The Kanto region is located in the center of Honshu, and refers to the regions of Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, and Ibaraki prefectures, including Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
The Kanto region, which houses the capital Tokyo, is the center of Japan's politics and economy, and one-third of Japan's total population is concentrated.
Narita International Airport, the gateway to Japan's sky, is located in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture, and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) is located in Ota Ward, Tokyo.
The map of the Kanto region is as follows.
The charm of the Kanto region
The Kanto region is the heart of Japan, with Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
The Kanto region, which is located in the center of the Japanese archipelago and Honshu, is easily accessible from both inside and outside Japan, and is full of attractive tourist destinations.
In the capital Tokyo, you can eat delicious foods from all over the country due to the latest trends.
In prefectures far from Tokyo, you can enjoy abundant nature, hot springs, and exquisite gourmet food. It can be said that the Kanto region is a region where everything is within reach.
Tokyo, the capital of Japan
Tokyo is a world-famous metropolis.
It will be the center of all aspects of Japan's politics, economy, culture and sports.
Since it is a big city, it is not suitable for enjoying the natural landscape, but Tokyo is the best place to enjoy cultural facilities such as art galleries and museums.
State-of-the-art building
Tokyo is a treasure trove of state-of-the-art buildings such as the world's tallest radio tower "Tokyo Sky Tree", huge skyscrapers, and the Rainbow Bridge that shines at night in Tokyo.
Illuminated Tokyo Sky Tree
A large collection of delicious foods from all over Japan
From Japanese food such as sushi, tempura and sukiyaki to French, Italian and Chinese food, Tokyo has a collection of delicious food from all over the world.
You can also enjoy popular ramen and soba noodles.
Popular sushi
Many museums
There are many museums operated by the national government such as the National New Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the Suntory Museum, and the Ghibli Museum Mitaka.
There are many museums such as the National Science Museum, Tokyo National Museum, Edo Tokyo Museum, museums operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, subway museums, Tobu Museum, and other privately owned museums.
Tokyo is the perfect place to experience Japanese art and culture.
World's most advanced railway
Japan, including the Shinkansen, is a country with the world's highest level railway system.
Tokyo has a vast subway network that runs through the mesh, and you will be amazed at its accurate operation.
Tohoku Shinkansen "Super Komachi"
Besides this, there are many other attractions in Tokyo.
6 prefectures in the Kanto region other than Tokyo
Yokohama City in Kanagawa Prefecture, Saitama City in Saitama Prefecture, and Chiba City in Chiba Prefecture, which surround Tokyo, are also big cities.
However, the farther away you are from Tokyo, the less the scenery of the city becomes, and the more you can see the peaceful countryside.
Local food
While Tokyo has a collection of delicious foods from all over the world and Japan, the six prefectures in the Kanto region other than Tokyo have foods that are unique to that region.
Ibaraki Prefecture
After all, "natto" is famous.
There are many foreigners who avoid the peculiar stickiness and smell, but when it comes to natto, natto is so famous that it is said to be in Ibaraki prefecture.
In addition to natto, Ibaraki Prefecture's representative winter taste "Anko Nabe", dried sweet potatoes "dried potatoes", and fruit "melon" are famous.
Ibaraki Prefecture's specialty "natto"
Chiba prefecture
Chiba Prefecture faces the Pacific Ocean in the east and Tokyo Bay in the west, and is rich in seafood.
Namero, a dish made by tapping blue fish such as horse mackerel and adding condiments such as miso, soy sauce, green onions and ginger, is famous as a local dish.
"Peanuts" are a specialty of agricultural products.
Chiba Prefecture's specialty "Namero"
Kanagawa Prefecture
Facing the Pacific Ocean and Tokyo Bay in Kanagawa Prefecture, it is rich in seafood.
Known as a specialty of Kamakura, Enoshima, and Chigasaki is the Shirasu-don, which is topped with fry of sardines.
In Odawara City, "Kamaboko" made from minced fish is famous.
In addition, Yokohama Chinatown is one of Japan's three major Chinatowns, where you can eat authentic Chinese food.
Kanagawa Prefecture's specialty "Shirasu-don"
Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture has its own udon culture, and you can eat udon everywhere.
In particular, there is udon noodles made by boiling wide noodles called "Okkiri Komi" with seasonal vegetables.
In addition to "Okkirikomi", "Cold soup udon" with summer vegetables and ice and a refreshing flavor like summer, and "Tsukemeju udon" which is eaten with warm sweet and spicy soup are also famous.
Saitama Prefecture's specialty "Okirikomi"
Tochigi Prefecture
Speaking of Tochigi prefecture, "Utsunomiya dumplings" are famous.
