JAPANESE GEOGRAPHIC LEXICON

As Japanese railways often take their names from the geographic region through which they pass, a basic knowledge of Japanese geographic terms is useful. Japan is presently divided into 47 Prefectures, which are grouped into 8 geographic regions: the three islands of Hokkaidō, Kyūshū (including Okinawa), and Shikoku and (on the largest island of Honshū) the five regions known as Chūbu, Chūgoku, Kantō, Kinki, and Tōhoku. Another system within this framework has created additional smaller regions, of which the principal ones are Hokuriku, Kansai, Sanin, San’yō, Tōkai, and the Tōkyō To or Metropolitan Area. In 1871 Meiji legal and structural reforms abolished old domains and provinces, replacing them with the current prefectural structure. However, certain names of old provinces lent themselves to names used by railways, and to that extent, they are incorporated herein with a notation (hist.)

Bantan 播但 = Railway term of regional connotation derived from the former Harima (播磨) and Tajima (但馬) provinces in Hyōgo Prefecture; from first kanji of each name (hist.).

Bōsō 房総 = Peninsula on which Chiba Prefecture is located

-bu 武 = Railway name suffix connoting proximity to the former feudal province of Musashi (武蔵) where present day Tōkyō, Saitama, and Eastern Kanagawa are located (e. g. Kōbu, Seibu, Sōbu, & Tōbu Tetsudō).

Cho, -cho 町 = Town, syn. “machi” (smaller than “-shi”)

Chū 中 = middle, central, trough, see naka

Chūbu 中部 = Region consisting of the Prefectures of Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Yamanashi

Chūgoku 中国 = (lit. “Midlands”) Region consisting of the Prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi

Dai, tai 大 = Great, greater

Dō 道 = Way, both in the sense of road or route (see Tokaidō, Tetsudō) or way of thought (Bushi = warrior: Bushidō = “Way of the warrior”, “fighting spirit”); also a political/governmental/ judicial “circuit”

-etsu 越 = Suffix denoting the area comprising the former Echigo Province used in railway names (e.g., Shin’etsu, Ganetsu)

Gawa, Kawa 川 = River

Goku 国 = see Koku

Hanshin 阪神 = Ōsaka–Kōbe area

Hantō 半島 = Peninsula

Higashi 東 (alt. “Tō-”) = East, Eastern

Ho-, Hok- 北 = Prefix denoting north or northern, see also Kita

Hokkaidō 北海道 = (lit. “The North Sea Circuit”) Second largest and northernmost of the four principal islands of Japan. Compare with “Tōkaidō.”

Hokuriku 北陸 = Region consisting of the Prefectures of Fukui, Ishikawa, and Toyama

Honshū 本州 = (lit. “Main Province”) The “mainland” or largest island of Japan

Izu 伊豆 = Peninsula south of Mt. Fuji and the city of Numazu

Kai 海 = Sea

Kaikyō 海峡 = Straits

Kanhasshū 関八州 = The eight Kantō Provinces (hist.)

Kansai 関西 = (lit. “Gateway West”) Ōsaka, Kyōto, Kōbe region

Kantō 関東 = (lit. “Gateway East”) Region consisting of the Prefectures of Chiba, Gumma/ Gunma, Kanagawa, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tochigi, and Tōkyō

Keihin 京浜 = Tōkyō–Yokohama district (alt. pron. of last two kanji of each name)

Ken, -ken 県 = Prefecture, suffix for “prefecture”

Kii 紀伊 = Peninsula on which Wakayama Prefecture is located

Kinki 近畿 = Region consisting of the Prefectures of Hyōgo, Kyōto, Mie, Nara, Ōsaka, Shiga, and Wakayama

Kisokaidō 木曽街道 = (lit. “The Kiso Route”) Historically, the second principal roadway of Japan, secondary to the Tokaidō, running along the Kiso River Valley

Kita 北 (alt. “Ho-” “Hok-”) = North, northern

Ko 子 = Little, lesser

Koku, goku 国 = Land, Country, Province, see also Kuni

-Ku 区 = City ward or precinct

Kuni 国 = Country, Province (in pre-Meiji times)

Kyūshū 九州 = (lit. “Nine Provinces”) The third largest of the islands constituting Japan, the southernmost of the four principal islands, from the nine former historical provinces found there

Machi, -machi 町 = Town (smaller than “–shi” syn. “chō”)

Minami 南 (alt. “Nan”) = South, southern

Mura, -mura 村 = Village (smaller than ‘-cho’ or ‘-machi’)

Naka 中 = Middle, central, through, see also Chū

Nakasendō 中仙道 = (lit. “The way through the mountains”) Secondary important principal route between Kyōto and Tōkyō, taking an inland route via mountain passes.

Nan- 南 = Prefix denoting south or southern, see also Minami

Nishi 西 = (alt. “-sai”) West, western

Noto 能登 = Peninsula on the northern (Sea of Japan) side of central Honshu

Onsen 温泉 = Hot springs, warm springs, spa

Sai, sei 西 = West, western, see also Nishi

San 山 = see Yama

San’in 山陰 = Region consisting of the Prefectures of Shimane, Tottori, and that part of Yamaguchi Prefecture facing the Sea of Japan.

San’yō 山陽 = Region consisting of the Prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama and that part of Yamaguchi Prefecture facing the Inland Sea.

Shi, -shi 市 = City (larger than “-machi”)

Shikoku 四国 = (lit. “Four Provinces”) Smallest of the four major Japanese Islands, facing the Inland Sea; from the four provinces into which it was formerly divided.

Shima 島 = Island (alt. Jima)

Shimokita 下北 = Eastern peninsula at the northern tip of Honshu

Shinshū 信州 = Nagano prefecture region

Shū 州 = Province

Tani 谷 = Valley

To 都 = Capital, metropolis, metropolitan

Tō- 東 = Prefix denoting East, Eastern, see Higashi

Tōhoku 東北 = (lit. “EastNorth” i.e. “the Northeast”) Region consisting of the Prefectures of Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata

Tōkai 東海 = “East Sea” region consisting of the Prefectures of Aichi, Gifu, Mie, and Shizuoka

Tōkaidō 東海道 = (lit. “The East Sea Circuit”) Historically, the principal road connecting the two most populous areas of Japan (Kansai and Kantō) leading east from the old Imperial capital of Kyōto to the Shogun’s capital of Edō (now Tōkyō), following a coastal route; the regions along the Tokaidō road or a route or rail line following the Tokaidō road.

“Tōkyō To” 東京都 or Tōkyō Metropolitan Area = Region consisting of the Prefectures of Chiba, southern Ibaraki, Kanagawa, and Saitama under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Tōkyō

Tsugaru 津軽 = Western peninsula at the northern tip of Honshu, straits between Honshu and Hokkaidō

Wan 湾 = Bay

Yama 山 (alt. San) = Mountain(s)