The Kanto region

Author: Edutraveller
Date written: 04/18/2003 08:01:37 PM
Last edited: 2003/05/04 12:44:11
Keywords: Japan regional guide, Kanto, Tokyo, Tokyo guide, Kanto guide

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Kanto

The Kanto region. Centred around Tokyo and Yokohama, Kanto combines one of the most densely populated metropolitan areas in the world with traditional countryside.

To most people Kanto is synonymous with Tokyo, but there is a lot more to this region than just the capital of Japan. Composed of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi prefectures and the metropolis of Tokyo, Kanto combines skyscrapers and rice fields in the usual Japanese eclectic mix. Edo, as Tokyo used to be known, only gained prominence from the seventeenth century when Tokugawa Ieyasu made it his capital. Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, however, Edo flourished and at the end of the nineteenth century was the largest city in the world with over one million inhabitants. It never became the Imperial capital though until the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, the Tokyo of today is a modern metropolis second to none.

Outside of Tokyo, there is a wealth of history and character to discover. Take a little time to venture down to the Izu Peninsula (in fact part of Chubu), perhaps even to one of the islands just south of Tokyo Bay, for some of the finest onsen in Japan, or north of the city for Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture and its incomparable architecture - unique even within Japan. To the west is Hakone and of course Mount Fuji, which can be climbed by the adventurous (and fit) or just enjoyed from the rotenburo at your favourite hot spring resort. To the east, Chiba has Tokyo Disneyland for those feeling the need for roller coasters and some Americana.

Kanto is also home to the largest concentration of universities and schools in Japan. The quality is highly variable, so prior research is vital. Prices for universities and schools are not that different to the rest of the country, but the cost of living and studying in Tokyo proper is more than in the surrounding areas. If you want to be near the city, you don't have to study in it. Even if you decide not to study in Tokyo, don't let the prices or image put you off. It's well worth a visit and few are disappointed with the experience.

Getting there

Tokyo has Japan's main international airport, so you will have no trouble finding flights to the city - probably to Narita (NRT) Airport, but perhaps to Tokyo Haneda (HND). From Tokyo, you can easily get to any part of the country, but since a lot of places that visitors to Japan want to see are in the west, transport costs can be expensive. The Tokaido line runs from Tokyo to Osaka providing access to that part of the country, and other lines run to the north and to the Japan Sea coast. If you are intending to go to Hokkaido or to Kyushu, consider getting a flight.

From other parts of Japan, finding trains and flights to Tokyo is easy. Another route to consider is taking a ferry along the coast. In summer this is a slightly different way of seeing the coast of Japan. If you do arrive by air, there are several train and bus services from Narita and from Haneda to either Tokyo or Shinjuku stations, among other locations. From either of these two transportation hubs, you can get virtually anywhere in the city.

Weather

Average temperatures in the Kanto region (click for larger image)

Average rainfall in the Kanto region (click for larger image)

The temperatures for Tokyo are largely representative for the Kanto region as a whole, but note that the higher you get, the lower the temperature will be. If you head up into the mountains of Gunma or Saitama, temperatures will be lower. As with the rest of Japan, summers are fairly hot and humid (in degrees centrigrade, in the thirties), and quite cold in the winter. It very rarely snows in Tokyo, and even when it does it almost never settles. The period July-August is the hottest and combined with the typhoon season this is probably not the best time to see Japan - but if you are in the city there are plenty of air-conditioned buildings to retreat to, or you can head for the cooler air of the mountains.

Average sunshine in the Kanto region (click for larger image)

As ever, remember the monsoon season if you are intending to be outside a lot. However, in major cities such as Tokyo, where you will be travelling mostly by underground train or bus, you will be less affected than the countryside. Kanto is usually worst hit by typhoons in the August-September period - slightly later than the southern part of the country - so take this into consideration when planning your trip. See the main page on weather for general details.

Tokyo

A brief list of some of the main things to see in Tokyo itself.

Imperial Palace:
Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace East Garden, Kitanomaru Koen, Yasukuni Jinja.
Tsukuji:
Fish Market, Tsukuji Hongan-ji, Namiyoke jinja, Hama-rikyu Onshi-teien
Ueno:
Ueno koen, Shitamachi History Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Tokyo National Museum, National Science Museum, National Museum of Western Art, Ameyoko Arcade
Shinjuku:
Togo Seiji Art Museum, Sumitomo Building, Shinjuku NS Building, Tokyo Met Govt Offices, Kabukicho, Kinokuniya, Mitsukoshi/Times Square, Isetan Dept store and museum, Tokyo Kaisen Ichiba, Koma Theatre, Virtual Theatre
Harajuku/Aoyama:
Meiji-jingu, Yoyogi Koen, Ota Memorial Art Museum, Nezu Fine Art Museum
Ikebukuro:
Tokyo Met Art Space, Metropolitan plaza, Tobu Dept Store, Seibu Dept Store, Sezon Museum of Art, Sunshine City, Toyota Amlux
Kanda:
Akihabara, Yushima Seido, Transportation Museum, Jimbocho
Ginza:
Mitsukoshi, Wako, Matsuya, Sony Building, Idemitsu Art Museum, Japan Sake Center, Nikon Salon, Contax Gallery, Art Museum Ginza, World Magazine Gallery, Kabuki-za Theatre, Hachikan Jinja, Hibiya Koen
Tokyo Station:
Mitsukoshi, Yaesu Arcade, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Kite Museum, Yamatane Museum of Art, Bridgestone Museum of Art, Tokyo International Forum

Outside Tokyo

Harvested rise steams in the cool morning air.

