku
Shikoku is the smallest of Japan's Big Four islands, it lies to the south of Honshu. Particularly the mountainous inner regions offer some good hiking and a glimpse of the elusive real Japan. It is also the home of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage of the Shingon sect of Buddhism.
Kyūshū
The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano, Mount Aso at 1,591 m, is on Kyūshū. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs. The most famous of these are in Beppu, on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso, in central Kyūshū.
The climate is slightly warmer and more tropical than Honshu, and the southern and eastern coasts are regularly hit by typhoons each year. In the summer it is very hot and rains a lot, the typhoon hits the area many times through the year. In winter, the weather is quite warm and has not much rain or snow.
- Includes:
- Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa Prefecture
Some content adapted from Wikipedia.org.
