Trivia & Fun Facts

Hokkaido Region

Hokkaido

Hokkaido's area is larger than the combined size of Kyushu and Shikoku, making it Japan's largest prefecture.

Tohoku Region

Aomori

Aomori Prefecture's food self-sufficiency rate reaches 118% on a calorie basis, among the nation's top.

Iwate

Morioka City's Yabukawa district holds Honshu's official lowest temperature record of -27.

Miyagi

The prefecture's name originates from Miyagino, an area in the outer enclosure of Sendai Castle.

Akita

Akita is said to be Japan's prefecture with the shortest sunshine hours, sometimes having only a few sunny days per month in winter.

Yamagata

Yamagata City recorded Japan's highest temperature of 40.

Fukushima

Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle (Tsurugajo) is the only castle in Japan that has restored a red-tile roof.

Kanto Region

Ibaraki

Kairakuen Garden in Mito City is one of Japan's Three Great Gardens, along with Kanazawa's Kenrokuen and Okayama's Korakuen.

Tochigi

Utsunomiya City ranks among the top in Japan for annual gyoza spending, with about 200 specialized gyoza restaurants in the city.

Gunma

Gunma's shape resembles a flying crane, earning it the nickname 'tsurumau katachi no Gunma-ken' (crane-dancing-shaped Gunma).

Saitama

The prefecture's name originates from Sakitama Kofun Cluster in Gyoda City, anciently written as Sakitama.

Chiba

Chiba Prefecture's highest peak is Mount Atago at 408m, the lowest prefectural peak among all 47 prefectures.

Tokyo

The JR Yamanote Line completes one circuit of 34.

Kanagawa

Yokohama City has approximately 3.

Chubu Region

Niigata

The Echigo Plain is Japan's second-largest alluvial plain and the nation's top rice-producing region.

Toyama

Toyama is the only prefecture in Japan where all municipalities have railway stations.

Ishikawa

Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden never suffered war damage or air raids, preserving their Edo-period stone walls intact.

Fukui

Fukui Prefecture accounts for about 80% of dinosaur fossils excavated in Japan and is called the Dinosaur Kingdom Fukui.

Yamanashi

Yamanashi Prefecture is sometimes called the farthest prefecture from the sea in Japan because it has no coastline.

Nagano

Borders eight prefectures, the most of all 47 prefectures in Japan.

Gifu

Gifu's name is said to have been chosen by Oda Nobunaga, inspired by China's Mount Qi and Qufu.

Shizuoka

The prefectural boundary at the summit of Mount Fuji remains undetermined with Yamanashi Prefecture, sparking debates about establishing a prefectural office on the Shizuoka side.

Aichi

Manufacturing shipment value has maintained first place nationally for over 45 consecutive years.

Kinki Region

Mie

The Shikinen Sengu ceremony at Ise Grand Shrine, where shrine buildings are reconstructed every 20 years, has continued for over 1,300 years.

Shiga

Lake Biwa has over 20 fishing ports, unusual for a freshwater lake.

Kyoto

Kyoto City holds the most nationally designated wooden cultural heritage buildings in Japan with 73 National Treasures.

Osaka

The Dojima Rice Exchange during the Edo period is considered the world's first futures market.

Hyogo

The Japan Standard Time meridian (135 degrees east longitude) passes through Akashi City, where visitors can stand on the meridian line at the Municipal Planetarium.

Nara

Deer inhabiting Nara Park are nationally designated natural monuments, protected for over a thousand years as messengers of the gods.

Wakayama

Orange harvest ranks among the nation's top, with Arida oranges being a brand continuing since the Edo period.

Chugoku Region

Tottori

Called the 'Starry Sky Prefecture' because the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye from every municipality.

Shimane

Izumo Taisha's main hall is a National Treasure; the current Taisha-zukuri style at 24m height is Japan's largest wooden shrine architecture.

Okayama

The Okayama metropolitan area centered on Okayama and Kurashiki cities has a population of about 1.

Hiroshima

The Hiroshima Toyo Carp was established in 1950 as Japan's first citizen-owned professional baseball team without a corporate parent.

Yamaguchi

Guardrails throughout the prefecture are unified in natsumikan (summer mandarin) yellow color.

Shikoku Region

Tokushima

Tokushima is the only prefecture in Japan where all railway lines are non-electrified single tracks.

Kagawa

Kagawa has approximately 14,000 irrigation ponds, the most in Japan.

Ehime

Dogo Onsen, one of Japan's three ancient hot springs, is said to have been bathed in by Prince Shotoku and Natsume Soseki.

Kochi

The number of restaurants per capita ranks among Japan's top, known as a prefecture with thriving dining-out culture.