To the south of Tokyo is Kanagawa Prefecture and the Izu Peninsula. Kanagawa Prefecture contains the cities of Kawasaki and Yokohama, which effectively blend into the urban sprawl of Tokyo. Yokohama is well worth a visit, even if just for its Chinatown and excellent shops and restaurants. A little further south again, on the coast, lie Enoshima and Kamakura. Kamakura was at one time the head of the Kamakura bakufu or shogunate from 1185 to 1333; there are enough sights to keep you occupied here and on Enoshima for a day trip from Tokyo or for an overnight stay. A little further south is the Izu Peninsula, with perhaps the most popular onsen (hot spring) resorts in Japan. Hakone, Hakodate, Shimoda and Atsumi are all popular. If you have time, take a ferry from Tokyo, Yokohama or Atami for Ooshima and the islands of the Izu Islands.

Yokohama:
China Town, Sankei-en, Minato Mirai/Landmark Tower, Silk Museum, Doll Museum, Museum of Art, Hakeijima Sea Paradise, Wild Blue Yokohama
Kamakura:
Engakuji, Tokeiji, Jochi ji, Kencho ji, Enno ji, Hachiman-gu, National Treasure Museum, Daibutsu, Hase dera
Enoshima:
Watersports in summer, temples dedicated to Benten, one of the seven Gods of Good Luck, and botanical garden
Mashiko:
traditional pottery works
Nikko:
unique architecture and temples
Hakone:
entrance to Izu Peninsula, hot springs
Mount Fuji:
Symbol of Japan, hiking around the mountain and five lakes

PHOTO GALLERY

Click photos for larger pictures.

The symbol of Okinawa Prefecture. The circles represent the ocean, peace and development (from outermost to innermost)

OKINAWAN HISTORY

The Okinawan people resemble the Japanese closely, and the local dialect is clearly similar to Japanese (but they are not mutually intelligible). They are probably the descendants of southeast asian and Japanese who migrated to the islands in prehistoric times. Pottery and human remains indicate that the islands may have been inhabited from up to one million years ago.

From the early seventh century, the people of the "Southern Islands" paid tribute to the Japanese Imperial Court. This seems to have continued, but by the early fourteenth century, the three kingdoms (Hokuzan, Chuzan, and Nanzan) are recorded as paying tribute also to the Ming Court in China. A century later, Sho Hashi conquered his neighbours to the north and south and united the islands for the first time. The kingdom traded with Southeast Asia, Korea, China and Japan, absorbing cultural influences from all these sources. However, the islands seem to have maintained a measure of independence by virtue of distance, and when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the kingdom to support his ill-fated campaign in Korea in 1592 the kingdom ignored him.

This independence ended in 1609 with the arrival of the Satsuma family from mainland Japan. Ichisa Shimazu of Satsuma sent 3,000 troops to the Ryukyu Kingdom and began strict control of all trade in accordance with the Tokugawa Shogunate's control of interaction between Japan and the outside world. With the ending of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Meiji Restoration in Japan in 1868, the Meiji Government formally abolished the Kingdom of the Ryukyus and set up a feudal system (the Ryukyu Han) which they then replaced with the Prefectural system that exists today.

There was still many who were not keen on the idea of being part of Japan, and the Chinese Empire which also had close historic ties with Okinawa protested the incorporation of Okinawa into Japan. The issue was resolved through the mediation of the American President, and the pro-CHina lobby lost much of its influence with the Japanese victory in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894.

In the Second World War, Okinawa was a highly strategic location which the Allies regarded as essential for an invasion of the Japanese mainland. In October 1944, much of Naha was destroyed by American bombers, and the islands were invaded in early 1945 in one of the bloodiest campaigns of the war. Over 260,000 people (many of them civilians) died over a period of three months. With the Allied victory, General MacArthur, US General in command of the occupying US forces, separated the Ryukyus and Japan into separate administrations. Okinawa thus remained under separate US control, which was confirmed with the 1951 San Francisco peace treaty. On May 15th 1972 the islands reverted to Japanese administration, but US forces continue to maintain many bases and training areas, and significant forces, on the Okinawan islands. Today, the continued American military presence in Okinawa and other parts of Japan still causes problems at times but is balanced with a general awareness of the importance of the bases for the Okinawan economy.