Todōfuken
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Japan is divided into 47 administrative and legal divisions named todōfuken. In English, we usually refer to them as the 47 prefectures of Japan, with the term prefecture derived from texts written by 16th century Portuguese explorers and traders; Portuguese speaking men who used the term prefeitura to describe the fiefdoms they encountered in Japan.
The 47 prefectures of Japan consists of:
- 43 standard prefectures (ken)
- Two urban prefectures (fu): Osaka and Kyoto
- One metropolis prefecture (to): Tokyo
- One circuit/territory prefecture (dō): Hokkaido
The 47 prefectures
These are the 47 prefectures listed in alphabetical order.
| Prefecture | Kanji | Capital | Region | Major island |
| Aichi | 愛知県 | Nagoya | Chūbu | Honshu |
| Akita | 秋田県 | Akita | Tōhoku | Honshu |
| Aomori | 青森県 | Aomori | Tōhoku | Honshu |
| Chiba | 千葉県 | Chiba | Kantō | Honshu |
| Ehime | 愛媛県 | Matsuyama | Shikoku | Shikoku |
| Fukui | 福井県 | Fukui | Chūbu | Honshu |
| Fukuoka | 福岡県 | Fukuoka | Kyushu | Kyushu |
| Fukushima | 福島県 | Fukushima | Tōhoku | Honshu |
| Gifu | 岐阜県 | Gifu | Chūbu | Honshu |
| Gunma | 群馬県 | Maebashi | Kantō | Honshu |
| Hiroshima | 広島県 | Hiroshima | Chūgoku | Honshu |
| Hokkaido | 北海道 | Sapporo | Hokkaido | Hokkaido |
| Hyōgo | 兵庫県 | Kōbe | Kansai | Honshu |
| Ibaraki | 茨城県 | Mito | Kantō | Honshu |
| Ishikawa | 石川県 | Kanazawa | Chūbu | Honshu |
| Iwate | 岩手県 | Morioka | Tōhoku | Honshu |
| Kagawa | 香川県 | Takamatsu | Shikoku | Shikoku |
| Kagoshima | 鹿児島県 | Kagoshima | Kyushu | Kyushu |
| Kanagawa | 神奈川県 | Yokohama | Kantō | Honshu |
| Kōchi | 高知県 | Kōchi | Shikoku | Shikoku |
| Kumamoto | 熊本県 | Kumamoto | Kyushu | Kyushu |
| Kyoto | 京都府 | Kyoto | Kansai | Honshu |
| Mie | 三重県 | Tsu | Kansai | Honshu |
| Miyagi | 宮城県 | Sendai | Tōhoku | Honshu |
| Miyazaki | 宮崎県 | Miyazaki | Kyushu | Kyushu |
| Nagano | 長野県 | Nagano | Chūbu | Honshu |
| Nagasaki | 長崎県 | Nagasaki | Kyushu | Kyushu |
| Nara | 奈良県 | Nara | Kansai | Honshu |
| Niigata | 新潟県 | Niigata | Chūbu | Honshu |
| Ōita | 大分県 | Ōita | Kyushu | Kyushu |
| Okayama | 岡山県 | Okayama | Chūgoku | Honshu |
| Okinawa | 沖縄県 | Naha | Kyushu | Ryukyu Islands |
| Osaka | 大阪府 | Ōsaka | Kansai | Honshu |
| Saga | 佐賀県 | Saga | Kyushu | Kyushu |
| Saitama | 埼玉県 | Saitama | Kantō | Honshu |
| Shiga | 滋賀県 | Ōtsu | Kansai | Honshu |
| Shimane | 島根県 | Matsue | Chūgoku | Honshu |
| Shizuoka | 静岡県 | Shizuoka | Chūbu | Honshu |
| Tochigi | 栃木県 | Utsunomiya | Kantō | Honshu |
| Tokushima | 徳島県 | Tokushima | Shikoku | Shikoku |
| Tokyo | 東京都 | Tokyo | Kantō | Honshu |
| Tottori | 鳥取県 | Tottori | Chūgoku | Honshu |
| Toyama | 富山県 | Toyama | Chūbu | Honshu |
| Wakayama | 和歌山県 | Wakayama | Kansai | Honshu |
| Yamagata | 山形県 | Yamagata | Tōhoku | Honshu |
| Yamaguchi | 山口県 | Yamaguchi | Chūgoku | Honshu |
| Yamanashi | 山梨県 | Kōfu | Chūbu | Honshu |
The eight regions (chihō)
The 47 prefectures of Japan are commonly grouped into eight geographical regions called chihō. From north to south, they are: Hokkaidō, Tōhoku, Kantō, Chūbu, Kansai, Chūgoku, Shikoku, and Kyūshū.
Hokkaidō
1. Hokkaidō
Tōhoku
2. Aomori
3. Iwate
4. Miyagi
5. Akita
6. Yamagata
7. Fukushima
Kantō
8. Ibaraki
9. Tochigi
10. Gunma
11. Saitama
12. Chiba
13. Tōkyō
14. Kanagawa
Chūbu
15. Niigata
16. Toyama
17. Ishikawa
18. Fukui
19. Yamanashi
20. Nagano
21. Gifu
22. Shizuoka
23. Aichi
Kansai
24. Mie
25. Shiga
26. Kyōto
27. Ōsaka
28. Hyōgo
29. Nara
30. Wakayama
Chūgoku
31. Tottori
32. Shimane
33. Okayama
34. Hiroshima
35. Yamaguchi
Shikoku
36. Tokushima
37. Kagawa
38. Ehime
39. Kōchi
Kyūshū
40. Fukuoka
41. Saga
42. Nagasaki
43. Kumamoto
44. Ōita
45. Miyazaki
46. Kagoshima
47. Okinawa
Which are the most populated prefectures?
The most populated prefecture by a wide margin is Tokyo, which isn’t surprising since it includes the megacity Tokyo. In 2015, the Tokyo Prefecture was home to over 13.5 million people.
On second place, we find the prefecture Kanagawa, which includes the major city Yokohama. In 2015, over 9.1 people lived in Kanagawa.
On third place is the prefecture Osaka, which is an urban prefecture for the urban Osaka area. In 2015, this population size for this prefecture exceeded 8.8 million.
Which is the most densely populated prefecture?
Tokyo isn’t just the prefecture with the largest population; it is also the most densely populated prefecture. Data from 2015 show a population density of 6,168.1 residents per square kilometer for this prefecture.
Which is the largest prefecture?
The largest of the 47 prefectures is Hokkaido with 83,424.22 square kilometers. This is also the northernmost of the prefectures.
Which is the smallest prefecture?
The smallest prefecture is Kagawa, which is only 1,876.73 square kilometers in size. It is located on Shikoku Island in southern Japan.
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