Geography
The Kantō (関東) region is located on the eastern coast in the center of Honshu, Japan’s largest island. The Kantō region contains seven prefectures: Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Chiba. Approximately 45% of the region is made up of the Kantō Plain, which is the largest plain in Japan. The remaining part of the region is made up of hills and mountains that occupy the western and northern edges.
Cities and population
Greater Tokyo Area
This region is home to many large cities including the capital city of Japan, Tokyo. The Greater Tokyo area, which includes Tokyo and parts of Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and even Yamanashi prefectures, is the world’s largest metropolitan area and contains over 37 million people. The Greater Tokyo area is loosely defined and even the Japanese government uses several different delineations. The loosely-defined concept isn’t popular among local Japanese citizens that see Tokyo and it’s many suburbs as distinct and separate cities. Just the city of Tokyo itself contains over 9 million people spread out in its 23 special wards.
Cities of Kantō
Notable cities include the capitals of the prefectures: Maebashi in Gunma, Utsunomiya in Tochigi, Mito in Ibaraki, Saitama in Saitama, Chiba in Chiba, Yokohama in Kanagawa and Tokyo in Tokyo. The largest cities by population are Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki and Saitama with each having 9.6, 3.7, 1.5, and 1.3 million people, respectively.
Prefectures
Tochigi
Tochigi is the northernmost central prefecture in the Kantō region. Its capital is Utsunomiya. Tochigi is best known for the “Shrines and Temples of Nikko”, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other great attractions include Kegon Waterfall, Lake Chuzenji or one of their over 600 onsen, like the Nasu and Kinugawa Onsens.
Gunma
Gunma is located in the northernmost western corner of the Kantō region. Its capital is Maebashi. Gunma is a landlocked prefecture and is considered to be in the “heart” of Japan. Famous for being Onsen country, Gunma has some of the best Onsen in Japan. The prefecture has rich soil for farming and is responsible for producing over 90% of Japan’s konjacs (a plant that is turned into flour and jelly of the same name). Some famous attractions include: Kusatsu Onsen, Oze National Park, and Shima Onsen.
Saitama
The Saitama prefecture is located in the central west section of the Kantō region. Its capital is the city of Saitama. The prefecture is famous for its sake and has over 30 breweries through the area. Other attractions include: Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Kawagoe (a former castle town known as “Little Edo”), and Hitsujiyama Park.
Ibaraki
The prefecture of Ibaraki is in the northern half of Kantō and against the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Mito. Ibaraki features many beautiful natural sites. Lake Kasumigaura is Japan’s second largest lake and Mount Tsukuba is one of the most famous mountains in all of Japan. Other attractions include: Hitachi Seaside Park for it’s “endless flowers” and Okukuji Park for it’s great hiking.
Tokyo
Tokyo prefecture is located on the western edge and southern half of Kantō with Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures sandwiching it from the north and south, respectively. The capital of Tokyo prefecture is the city Tokyo, which is also Japan’s national capital. There are an unbelievable amount of things to do and attractions in the Tokyo prefecture. There are countless parks, shrines and temples scattered throughout the city. Some notable places to visit include: Tsukiji Outer Market, The electronics district of Akihibara, and Tokyo Skytree.
Kanagawa
Kanagawa is situated in the southwestern corner of Kantō with its southern and eastern border facing the Pacific ocean. The capital of Kanagawa is Yokohama. Yokohama is Japan’s second largest city and boasts many things to see and do. Other great attractions include: Kamakura, a small historic city filled with temples, shrines and more, and Hakone, a beautiful national park with hot springs and a stunning view of Mt. Fuji across Lake Ashinoko.
Chiba
The Chiba prefecture is in the southern half of Kantō and against the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is aptly named the city of Chiba. Narita Airport is located in Chiba, which brings many foreigners through the prefecture since Narita is Japan’s busiest international airport. Boso Peninsula is a fantastic area for leisure and sports on the beach like surfing. Other attractions include: Mount Nokogiriyama, Naritasan Temple and Sawara Town.
Greater Tokyo and More
Kantō is the heartland of Japan’s culture, politics and economics. It contains many of Japan’s largest cities, and encapsulates many diverse places into one region. Kantō takes many of the different things that make Japan great and squeezes them into one loosely-defined boundary. While the Greater Tokyo Area provides the largest metropolis in the world, beautiful lakes, mountains, farms, beaches and castle cities can be found in the other parts of the Kantō region. Kantō truly has something for everybody.
