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About Kanto
The Prefectures
Kanto’s History
Kanto Today
Coto School Finder
Kanto is the most populous region of Japan, and for many, the first point of entry into Japan.
About Kanto
The Kanto region is Japan’s most populous region, home to the Greater Tokyo Area as well as seven prefectures of Saitama, Ibaraki, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Tokyo-to, and Kanagawa. Most of its inhabited areas lie within the Kanto plain, a large area of mostly flatlands that are ripe for development. Over 42 million people call this region home, and it is considered the center of Japan’s politics and economy.
The Prefectures
Tokyo-to (東京都)
Tokyo is a special metropolitan government consisting of 23 wards. Tokyo is the capital of Japan and is one of the most influential cities in the world. The city alone is home to over 14 million people, and the Greater Tokyo Area contains over 42 million people, making it by far the largest urban metro in the world by population.
Chiba (千葉県)
Chiba prefecture is located on the east coast side of the Kanto region, across Tokyo Bay. It is home to over 5 million people, many of whom commute to Tokyo for work. It is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo and is home to many historical landmarks such as Chiba Castle.
Kanagawa (神奈川県)
Kanagawa is located to the immediate southwest of Tokyo-to, famously home to Yokohama (横浜), the second-largest city in Japan. Over 9 million people call it home, and it is also a major commercial center of Japan. It is also a popular tourist destination for locals, home to many famous areas like Kamakura (鎌倉) and Hakone (箱根).
Saitama (埼玉県)
Saitama prefecture is located to the immediate north of Tokyo-to, and like Kanagawa and Chiba, many people who commute to Tokyo call it their home. Over 7.3 million people reside here, and some of its cities include Kawaguchi (川口), Saitama City (さいたま市), and the historical city of Kawagoe (川越).
Ibaraki (茨城県)
Ibaraki is located to the northeast of Kanto, just north of Chiba prefecture along the Pacific coast. Over 2.8 million people call it their home, and its largest city is Mito (水戸町). It is famous for its beautiful natural vistas, and over 15% of its area is part of the Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park, home to Mount Tsukuba, one of Japan’s most famous mountains.
Tochigi (栃木県)
Tochigi prefecture is located in between Saitama and Ibaraki prefecture, and just northeast of Tokyo-to. It is home to roughly 1.9 million people, and its capital and largest city is Utsunomiya (宇都宮). It is one of the 8 landlocked prefectures in Japan and its mountainous region is a very popular tourist destination.
Gunma (群馬県)
Last, but certainly not least, we have Gunma prefecture. Gunma is another landlocked prefecture located north of Saitama prefecture. Maebashi (前橋市) and Takasaki (高崎市) are its largest cities, and many people who live in those cities commute to Tokyo for work. It is home to 1.9 million people, and 14% of its land is dedicated to national parks.
Kanto’s History
During the Kamakura period, Kanto was a nexus of feudal power. It served as the seat of the Shogunate from 1185 to 1333, it was also the first military government in Japan’s history. In 1591, famous leader Tokugawa Ieyasu moved his capital to the Kanto region, giving up control of his original five provinces. Before they had their current names, the prefectures and regions were labeled differently and covered different geographical areas. What is known today as Gunma prefecture, for example, was previously named Kozuke Province. Tochigi prefecture was previously known as Shimotsuke Province, parts of Ibaraki and Chiba prefecture were part of what was Shimosa Province. Most of Tokyo and Saitama and parts of Kanagawa were once part of Musashi Province. Most of what is today’s Chiba prefecture was also known as Kazusa Province. Finally, what is now Kanagawa was formerly Sagami Province.
The Edo Period marked the beginning of the shift to what we now know these provinces as. During this time, the Greater Tokyo Area and Yokohama metro not only became the center of power of Japan, but also held the greatest concentrations of universities and higher education institutions. In 1923, the region was struck by the infamous Great Kanto Earthquake, which devastated wide swaths of Tokyo and the surrounding regions. The quake took over 100,000 lives and compounded its damage based on the fact that it struck when Japan was still reeling from its post-WWI recession. The Kanto plain was also one of the many planned Allied invasion points at the end of the Second World War as part of the proposed Operation Downfall, but this never materialized as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led Japan to unconditionally surrender, ending the war.
Kanto Today
In the modern era, Kanto is still the major political and economic center of Japan, and is a major player on the international stage. Tokyo is the largest city economy in the world, and is part of the same economic tier as cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Shanghai, Seoul, and London. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is one of the largest and most influential in the world.
Coto School Finder
Has this article piqued your interest in the wide variety of locales and cities within the Kanto area? With our School Finder, you can apply to many Japanese language learning schools across the Kanto region.
Evergreen Language School (Meguro, Tokyo), Linguage Japanese Language School (Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo), Shibuya Gaigo Gakuin (Shibuya, Tokyo), Sakura International Academy (Sumida, Tokyo), Atys International Academy (Utsunomiya, Tochigi), and Tokyo International Language Academy (Hachioji, Tokyo)
Find your place in Japan and learn the language in the best way possible through our Study In Japan program. Apply today at the link here and set up your FREE consultation with our team.