Can you name all 47 prefectures of Japan?
Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, grouped here into the eight traditional regions from Hokkaido to Kyushu and Okinawa. Type a prefecture to fill it in. Okinawa sits in a framed inset at the top left of the map, drawn at the same scale as the rest.
How to play
- Type the name of any prefecture in the box at the bottom of the map. Capital letters, accents and punctuation do not matter, and spellings with or without macrons, such as “Hyōgo” or “Hyogo”, are accepted.
- A correct name is accepted by itself after a short pause. It turns green on the map and is ticked off in its group below the map. A wrong name costs nothing; just keep typing.
- Use the + and − buttons to zoom in on small prefectures, then drag to move around. With the map selected, the + and − keys zoom and the arrow keys move it. Select a prefecture you have named to highlight it.
- There is no timer. The game ends when you have named all 47, or press Finish at any time to end it and reveal the prefectures you missed.
- Your result is saved in this browser. Once enough people have played a game, the results also show how your score ranks, and you can copy or share an image of your result, or replay.
Tips for playing
Go region by region, following the answer groups below the map: Tohoku in the north of Honshu, Kanto around Tokyo, Chubu across the centre, Kansai around Osaka and Kyoto, Chugoku in the west, the four prefectures of Shikoku and finally Kyushu. Many prefectures share their name with their capital, so a list of cities can jog your memory.
All 47 prefectures of Japan
Show all 47 answers
Hokkaido (1)
| Prefecture | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido | Sapporo | Hokkaidō |
Tohoku (6)
| Prefecture | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Aomori | Aomori | — |
| Iwate | Morioka | — |
| Miyagi | Sendai | — |
| Akita | Akita | — |
| Yamagata | Yamagata | — |
| Fukushima | Fukushima | — |
Kanto (7)
| Prefecture | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Ibaraki | Mito | — |
| Tochigi | Utsunomiya | — |
| Gunma | Maebashi | — |
| Saitama | Saitama | — |
| Chiba | Chiba | — |
| Tokyo | Tokyo | Tōkyō |
| Kanagawa | Yokohama | — |
Chubu (9)
| Prefecture | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Niigata | Niigata | — |
| Toyama | Toyama | — |
| Ishikawa | Kanazawa | — |
| Fukui | Fukui | — |
| Yamanashi | Kofu | — |
| Nagano | Nagano | — |
| Gifu | Gifu | — |
| Shizuoka | Shizuoka | — |
| Aichi | Nagoya | — |
Kansai (7)
| Prefecture | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Mie | Tsu | — |
| Shiga | Otsu | — |
| Kyoto | Kyoto | Kyōto |
| Osaka | Osaka | Ōsaka |
| Hyogo | Kobe | Hyōgo |
| Nara | Nara | — |
| Wakayama | Wakayama | — |
Chugoku (5)
| Prefecture | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Tottori | Tottori | — |
| Shimane | Matsue | — |
| Okayama | Okayama | — |
| Hiroshima | Hiroshima | — |
| Yamaguchi | Yamaguchi | — |
Shikoku (4)
| Prefecture | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Tokushima | Tokushima | — |
| Kagawa | Takamatsu | — |
| Ehime | Matsuyama | — |
| Kochi | Kochi | Kōchi |
Kyushu & Okinawa (8)
| Prefecture | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Fukuoka | Fukuoka | — |
| Saga | Saga | — |
| Nagasaki | Nagasaki | — |
| Kumamoto | Kumamoto | — |
| Oita | Oita | Ōita |
| Miyazaki | Miyazaki | — |
| Kagoshima | Kagoshima | — |
| Okinawa | Naha | — |
Names as the quiz shows them, grouped as the game groups them, with each capital for reference; the quiz asks only for the names. Every name in the last column is accepted too.
Frequently asked questions
How many prefectures does Japan have?
47. The answer list groups them into eight regions: Hokkaido 1, Tohoku 6, Kanto 7, Chubu 9, Kansai 7, Chugoku 5, Shikoku 4 and Kyushu & Okinawa 8.
Do I need to type macrons or “-ken”?
No. “Kochi” and “Kōchi” both work, as do “Oita” and “Ōita”. Type the name alone, without “Prefecture” or a suffix such as “-ken”: “Tokyo”, “Osaka”, “Aomori”.
Why is Okinawa in a box?
Okinawa and the Amami Islands lie far to the south-west, so they are drawn in a framed inset at the top left of the map, at the same scale as the rest. The Amami Islands belong to Kagoshima. Tokyo’s distant Ogasawara Islands are not drawn.
Which prefectures have a capital with a different name?
17: Sapporo (Hokkaido), Morioka (Iwate), Sendai (Miyagi), Mito (Ibaraki), Utsunomiya (Tochigi), Maebashi (Gunma), Yokohama (Kanagawa), Kanazawa (Ishikawa), Kofu (Yamanashi), Nagoya (Aichi), Tsu (Mie), Otsu (Shiga), Kobe (Hyogo), Matsue (Shimane), Takamatsu (Kagawa), Matsuyama (Ehime) and Naha (Okinawa). In the other 30, the capital shares the prefecture’s name, as in Aomori, Akita and Yamagata.
Which is the largest of Japan’s prefectures?
Hokkaido. Measured on this map, it covers the most area of the 47 answers.
The eight regions
The answer list groups the prefectures into eight traditional regions: Hokkaido (1), Tohoku (6), Kanto (7), Chubu (9), Kansai (7), Chugoku (5), Shikoku (4) and Kyushu & Okinawa (8). The regions have no government of their own, but they are the usual way to divide the map, and learning them one at a time is easier than memorising 47 names.
Which prefectures count?
All 47 prefectures, including Tokyo, Hokkaido and the urban prefectures of Osaka and Kyoto. Okinawa and the Amami Islands are drawn in an inset; Tokyo’s islands south of 32°N are not drawn, while the nearer Izu Islands are.
More about Japan
Sources
Source: Natural Earth · Admin-1 states and provinces, 1:10m, v5.1.2
Public domain boundaries, simplified for a quiz. Projection: Lambert conformal conic, standard parallels 32.5°N and 43°N, central meridian 136°E; the Ryukyu Islands inset uses the same scale centred on 127.5°E. Groups are the eight traditional regions; Okinawa is grouped with Kyushu. Okinawa and the Amami Islands (Kagoshima) are drawn in a top-left inset at the same scale. Natural Earth assigns the Amami Islands to Okinawa; they are reassigned to Kagoshima. Tokyo's Ogasawara, Volcano, Okinotorishima and Minamitorishima islands (south of 32°N) are not drawn; the Izu Islands are. Names, groups, alternative names and capitals are curated from the references below; codes follow ISO 3166-2. The map is not a surveying or legal reference.
Found an incorrect answer or a source that needs updating? Send a correction with the game name and a reference.