Honshu

Honshu (本州) is biggest of Japan's four main islands. It is around 1,300 kilometers long and comprises around 60% of Japan's area in square kilometers.

Formerly referred to as Hondo, the island is divided into five regions with 34 prefectures. The regions are Chugoku, Kansai, Chubu, Kanto, and Tohoku.

The 34 prefectures are:

• Aichi-ken (Chubu region)
• Akita-ken (Tohoku region)
• Aomori-ken (Tohoku region)
• Chiba-ken (Kanto region)
• Fukui-ken (Chubu region)
• Fukushima-ken (Tohoku region)
• Gifu-ken (Chubu region)
• Gunma-ken (Kanto region)
• Hiroshima-ken (Chugoku region)
• Hyogo-ken (Kansai region)
• Ibaraki-ken (Kanto region)
• Ishikawa-ken (Chubu region)
• Iwate-ken (Tohoku region)
• Kanagawa-ken (Kanto region)
• Kyoto-fu (Kansai region)
• Mie-ken (Kansai region)
• Miyagi-ken (Tohoku region)
• Nagano-ken (Chubu region)
• Nara-ken (Kansai region)
• Niigata-ken (Chubu region)
• Okayama-ken (Chugoku region)
• Osaka-fu (Kansai region)
• Saitama-ken (Kanto region)
• Shiga-ken (Kansai region)
• Shimane-ken (Chugoku region)
• Shizuoka-ken (Chubu region)
• Tochigi-ken (Kanto region)
• Tokyo-to (Kanto region)
• Tottori-ken (Chugoku region)
• Toyama-ken (Chubu region)
• Wakayama-ken (Kansai region)
• Yamagata-ken (Tohoku region)
• Yamaguchi-ken (Chugoku region)
• Yamanashi-ken (Chubu region)

Mount Fuji is located on Honshu. At over 3,700 meters tall, the active volcano's height makes Honshu the world's 7th tallest island. Honshu is a very seismically active area, containing many mountains and volcanoes. There are frequent earthquakes of varying intensities, one of the more memorable being the Great Kanto Quake of 1923 which damaged Tokyo.

Japan's longest river - the Shinano - cuts through central Honsu. Most of Japan's tea and silk comes from Honshu. Other products from this area include cotton, fruits, and vegetables. Most of the population of the island is located in the Kanto Plain - an area which includes Tokyo and its metropolitan area.

Major Cities

• Aomori - known for Aomori Nebuta festival, museums, and trekking
• Chiba - close to Tokyo; known for mud festival and peanuts
• Hiroshima - city of peace, streetcars, and okonomiyaki
• Kawasaki - populous urban area
• Kyoto - city known for its classic beauty, with many intact pre-WWII shrines and buildings
• Nagoya - home of the Nagoya Castle, Higashiyama zoo, and many shrines
• Nara - cultural city containing the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Osaka - known as the "nation's kitchen" (gourmet food capital) of Japan
• Tokyo - the world's largest biggest and the capital city of Japan
• Yokohama - a Tokyo suburb and officially Japan's second biggest city

Points of Interest

• Japanese Alps
• Kamakura
• Mount Fuji
• Niigata