Japan Prefectures Map Quiz at a Glance
Japan has 47 prefectures. The Japan Prefectures Map Quiz is a free game from DodoThinks: a prefecture is named and you click it on a blank map of Japan. A second round names one of the 17 prefectural capitals with a different name (Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Kobe) and you find its prefecture. The list of all 47 with capitals and regions is below the map. No sign-up.
- Prefectures
- 47
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Largest
- Hokkaido, about a fifth of Japan
- Smallest
- Kagawa (1,877 km²)
- Most people
- Tokyo (about 14 million)
- Regions
- 8, from Hokkaido to Kyushu
How to Play the Japan Prefectures Map Quiz
- Before you start, tap any prefecture to see its name, or press "Show names" to label them all.
- Pick a round: Prefectures names each of the 47, Capitals names a capital such as Sendai or Kobe and you click its prefecture, and Whole map asks all 47.
- Okinawa sits in a box in the corner, as on Japanese school maps: its islands are far to the south west.
- After each answer the right prefecture lights up, so a mistake still teaches you where it is.
To, do, fu and ken
The 47 prefectures are of four kinds in Japanese: one metropolis, Tokyo-to; one circuit, Hokkaido; two urban prefectures, Osaka-fu and Kyoto-fu; and 43 prefectures, or ken, such as Aichi-ken. In English all of them are called prefectures.
Capitals with another name
In most prefectures the capital shares its name (Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Okayama). In 17 it does not, and they are a classic test: 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), Naha (Okinawa). Tokyo's government sits in Shinjuku.
Biggest and smallest
Hokkaido is by far the largest prefecture, about a fifth of the country, but has only about 5 million people. Tokyo has the most, about 14 million. Kagawa, on Shikoku, is the smallest by area, and Tottori has the fewest people.
The 47 prefectures of Japan
In JIS order, from 01 Hokkaido to 47 Okinawa, with each prefecture's capital and region.
| # | Prefecture | Capital | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hokkaido | Sapporo | Hokkaido |
| 2 | Aomori | Aomori | Tohoku |
| 3 | Iwate | Morioka | Tohoku |
| 4 | Miyagi | Sendai | Tohoku |
| 5 | Akita | Akita | Tohoku |
| 6 | Yamagata | Yamagata | Tohoku |
| 7 | Fukushima | Fukushima | Tohoku |
| 8 | Ibaraki | Mito | Kanto |
| 9 | Tochigi | Utsunomiya | Kanto |
| 10 | Gunma | Maebashi | Kanto |
| 11 | Saitama | Saitama | Kanto |
| 12 | Chiba | Chiba | Kanto |
| 13 | Tokyo | Tokyo (Shinjuku) | Kanto |
| 14 | Kanagawa | Yokohama | Kanto |
| 15 | Niigata | Niigata | Chubu |
| 16 | Toyama | Toyama | Chubu |
| 17 | Ishikawa | Kanazawa | Chubu |
| 18 | Fukui | Fukui | Chubu |
| 19 | Yamanashi | Kofu | Chubu |
| 20 | Nagano | Nagano | Chubu |
| 21 | Gifu | Gifu | Chubu |
| 22 | Shizuoka | Shizuoka | Chubu |
| 23 | Aichi | Nagoya | Chubu |
| 24 | Mie | Tsu | Kansai |
| 25 | Shiga | Otsu | Kansai |
| 26 | Kyoto | Kyoto | Kansai |
| 27 | Osaka | Osaka | Kansai |
| 28 | Hyogo | Kobe | Kansai |
| 29 | Nara | Nara | Kansai |
| 30 | Wakayama | Wakayama | Kansai |
| 31 | Tottori | Tottori | Chugoku |
| 32 | Shimane | Matsue | Chugoku |
| 33 | Okayama | Okayama | Chugoku |
| 34 | Hiroshima | Hiroshima | Chugoku |
| 35 | Yamaguchi | Yamaguchi | Chugoku |
| 36 | Tokushima | Tokushima | Shikoku |
| 37 | Kagawa | Takamatsu | Shikoku |
| 38 | Ehime | Matsuyama | Shikoku |
| 39 | Kochi | Kochi | Shikoku |
| 40 | Fukuoka | Fukuoka | Kyushu and Okinawa |
| 41 | Saga | Saga | Kyushu and Okinawa |
| 42 | Nagasaki | Nagasaki | Kyushu and Okinawa |
| 43 | Kumamoto | Kumamoto | Kyushu and Okinawa |
| 44 | Oita | Oita | Kyushu and Okinawa |
| 45 | Miyazaki | Miyazaki | Kyushu and Okinawa |
| 46 | Kagoshima | Kagoshima | Kyushu and Okinawa |
| 47 | Okinawa | Naha | Kyushu and Okinawa |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many prefectures are there in Japan?
47: one metropolis (Tokyo), one circuit (Hokkaido), two urban prefectures (Osaka and Kyoto) and 43 other prefectures.
What are the prefectures with a capital of another name?
Hokkaido: Sapporo; Iwate: Morioka; Miyagi: Sendai; Ibaraki: Mito; Tochigi: Utsunomiya; Gunma: Maebashi; Kanagawa: Yokohama; Ishikawa: Kanazawa; Yamanashi: Kofu; Aichi: Nagoya; Mie: Tsu; Shiga: Otsu; Hyogo: Kobe; Shimane: Matsue; Kagawa: Takamatsu; Ehime: Matsuyama; Okinawa: Naha.
Which is the largest prefecture of Japan?
Hokkaido, the northern island, about a fifth of Japan's land. Kagawa is the smallest.
What are the 8 regions of Japan?
Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa.
What is the capital of Japan?
Tokyo. Its government buildings are in Shinjuku.
Made by Kashif Sulehria in Lahore, Pakistan. Updated October 31, 2026.