Map of the regions of Japan. From north to south: Hokkaidō (red), Tohoku (green), Kanto (blue), Chūbu (brown), Kansai (teal), Chūgoku (green-yellow), Shikoku (pink) and Kyūshū (yellow).

The regions of Japan are not official administrative units, but have been traditionally used as the regional division of Japan in a number of contexts. For instance, maps and geography textbooks divide Japan into the eight regions, weather reports usually give the weather by region, and many businesses and institutions use their home region as part of their name (Kinki Nippon Railway, Chūgoku Bank, Tohoku University, etc.). While Japan has eight High Courts, their jurisdictions do not correspond to the eight regions below. Image File history File links Regionen_japans. ... Image File history File links Regionen_japans. ... Hokkaidō   (北海道, literal meaning: North Sea Route, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo and Yesso, is the second largest island and largest prefecture of Japan. ... This article is about a region of Japan. ... Kanto can mean: The Kanto region of Japan. ... Chubu region, Japan Mount Fuji is the ChÅ«bu regions most famous landmark. ... The Kansai region (関西) of Japan, also known as the Kinki region (近畿地方; Kinki-chihō), lies in the middle of Japans main island, Honshu. ... Chugoku region, Japan. ... Shikoku (四国, four provinces) is the smallest and least populous (4,141,955 as of 2005) of the four main islands of Japan. ... KyÅ«shÅ« region of Japan and the current prefectures on KyÅ«shÅ« island KyÅ«shÅ« ), literally Nine Provinces, is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ... Look up Region in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Kintetsu Corporation (近畿日本鉄道株式会社 Kinki Nippon Tetsudō Kabushiki Gaisha), better known as Kintetsu (近鉄), is Japanese largest private railway company. ... Tohoku University (東北大学; Tōhoku Daigaku, abbreviated as 東北大 Tōhokudai), located in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in the Tohoku region, is one of Japans most prestigious national universities. ...

From north to south, the traditional regions are:

• Hokkaidō (the island of Hokkaidō and nearby islands, largest city Sapporo)
• Tōhoku region (northern Honshū, largest city Sendai)
• Kantō region (eastern Honshū, largest cities Tokyo and Yokohama)
• Chūbu region (central Honshū, including Mt. Fuji), sometimes divided into:
  • Hokuriku region (northwestern Chūbu)
  • Koshin'etsu region (northeastern Chūbu, largest city Nagano)
  • Tōkai region (southern Chūbu, largest city Nagoya, Hamamatsu, and Shizuoka)
  • Chūkyō region (southwestern Chūbu, largest city Nagoya, Gifu,and Yokkaichi)
• Kansai or Kinki region (west-central Honshū, largest cities Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto)
• Chūgoku region (western Honshū, largest city Hiroshima, and Okayama)
• Shikoku (island, largest city Matsuyama, and Takamatsu)
• Kyūshū (island, largest city Fukuoka) which includes:
  • Ryūkyū Islands, including Okinawa

Each contains several prefectures, except the Hokkaidō region, which covers only Hokkaidō. Hokkaidō   (北海道, literal meaning: North Sea Route, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island and largest prefecture of Japan. ... Sapporo redirects here. ... Tohoku region, Japan The Tōhoku region (東北地方; Tōhoku-chihō) is a geographical area of Japan. ... HonshÅ« (本州 Literally Main State) is the largest island of Japan, called the Mainland; it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait. ... Sendai ) is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku (northeast) region. ... Kantō region, Japan. ... Tokyo , literally Eastern capital)   is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, the home of the Japanese Imperial Family, and the de facto[1] capital of Japan. ... For the town of Yokohama in Aomori Prefecture, see Yokohama, Aomori. ... Chubu region, Japan Mount Fuji is the ChÅ«bu regions most famous landmark. ... Mount Fuji (富士山 Fuji-san, IPA: [ɸuʝisaɴ]) is the highest mountain on the island of Honshu and indeed in all of Japan. ... Hokuriku region (北陸地方, literally North Land) is the region along the Sea of Japan within the Chubu region, the central region of Honshu, the main island of Japan. ... Kōshinetsu (甲信越) is a subregion of the Chubu region in Japan consisting of Yamanashi, Nagano and Niigata prefectures. ... Zenkō-ji, ancient temple in Nagano Nagano (長野市) is the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, situated near the junction of the Chikuma River and the Sai River on the island of Honshu, Japan. ... The Tōkai region (東海, literally East Sea) is a subregion of Chubu, Japan along the Pacific Ocean. ... Nagoya ) is the fourth largest city in Japan. ... Hamamatsu (浜松市; -shi) is a city located in western Shizuoka, Japan. ... Shizuoka (静岡市; -shi) is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. ... ChÅ«kyō region (中京地方 ChÅ«kyō-chihō) lies in the middle of Japans main island, Honshu. ... Gifu (岐阜市; -shi) is the capital city of Gifu Prefecture in the Chubu region of central Japan. ... Yokkaichi (四日市市; -shi) is a city located in Mie, Japan. ... The Kansai region (関西) of Japan, also known as the Kinki region (近畿地方; Kinki-chihō), lies in the middle of Japans main island, Honshu. ... For other uses, see Osaka (disambiguation). ... , Kobe ) is a city in Japan located on the island of Honshu. ... This article is about the city Kyoto. ... Chugoku region, Japan The ChÅ«goku region (中国地方 ChÅ«goku-chihō) is the westernmost region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. ... For other uses, see Hiroshima (disambiguation). ... Okayama airport Okayama (岡山市; -shi) is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the ChÅ«goku region of Japan. ... Shikoku (四国, four provinces) is the smallest and least populous (4,141,955 as of 2005) of the four main islands of Japan. ... Matsuyama ) is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. ... Takamatsu (高松市; -shi lit. ... KyÅ«shÅ« region of Japan and the current prefectures on KyÅ«shÅ« island KyÅ«shÅ« ), literally Nine Provinces, is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ... This page is about Fukuoka, Fukuoka (福岡市), a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. ... Location of Ryukyu Islands. ... Okinawa redirects here. ... The prefectures of Japan are the countrys 47 sub-national jurisdictions: one metropolis (都 to), Tokyo; one circuit (道 dō), Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures (府 fu), Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures (県 ken). ... Hokkaidō   (北海道, literal meaning: North Sea Route, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo and Yesso, is the second largest island and largest prefecture of Japan. ...

See also

• Ecoregions of Japan
• Prefectures of Japan
• Geography of Japan