Japan explained
Japan explained: regions, nature, culture and travel
A reference atlas of Japan, from Hokkaido's drift ice to Okinawa's coral reefs: every prefecture and its key cities, the national parks and great mountains, the World Heritage sites, and the culture, history and language that connect them.
The 47 prefectures
View allRegions
View all- Hokkaido北海道地方One island, one prefecture: Japan's cool, wide-open north1 Prefecture
- Tohoku東北地方Northern Honshu: mountains, snow country and the great summer festivals6 Prefectures
- Kanto関東地方Japan's capital region on its largest plain7 Prefectures
- Chūbu中部地方Mountain heart of Honshu between two seas9 Prefectures
- Kansai近畿地方Ancient capitals, merchant cities and the sacred mountains of Kii7 Prefectures
- Chūgoku中国地方Western Honshu between the Sea of Japan and the Inland Sea5 Prefectures
- Shikoku四国The island of the 88-temple pilgrimage4 Prefectures
- Kyushu and Okinawa九州・沖縄Japan's volcanic south-west and the Ryukyu island arc8 Prefectures
National parks
View allAkan-Mashu National ParkAkan-Mashū Kokuritsu KōenVolcanoes, forest and caldera lakes in the Ainu heartlandDesignated 1934Amami Guntō National ParkAmami Guntō Kokuritsu KōenForests of living fossils and a culture shaped by the seaDesignated 2017Ashizuri-Uwakai National ParkAshizuri-Uwakai Kokuritsu KōenGranite cape, coral shallows and the ria coast of the Uwa SeaDesignated 1972Aso-Kujū National ParkAso-Kujū Kokuritsu KōenA caldera you can live in, and grasslands renewed by fireDesignated 1934Bandai-Asahi National ParkBandai-Asahi Kokuritsu KōenPilgrim peaks, snow ranges and the lakes of a shattered volcanoDesignated 1950Chichibu-Tama-Kai National ParkChichibu-Tama-Kai Kokuritsu KōenForest headwaters and wolf shrines on Tokyo's doorstepDesignated 1950
World Heritage
View allBuddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji AreaHōryū-ji Chiiki no Bukkyō KenzōbutsuThe oldest wooden temple buildings in the worldInscribed 1993Himeji-joHimeji-jōThe White Heron: the finest surviving castle of feudal JapanInscribed 1993Shirakami-SanchiShirakami-sanchiThe last great beech wilderness of East AsiaInscribed 1993YakushimaYakushimaAncient cedars on an island of mountains and rainInscribed 1993Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)Koto Kyōto no Bunkazai (Kyōto-shi, Uji-shi, Ōtsu-shi)A thousand years of architecture and gardens in the imperial capitalInscribed 1994Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and GokayamaShirakawa-gō, Gokayama no Gasshō-zukuri ShūrakuThatched farmhouses of the snow countryInscribed 1995
Festivals
View allAomori Nebuta FestivalAomori Nebuta MatsuriLantern giants, taiko drums and leaping dancers in Honshu's far northAugustAwa OdoriAwa OdoriDancing fools and watching fools: four nights of Bon dance in TokushimaAugustChichibu Night FestivalChichibu YomatsuriLantern-lit floats and fireworks on a December nightDecember