こんにちは!
Hi, how are you doing?
Selamat Siang!
你们好！
Have you been to Japan before?
If yes, how many prefectures in Japan do you know and how many prefectures have you visited?
Prefectures are one of the basic entities of Japan. There are 47 subdivisions in Japan.
If you know all prefectures or you have visited all prefectures, you are definitely Japan mania!
I believe there are few Japanese to visit all prefectures.
I am from Oita prefecture in Kyushu district and counted how many prefectures I visited before. The number is 43!
I have not visited Yamagata（山形県）, Ishikawa（石川県）, Fukui（福井県） and Tokushima（徳島県）.
I love travelling and had lots of business trips before. That’s why I could count many prefectures.
Most of non-Japanese know Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hokkaido.
Let’s see prefectures in Japan in next part. Which prefecture do you like?
47 都道府県（47 prefectures）
These are maps of Japan showing 47 prefectures with its specialty such as food and customs there.
There are various features in each prefecture different from other prefectures in terms of culture, customs, language (dialect), climate, geography, food, industry, population etc.
For example, Hokkaido locates in north of Japan. Climate in Hokkaido is very cold and snowy. It’s well known for dairy and farming.
On the other hand, Okinawa locates in south of Japan. Climate in Okinawa is very hot and it rarely snows. Its dialect is very unique and Japanese from other area sometimes cannot understand what they speak.
How many prefectures do you know? （I don’t know what さるぼぼ in Gifu!）
I summarize the prefecture name, which district they belong and their specialty as below.
| Prefecture name | Prefecture name in En | Specialty | District |
| 北海道 | Hokkaido | メロン Melon | 北海道 |
| 青森 | Aomori | りんご Apple | 東北 |
| 岩手 | Iwate | わんこそば Wanko-Soba | 東北 |
| 秋田 | Akita | なまはげ Namahage | 東北 |
| 宮城 | Miyagi | ぎゅうタン Beef tongue cuisine | 東北 |
| 山形 | Yamagata | さくらんぼ Cherry | 東北 |
| 福島 | Fukushima | あかべこ Red cow | 東北 |
| 東京 | Tokyo | とうきょうタワー Tokyo tower | 関東 |
| 神奈川 | Kanagawa | しゅうまい Chinese dumpling | 関東 |
| 千葉 | Chiba | らっかせい Peanuts | 関東 |
| 埼玉 | Saitama | そうかせんべい Rice cracker | 関東 |
| 茨城 | Ibaraki | なっとう Natto | 関東 |
| 群馬 | Gunma | だるま Daruma doll | 関東 |
| 栃木 | Tochigi | いちご Strawberry | 関東 |
| 長野 | Nagano | しんしゅうそば Soba | 中部 |
| 山梨 | Yamanashi | ぶどう Grapes | 中部 |
| 新潟 | Niigata | おこめ Rice | 中部 |
| 富山 | Toyama | ほたるいか Firefly Squid | 中部 |
| 石川 | Ishikawa | わじまぬり Lacquer ware | 中部 |
| 福井 | Fukui | かに Crab | 中部 |
| 静岡 | Shizuoka | おちゃ Green tea | 中部 |
| 愛知 | Aichi | しゃちほこ Fabulous dolphin-like fish | 中部 |
| 岐阜 | Gifu | さるぼぼ Monkey kid | 中部 |
| 滋賀 | Shiga | びわこ Lake Biwa | 近畿 |
| 三重 | Mie | しんじゅ Pearl | 近畿 |
| 奈良 | Nara | しか Deer | 近畿 |
| 京都 | Kyoto | まいこ Maiko | 近畿 |
| 大阪 | Osaka | たこやき Octopus ball | 近畿 |
| 和歌山 | Wakayama | うめぼし Sour plum | 近畿 |
| 兵庫 | Hyogo | たこ Octopus | 近畿 |
| 鳥取 | Tottori | なし Pear | 中国 |
| 島根 | Shimane | しじみ Clam | 中国 |
| 岡山 | Okayama | もも Peach | 中国 |
| 広島 | Hiroshima | いつくしまじんじゃ Shrine | 中国 |
| 山口 | Yamaguchi | ふぐ Blowfish | 中国 |
| 香川 | Kagawa | さぬきうどん Udon noodle | 四国 |
| 徳島 | Tokushima | あわおどり Awa Dance | 四国 |
| 愛媛 | Ehime | いよかん Tangerine | 四国 |
| 高知 | Kouchi | かつお Bonito | 四国 |
| 福岡 | Fukuoka | めんたいこ Spicy fish eggs | 九州 |
| 大分 | Oita | おんせん Hot spring | 九州 |
| 佐賀 | Saga | ありたやき Arita porcelain | 九州 |
| 長崎 | Nagasaki | カステラ Castella cake | 九州 |
| 熊本 | Kumamoto | スイカ Water melon | 九州 |
| 宮崎 | Miyazaki | マンゴー Mango | 九州 |
| 鹿児島 | Kagoshima | さつまいも Sweet potato | 九州 |
| 沖縄 | Okinawa | シーサー Lion dog statue | 沖縄 |
I found there are many fruits in their specialty.
It’s interesting, isn’t it? Japan has long land (island) from north to south.
Fruits and vegetable grow in their best environment, for example, melon and apple grow in cold climate but sweet potato grow in warm climate.
Related posts: Shinkansen – (Bullet train) 新幹線
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