Tag Archives: 福島県 (Fukushima-ken)

Learn about Japan

Japan’s 47 administrative areas: list and map in English

Japan is administratively divided in 47 complementary areas listed in English below by big region from North-East to South-West:

  1. Hokkaido
  2. Aomori
  3. Iwate
  4. Akita
  5. Miyagi
  6. Yamagata
  7. Fukushima
  8. Ibaraki
  9. Tochigi
  10. Gunma
  11. Chiba
  12. Saitama
  13. Tokyo
  14. Kanagawa
  15. Niigata
  16. Toyama
  17. Ishikawa
  18. Nagano
  19. Gifu
  20. Fukui
  21. Yamanashi
  22. Shizuoka
  23. Aichi
  24. Shiga
  25. Kyoto
  26. Hyogo
  27. Mie
  28. Nara
  29. Osaka
  30. Wakayama
  31. Tottori
  32. Shimane
  33. Okayama
  34. Hiroshima
  35. Yamaguchi
  36. Kagawa
  37. Tokushima
  38. Ehime
  39. Kochi
  40. Fukuoka
  41. Saga
  42. Nagasaki
  43. Oita
  44. Miyazaki
  45. Kumamoto
  46. Kagoshima
  47. Okinawa

Any specialist of Japan should know this basic list and should be able to place the 47 names on an administrative map of Japan. Do not wait if you plan to be an English-speaking tour conductor, tour guide or travel agent in Japan like Sébastien Duval :)

Map of Japan with the names of the prefectures in English. (Public domain via Wikimedia thanks to Tokyoship)

Learn more about Japan – Nihon – Nippon on Inner Japan…

Author's life, Enjoy Japan's nature & 4 seasons

Merry Spring from Tokyo!

Merry Spring from Tokyo! This first day of Spring is a national holiday in Japan; I definitely appreciate it :) I could even see Mount Fuji from my building in Adachi ward this morning!

富士山 (Mount Fuji) seen from 足立区 (Adachi ward, Tokyo, Japan) on 21 March 2014.

Spring is gorgeous in Japan thanks to rows, skies and seas of white and pink perfumed cherry trees in streets, parks, riversides, mountains… Incomparable to the plum and peach blossoms seen since February! You can even enjoy cherry blossoms in Tokyo during walking tours with guides from March to April e.g. “2014 Best Cherry Blossoms” and “2014 Sweet Sakura Evening” by Travel Stand Japan.

Statue of a woman below cherry blossoms at 千鳥ヶ淵 (Chidorigafuchi, Tokyo, Japan) on 15 March 2014.

Why is Spring a great season in Japan? (1) You can enjoy beautiful nature through walks, hikes, rides on bicycles or horses… (2) You can eat sushi in a bento box with friends among cherry petals. (3) You can savour traditional Japanese sweets made from cherry flowers/leaves. (4) You can admire flying carps for Children’s Day on 05 May. (5) You can celebrate Buddha’s birthday at a Buddhist temple on 08 April…

Statue of Buddha at birth at 飛鳥寺 (Asuka-dera, Asuka, Japan) on 08 April 2013.

My travels in Japan and life in Tokyo formed dear “Spring memories”: a sea of cherry blossoms at Mount Yoshino in 2013, a Buddhist celebration for Buddha’s birthday at Asuka temple in 2013, sumo fights at Yasukuni shrine in 2004…

Sumo fight at 靖国神社 (Yasukuni shrine, Tokyo, Japan) on 09 April 2004.

This Spring, I plan to enjoy the 5 colours cherry blossoms festival in Tokyo, celebrate the Birth of Buddha at a Japanese temple, relax at outdoor hot springs, and visit the Fukushima prefecture. Contact me if you wish to join and enjoy inner Japan :)

USEFUL LINKS
  • Spring on Inner Japan.
  • Japanese calendar on Inner Japan.
  • Mount Fuji on Inner Japan.

 

USEFUL JAPANESE
  • Adachi ward = 足立区 (Adachi-ku), Tokyo = 東京.
  • Mount Fuji = 富士山 (Fuji-san), Mount Yoshino = 吉野山 (Yoshino-yama).
  • Fukushima prefecture = 福島県 (Fukushima-ken).
  • Asuka temple = 飛鳥寺 (Asuka-dera), Yasukuni shrine = 靖国神社 (Yasukuni-jinja).
  • Buddha’s birthday = 花会式 (Hanaeshiki), Children’s Day = こどもの日 (Kodomo-no-hi).
  • 5 colours cherry blossoms festival = 五色桜まつり (Go-shiki-zakura-matsuri).
  • Travel Stand Japan = トラベルスタンドジャパン (Torabelu-Sutando-Japan).