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| japan » guide » regions of japan » prefectures of japan 47 Prefectures Of Japan posted by John Spacey, February 12, 2015  Japan is a surprisingly large and diverse country with a total of 47 prefectures that are roughly equivalent to states or provinces in other countries.Most of Japan's prefectures have a population greater than a million people. Each is home to dozens of towns, hundreds of attractions and numerous local festivals. Prefectures are more than mere political boundaries. The locals strongly identify with their home prefecture and its culture, food and dialect of the Japanese language.The following are a few travel highlights for each of the prefectures of Japan. 1. Tokyo Tokyo is a vast city of 13 million people that offers everything from nightlife to tranquil gardens. The city has hundreds of neighborhoods that each has its own flavor and opportunities for urban exploring. It's so big that even long time locals consider it a bit of a mystery. Tokyo is considered a "metropolis" that's at the same level as a prefecture. 2. Hokkaido Hokkaido is the large northern island of Japan. The island is home to vast treks of nature and picturesque towns. Its capital, Sapporo is one of Japan's largest and most vibrant cities with hundreds of attractions and events. Its snow festival and summer yosakoi dance competition are amongst Japan's biggest festivals. Hokkaido is known for its skiing and food that's fresh due to the large number of farms and fishing villages on the island. 3. Osaka Osaka is a massive city with plenty to do and much personality. It's every bit as energized as Tokyo, if a little smaller. Greater Osaka has a population of close to 9 million people. 4. Kyoto Kyoto prefecture is known for its historical cities that include Kyoto, Uji and Miyama. The city of Kyoto was the capital of Japan for much of the period from 794 to 1868. Over that time, the city was built out at an incredible scale with hundreds of formidable temples, shrines and castles. Kyoto has a highly developed culture that for much of history was obsessed with aesthetics. This can be seen today in the beauty obsessions of the city's Geisha or in the performance of tea ceremony in the city's many tea houses. 5. Shizuoka Shizuoka is a large prefecture south of Greater Tokyo that includes the southern half of Mount Fuji with the northern half belonging to Yamanashi prefecture. Shizuoka is home to the dramatic coastline of the Izu Peninsula, an area of onsen and beaches that swells with sightseers from Tokyo every weekend. The prefecture is quite rugged with mountains, sea cliffs and dense forests. It offers dozens of attractive cities such as Fujinomiya at the foot of Mount Fuji and Atami at the beginning of the Izu Peninsula. 6. Kanagawa Kanagawa is located directly beside Tokyo and has a population of over 9 million residents. It's a small prefecture that manages to pack in vast expanses of Japanese suburbia, industrial areas, surfing beaches, cosmopolitan cities, historical towns and picturesque lakes. Many of Japan's most attractive places are in Kanagawa including Yokohama, Kamakura, Hakone, Enoshima and Shonan Beach. 7. Nagano Nagano is a rugged, mountainous prefecture in the middle of Japan that offers spectacular nature and striking little towns. Its attractions include skiing, onsen and Matsumoto Castle, widely considered one of Japan's best castles. The prefecture is home to many Japanese Macaque, better known as snow monkeys, that are the northernmost species of primate with the exception of humans. They keep warm in the winter in Nagano's many natural hot springs. 8. Okinawa Okinawa is a chain of southern islands that has a distinct culture from the rest of Japan. The prefecture has eight major islands each with its own local flavor. The islands have many beautiful beaches and excellent diving. Okinawa also has many charming little towns and sightseeing attractions such as waterfalls. The climate of Okinawa is subtropical and is generally warm and pleasant. Weather is an important consideration when visiting Okinawa. The islands have a particularly heavy rainy season and are exposed to typhoons. Travel to Okinawa in the off season can represent an excellent value if you're willing to risk rain and tropical storms. 9. Aichi Aichi is known for its sprawling industrial complex. It's the center of automotive manufacturing in Japan and also has fast growing robot and aviation industries. Beyond industry, the capital city of Nagoya is the 4th largest city in Japan. It offers an appealing urban core that's often overshadowed by Tokyo and Osaka. Aichi has long been considered the middle of Japan between Tokyo and Kyoto. The area has an interesting history and is surprisingly packed with temples and castles. 