Japan's Prefectures - A Basic Quiz | Geography

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The largest of the prefectures in area is the only one that encompasses one of the four main islands. Name it.

Answer: Hokkaido

Thirty-four of the prefectures are on the main island of Honshu. Seven are on Kyushu, and four are on Shikoku.

Hokkaido, at 83,453 sq. km, is the 21st largest island in the world. Its northern latitude brings mild summers and Siberian winters. Sapporo is the largest city, and is host to a Snow Festival where buildings, cartoon characters, and famous Japanese people are carved out of massive piles of snow.

2. Which two prefectures suffered attacks from atomic bombs during World War II?

Answer: Hiroshima and Nagasaki

On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb over the center of Hiroshima City in Hiroshima Prefecture. Over 80,000 people died from the blast, and thousands perished after due to radiation sickness. On August 9, the port of Nagasaki in Nagasaki Prefecture also was bombed, resulting in tens of thousands more casualties.

Both cities have a Peace Park and devote themselves to educating people about the horrors of nuclear war and vow to eliminate nuclear weapons. Please visit the Atomic Dome in Hiroshima, one of the few buildings to survive the blast near Ground Zero. Hiroshima is also known for its delicious oysters. Nagasaki is a beautiful port city with Chinese, Japanese, and Dutch influences.

3. Nagano Prefecture, nestled in the Japan Alps, hosted an important event in 1998. What was it?

Answer: Winter Olympics

Nagano City hosted the second Winter Olympics (the first was in Sapporo, Hokkaido) for Japan. It took advantage of its existing winter sports resort towns, like Karuizawa and Hakuba, to secure its bid.

Its major sightseeing spot is Zenkoji (Zenko Temple), which was used as the media center for major networks during the Olympics, an unusual move since its main hall is a National Treasure and its gate is an Important Cultural Property.

4. Aichi Prefecture was not a familiar name to people outside Japan until it held the 2005 World Expo. What is the third largest metropolitan area in Japan and Aichi's capital?

Answer: Nagoya

Aichi Prefecture is not only home of Nagoya, but also the main headquarters of Toyota Motors.

Nagoya City boasts a castle adorned with a pair of beautiful golden orca ornaments, called shachi. Atsuta Shrine is the home of the Sacred Sword, one of the three Imperial regalia. Meiji-Mura is an open-air architectural museum that displays Western-style buildings from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s, including the lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright's Tokyo Imperial Hotel.

5. Hyogo Prefecture, which touches both the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, isn't a household name for the Japan novice. However, its capital is famous for melt-in-your-mouth beef, a devastating earthquake in 1995, and being one of the first ports opened to the West in 1868. Can you guess Hyogo's prefecture's largest city?

Answer: Kobe

Kobe Beef's genetic stock comes from cows raised in Tajima, in central Hyogo. Although the earthquake damaged many old sections of the city, most of the historic Western homes (Ijinkan) on the slopes of the Kitano neighborhood escaped with minor damage. They make a lovely walking tour, followed by an afternoon of browsing the many European bakeries and an evening of jazz at one of the many live bars.

Hyogo is also the place where you can also find Himeji Castle and the Akashi Straits Bridge, one of the world's longest and tallest suspension bridges.

6. To-Do-Fu-Ken refers to the four classifications of prefectures in Japan. "-To" is a metropolis, and is used only for Tokyo. Which two cities are classified as "-fu," or urban prefectures? (Hint: One is "Japan's Kitchen" and Tokyo's rival; the other is the center of traditional culture).

Answer: Osaka and Kyoto

Kyoto is one of the most visited Japanese destinations for foreign visitors. They flock to see ancient temples, snap a picture of a geiko (the Kyoto word for geisha), and stroll along Philosopher's Walk during cherry blossom season.

Osaka is your "kuidaore" (eat till you drop) city, with gastronomic delights like okonomiyaki (a pancake filled with vegetables, meat and seafood), takoyaki (octopus dumplings), and kushikatsu (assorted foods skewered, breaded, and deep-fried).

7. Which prefecture was once an independent kingdom that had tributary relations with China, and traded goods at faraway ports all over Southeast Asia?

Answer: Okinawa

The Ryukyu Kingdom once prospered from its trading of silks, porcelains, and lacquerware. During the Edo Period, the Shimazu Clan (today's Kagoshima Prefecture) took over the island sovereign. It was incorporated into Japan during the Meiji Period.

In 1945, it became the only battlefield on Japanese soil. The Battle of Okinawa left thousands of Japanese casualties, both military and civilian. America later took over Okinawa and it remained an American territory until 1972. It developed into a popular vacation spot because of its subtropical climate, but it has also been home to the majority of U.S. bases in Japan.

8. Shikoku, the smallest of the four major islands, means "four provinces." Which four prefectures make up this region?

Answer: Ehime, Kagawa, Tokushima, and Kochi

Ehime and Kagawa Prefectures face the Seto Inland Sea, which flows between Honshu and Shikoku. Tokushima and Kochi face the Pacific Ocean.

Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Miyazaki are found on the island of Kyushu.

Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and Shimane are found on the west end of Honshu in the Chugoku Region.

Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Ibaraki are located around Tokyo on the Kanto Plain in central Honshu. Tokyo Disneyland is, oddly enough, found in Chiba Prefecture.

9. Let's say you want to see the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) statue in Todaiji (Todai Temple). After all, it sits in one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. Which prefecture would you visit? (This was Japan's ancient capital from 710 to 784.)

Answer: Nara

The Daibutsu isn't the only reason to visit Nara. Feed the deer in the surrounding park. They are so used to people that they will even bow to you before accepting crackers. Horyuji (Horyu Temple) boasts one of the oldest wooden buildings in the world, and its treasure repository houses many National Treasures.

10. Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost prefecture on the island of Honshu, is the country's leading grower of a certain fruit. New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest United States are also major producers. Which fruit is it?

Answer: apple

In 2005, Aomori produced over 50% of Japan's apples, making it number one at the time. It is also the top grower of garlic and top harvester of squid in the nation.

I hope you enjoyed this journey through Japan's to-do-fu-ken. I hope you'll visit someday and experience these cultural places. Jya, mata ne! (See you later!)

Source: Author lykita

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Japan's Prefectures - A Basic Quiz

There are 47 to-do-fu-ken (prefectures) in Japan. Like the 50 states of the U.S., each has its own character. Have fun learning about some of the most famous prefectures!

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