Regional division in Japan
Japan consists of 47 prefectures
Japan consists of 47 prefectures as the administrative unit of local government.
A prefecture has some cities, towns and villages.
The prefectural government is located in the central city.
The governer is elected and the prefectural assembly is held.
And each prefecture has a tourist association.
The area of most prefectures are within several tens of kilometers to 200 km.
Only Hokkaido prefecture is very large because of occupying whole Hokkaido Island.
The prefectural boundaries are almost on steep mountain range or large river.
In many cases, each prefecture has been an independent territory.
Therefore, each prefecture has a unique nature, history and dialect.
These elements have created its unique culture, local products and character of the people in the prefecture.
Each prefecture is almost based on the province since the 7th century.
So, each prefecture has a consciousness of independence and pride.
Each Japanese people has usually a sense of the prefecture where he/she was born and raised.
So, it is considered that Japanese people love for their own home district deeply.
Region
Some prefectures are often grouped as a wide area.
In English, a word of "region" is applied to the group.
The combination to group the prefectures is almost fixed traditionally.
But there are a few different combinations in relation to mutual transportation and distribution.
The following regions are often used.
Hokkaido Island
Honshu Island
Shikoku Island
Kyushu Island
Big cities in Japan
The population of Japan is about 125 million.
Tokyo is the capital of Japan and has a population of about 14 million.
It accounted for over 11% of the whole population of Japan.
This is the population of "Tokyo Metropolis".
Because Tokyo is the capital, Tokyo Metropolis is the special name instead of "Tokyo Prefecture".
In addition, the central area in eastern Tokyo Metropolis consists of 23 wards and has a population of 9.7 million.
It is called "Special wards of Tokyo", but is never called "Tokyo city".
Main attractive towns for tourist are in this area.
Tokyo Metropolis is in Kanto Region.
The population of Kanto Region is over 43 million and about one third of the population of Japan is concentrating in Kanto Region.
Other big cities in Japan are as follows (Populations of more than one million).
- Yokohama (3.7 million) : Kanto Region
- Osaka (2.7 million) : Kansai Region
- Nagoya (2.3 million) : Tokai Region
- Sapporo (1.9 million) : Hokkaido Region
- Fukuoka (1.6 million) : Kyushu Region
- Kawasaki (1.5 million) : Kanto Region
- Kobe (1.5 million) : Kansai Region
- Kyoto (1.4 million) : Kansai Region
- Saitama (1.3 million) : Kanto Region
- Hiroshima (1.2 million) : Chugoku Region
- Sendai (1.1 million) : Tohoku Region