There is a statue of dumplings in front of Utsunomiya station, and when it comes to dumplings, it is a dumpling known as "Utsunomiya dumplings".
In addition, "Sano Ramen" in Sano City is famous as a local ramen because of its light soy sauce flavor.
Tochigi Prefecture's specialty "Utsunomiya dumplings"
Gunma Prefecture
Like Saitama prefecture, Gunma prefecture is famous for udon noodles, and the "Okkiri Komi" introduced in Saitama prefecture is also a specialty.
In addition, Mizusawa Udon, a specialty of Ikaho, Shibukawa City, which is one of the three major udon noodles in Japan, and the wide noodles that are transmitted around Kiryu City with a thickness of 1 mm and, depending on the store, are about 10 cm thick. There is also a famous udon called "Himokawa Udon".
In addition, Gunma Prefecture has the highest production of konjac in Japan, and konjac dishes cooked by various methods such as sashimi, oden, and Miso Dengaku are also famous.
Gunma Prefecture's specialty "Mizusawa Udon"
Saitama, Tochigi, and Gunma prefectures are so-called "sealess prefectures" that do not face the sea.
Therefore, cooking that processed agricultural products such as wheat, not seafood, has developed.
Lots of theme parks and amusement parks
Due to the large population of the Kanto region, including Tokyo, there are many theme parks and amusement parks.
The most famous is "Tokyo Disney Resort" in Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan's largest theme park.
Composed of "Tokyo Disneyland" and "Tokyo DisneySea," the total number of visitors to both parks exceeds 30 million annually, making it one of the world's leading theme parks.
In addition, in Tokyo, "Sanrio Puroland" in Tama City, "Yomiuri Land" in Inagi City, "Tokyo Dome City Attractions" in Bunkyo Ward, "Legoland Discovery Center Tokyo" in Minato Ward, and "KidZania" in Koto Ward. There are many other theme parks and amusement parks such as "Tokyo".
In addition to "Tokyo Disney Resort", "Tokyo German Village" in Sodegaura City and "Mother Farm" in Futtsu City are famous in Chiba Prefecture.
In Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama City's "Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise" and "Yokohama Cosmo World" and Sagamihara City's "Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest" are famous.
In Saitama Prefecture, "Seibuen Amusement Park" in Tokorozawa City and "Tobu Zoo" in Miyashiro Town are famous.
In Tochigi Prefecture, "Nasu Highland Park" in Nasu Town and "Twin Ring Motegi" in Motegi Town are famous.
In Gunma Prefecture, Maebashi City's "Luna Park" and Tsumagoi Village's "Karuizawa Toy Kingdom" are famous.
In Ibaraki Prefecture, "Hitachi Kamine Park" in Hitachi City and "Komorebi Mori no Ibaride" in Inashiki City are famous.
In addition to this, there are still many theme park amusement parks in the Kanto region.
Tokyo Disneyland in Chiba Prefecture
Lots of famous hot spring resorts
The Kanto region has a strong image of the city, including Tokyo, but there are famous hot spring areas mainly in the northern part of the Kanto region.
"Kusatsu Onsen" in Gunma Prefecture is one of the three famous hot springs in Japan, and is one of the most popular hot springs in Japan, boasting the largest amount of natural springs in Japan and the abundant amount of hot water.
"Nasu Onsen" in Tochigi Prefecture is a popular hot spring where you can enjoy sightseeing together with the hot springs. It takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes by Shinkansen and bus from Tokyo, and about 2 hours by car, so you can easily go from the city center.
In the same Tochigi prefecture, "Kinugawa Onsen" is lined with hot spring inns along the Kinugawa valley, and you can enjoy the hot springs together with sightseeing in Nikko. It is convenient to access by train from Shinjuku or Asakusa in Tokyo in about 2 hours. But it is gaining popularity.
"Ikaho Onsen" in Gunma Prefecture is a hot spring resort where you can enjoy walking in the retro hot spring town with the stone steps as a symbol.
"Hakone Yumoto Onsen" in Kanagawa Prefecture has a history of 1200 years and has been developing hot springs as sightseeing since the Edo period. It is conveniently located about 85 minutes by Odakyu Romance Car from Shinjuku in Tokyo.
There are many other hot spring areas in the Kanto region, which are visited by many tourists.
"Yubatake", the symbol of Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma Prefecture
The Kanto region is the gateway to Japan and is visited by many foreigners.
Not only the cityscape of Tokyo, but also other prefectures have a lot of charm.
I would like you to go a little further and enjoy various places in the Kanto region.