where to visit in Japan? – intro of 8 Japanese regions

Hi, there! It’s Saori. It’s been 5.5 months since I left Japan. I met many people around the world and I’m so happy that lots of people are interested in Japan.

So today, I’d like to introduce really basic knowledge of Japan so that it’ll help you plan your future trip to Japan!

How many regions does Japan have?

Japan consists of 47 prefecturesand it has 8 regions. This archery- shaped country stretches 2,787 km from north to south, and 3,146 km from east to west. Therefore, the weather is very different from region to region, and of course this makes each area really unique and special.

Here’s the list of 8 regions of Japan.

• 1, Hokkaido region ( north )
• 2, Tohoku region
• 3, Kanto region
• 4, Chubu region
• 5, Kansai region
• 6, Chugoku region
• 7, Shikoku region
• 8, Kyushu region ( south )

The small islands on the right corner of the map is called Okinawa Prefecture, which is located south to Kyushu island. Just like Hawaii to the US, it’s drawn like this, to make the map easier to see.

Weather and seasons of Japan

Japan has 4 seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter. Each season has unique and beautiful scenery with nature. The weather, thus, is different in each season. Here’s the link to Japan Meteorological Agency to see the weather features of Japan.

1, Hokkaido region

Hokkaido is the largest prefecture of Japan and it’s famous for seafood, milk, potatoes and corn. Because this big island is on the north of Japan, the climate is not high or hot, and it’s very cold during winter.

Famous cities are…

• Sapporo　( the capital city of Hokkaido, the clock tower and the main street )
• Hakodate ( seafood, the night view )
• Otaru ( the canal, the night view, sweets )

2, Tohoku region

Tohoku region has 6 prefectures and they’re very famous for rice agriculture. If you’re into Japanese sake, this region is worth visiting!

The climate here isn’t that hot during a year. In winter, it snows a lot and super cold.

Also, this region’s damaged terribly by the big earthquake in 2011. It’s in recovering stage now, but people there try to success their experience to the next generation or people without the experience of 2011. You can also see and learn how it was at that time.

6 prefectures in Tohoku region

• Aomori
• Iwate
• Akita
• Miyagi
• Yamagata
• Fukushima

This region is famous for;

• skiing
• rice
• sake
• hot springs
• seafood

3, Kanto region

Kanto region has 7 prefectures including Tokyo. This region has the most developed transportation system, I personally think.

7 prefectures are;

• Tokyo
• Saitama
• Chiba
• Kanagawa
• Ibaraki
• Tochigi
• Gunma

Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa are called ‘Shuto-ken’ which means the capital area of Japan. If you love super crazy high-tech places, you’ll fall in love with this area.

In terms of the temperature, it’s crazy hot in summer and cold in winter. The highest temperature of Japan was recorded in Kumagaya, Saitama, which was 41.1 degree. But the good thing is they don’t have much snow in winter. They have around 5 snowy days.

You’ll enjoy;

• Modernized cities, such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, Yokohama, etc.
• hot springs especially in Gunma, Tochigi, or Kamakura
• Tokyo Disney Resort in Chiba

4, Chubu region

This region is located in the middle part of Japan and consists of 10 prefectures. They are;

• Niigata
• Toyama
• Fukui
• Ishikawa
• Nagano
• Gifu
• Yamanashi
• Shizuoka
• Aichi
• Mie

Niigata, Toyama, Fukui, and Ishikawa, these’re called ‘Hokuriku area’, face with the Sea of Japan, I know this name is controversial, and Shizuoka, Aichi, and Mie which are called ‘Tokai area’, face with the Pacific Ocean. On the other hand, Nagano, Gifu and Yamanashi are surrounded by other prefectures and they have beautiful green nature.

The climate in this region is similar to the one in Kanto region. Very hot in summer, cold in winter. The winter in Hokuriku area is just like Tohoku area, which means it’s very cold and have a lot of snow. Other two areas are not’t too bad in winter.

Hokuriku area is known for;

• rice
• sake
• hot springs
• seafood
• dinosaurs, especially in Fukui

Tokai area is known for;

• Nagoya Castle in Aichi
• Ise Jingu, a very famous temple in Japan, in Mie
• Anko, Japanese sweeten beans
• seafood, especially Japanese lobster in Mie
• hot springs

Nagano, Yamanashi, and Gifu are known for;

• fruits
• hiking
• hot springs
• Hoto, local noodle with miso soup and vegetables

5, Kansai region

As I’m from Chiba, Kanto region, I personally believe this region is really very different from other parts of Japan. This region consists of 6 prefectures;

• Osaka
• Kyoto
• Hyogo
• Shiga
• Wakayama
• Nara

The climate here in summer is hot, just like Kanto or Tokai area. The highest temperature is 35 to 40 degree, and the lowest is around 0 degree.

This region used to be the capital of Japan, and there’re many historical places here. Nara is said to be the origin of Japan where the first civilized city appeared in Japan. Kyoto is one of the most famous ‘Japanese’ place you might know. The things I recommend to do in this area are;

• temples and shirines
• castles, especially Himeji Castle in Hyogo is very famous
• Ninja experience in Shiga
• hot springs in Wakayama
• eat takoyaki, and okonomi-yaki, local and typical food

6, Chugoku region

This region used to be one of the centre of Japanese politics. Also it’s known for the origin of the myths of Japan. Chugoku region has 5 prefectures;

• Tottori
• Shimane
• Yamaguchi
• Hiroshima
• Okayama

The summer in this region is hot, with the highest temperature of around 38 degree. The winter is not too bad, the lowest is between 0 to 5 degree.

You can enjoy;

• Izumo taisya, one of the most famous shrines in Japan, in Shimane
• Tottori dessert in Tottori
• the old city of Kurashiki, Okayama, beautiful canal and architecture
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial, represents the damage of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima
• hot springs
• seafood

7, Shikoku region

Shikoku means four countries. This region has four prefectures;

• Kagawa
• Tokushima
• Kochi
• Ehime

Shikoku region is one of the hottest places in summer in Japan, which has the highest temperature with 41 degree. The lowest is around 5 degree, so the winter in this region is not bad.

This island is not that big but there’re so many yummy food and great hot springs. You should try;

• Udon noodle, Japanese flour noodle
• Seafood especially bonito in Kochi is famous
• Mandarin oranges / lemons / limes

8, Kyushu region

This region is located in the south of Japan and the climate is very mild and subtropical. The north of the island is close to South Korea, which means the area isn’t that warm. South is very warm, especially Okinawa is completely another. It consists of 8 prefectures;

• Fukuoka
• Nagasaki
• Saga
• Kumamoto
• Oita
• Miyazaki
• Kagoshima
• Okinawa

It’s hot but not bad in summer in Kyushu region. The average highest temperature is around 32 degree during summer. The winter in southern Kyushu is warm, the average lowest temperature is between 6 to 10 degree. The lowest in Northern Kyushu is also around 5, which is not bad!

This region is famous for;

• Tonkotsu ramen, pork based broth ramen in Fukuoka
• churches in Nagasaki
• hot springs
• tropical fruits such as mangoes
• volcano
• the beaches

In conclusion

• Japan has 8 regions
• each region/ place has its unique food or places
• the weather differs from place to place

Thank you for reading!