10. Fukuoka Fukuoka is a small prefecture with a large population of over 5 million people on Kyushu Island. Its main city, Fukuoka is well known for its outdoor nightlife, shopping and many attractions. The prefecture is also known for the historical attractions in the town of Daifuzu that was the capital of Kyushu for over 500 years.  11. Hyogo Hyogo is a large prefecture with 5.5 million residents. It's part of the Kansai region together with Kyoto and Osaka. The prefecture's most famous attraction is the gigantic Himeji Castle that has survived its turbulent history intact, many castles in Japan are modern reconstructions. The prefecture's largest city, Kobe, is a cosmopolitan city with a sizable foreign community and a pleasant bay area. 12. Miyagi Miyagi is a northern prefecture 90 minutes from Tokyo by shinkansen that offers onsen, autumn leaves and the picturesque Matsushima Bay that's dotted with pine covered islets. Its capital city Sendai, is the largest city in the Tohoku region. The city holds an excellent Tanabata Festival in summer. 13. Nara Nara is a small prefecture beside Kyoto. The ancient city of Nara was the first capital of Japan from the years 710 to 784. As the capital the city, it quickly filled up with temples and shrines. The Emperor moved the capital to Kyoto to escape the influence of the temples. Modern Nara is still filled with temples and shrines that can trace their history back to the days of the Nara capital. The prefecture also has gardens, parks and ancient virgin forests that make it an appealing destination. The city is known for its many deer that hang out at temples waiting for senbei. 14. Tochigi Tochigi is a landlocked prefecture north of Greater Tokyo that's home to several well known tourist spots. The biggest, Nikko is a town that features several of Japan's most famous temples and shrines. It's also considered one of the best spots in Japan for autumn leaves. Beyond Nikko, Tochigi has onsen resorts such as Kinugawa and Nasu. Nasu is particularly well known partially because the Emperor of Japan maintains a villa there. 15. Niigata Niigata is a long prefecture on the Sea of Japan that's known for its scenic rice farms. The area has excellent skiing with a long season due a high elevation. Niigata also has onsen and several of Japan's best festivals including the Fuji Rock Festival, Sado Earth Celebration and Nagaoka Fireworks. 16. Hiroshima Hiroshima is a large prefecture in the south of Japan that has a population of close to 3 million people. The city of Hiroshima has much to offer including its moving memorial to the atomic bombing of the city, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Hiroshima Castle is also amongst Japan's top attractions. Beyond the city, Miyajima Island, an island that was once forbidden to commoners, is home to one of Japan's most iconic sights, the torii of Itsukushima Shrine. 17. Miyazaki Miyazaki on the east coast of Kyushu Island is considered a somewhat mystical place that figures prominently in Japan's creation myth. The goddess Amaterasu, who is said to have created Japan, hide from her mischievous brother in a cave in Miyazaki. The spot is now occupied by an interesting shrine called Amano Iwato that indeed looks like it just emerged from a mythical time. The prefecture is also an area of impressive natural beauty such as the Takachiho Gorge. Miyazaki was the most popular destination for honeymooners in Japan before overseas travel became common. 18. Ishikawa Ishikawa is a small prefecture on the Sea of Japan that's home to the ancient city of Kanazawa with its castle, geisha districts, samurai towns, temples and world renown Kenrokuen garden. The city of Kanazawa also has modern attractions. Kanazawa Station is arguably Japan's most impressive train station and the city's 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is surprisingly good. 19. Gifu Gifu is a large mountainous prefecture in the center of Japan. It has several appealing towns buried deep in the Japanese Alps such as Takayama and Shirakawa-go. Shirakawa-go gets more than 10 meters, or 32 feet, of snow a year. The town's traditional architecture evolved to survive its exceptionally snowy winters. The prefecture also offers some of Japan's best onsen resorts.  20. Chiba Chiba is the first place that most visitors to Japan see. The 50 minute trip from Narita Airport to Tokyo speeds past Chiba's countryside and urban environments. Chiba is best known for Tokyo Disneyland, its excellent surfing beaches and large convention centers that host many of Japan's biggest events. Beyond that, it's a sprawling prefecture of suburban areas, cities, farms and fishing ports where 6 million lives unfold. If you enjoyed this article, please share it  | 47 Prefectures Of Japan (part 2) A quick introduction to each of Japan's prefectures. |
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