Origin of Tokyo prefectural name
TOKYO – East Imperial Capital 東京都 Out of all the 47 prefectural names, Tokyo (東京) and Kyoto (京都) are the easiest to understand in meaning. The 京 (kyo) kanji character…
Origin of Chiba prefectural name
CHIBA – Thousand Leaves 千葉県 As a place name, “Chiba” has been around since the 9th century. The oldest known document in which it appears is the Man’yōshū book of…
Origin of Saitama prefectural name
SAITAMA – Divine Spirit of Happiness 埼玉県 Although it is basically known where the name “Saitama” came from (a village named “Sakitama” in present-day Gyoda city), the actual meaning remains…
Origin of Gunma prefectural name
GUNMA – Herd of Horses 群馬県 “Gunma” is one of only four prefectural names that includes an animal (other three are Tottori, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima). ・”Gunma” likely originated from local…
Origin of Tochigi prefectural name
TOCHIGI – Horse Chestnut Tree 栃木県 No one knows for sure how the name Tochigi originated. The name “Tochigi” appeared as early as 1394 when Tochigi Castle was built by…
Origin of Ibaraki prefectural name
IBARAKI – Thorny Castle 茨城県 The name “Ibaraki” has been around as the name of a district even before the old Hitachi Province was established in the 7th century in…
Dragons in Japan
Wishing you the best in 2024, the Year of the Dragon. My heart goes out to people in Ishikawa (especially Noto Peninsula) and Toyama Prefectures starting off the new year…
Asakusa Sensoji New Year’s Day worship 2024
🎍On January 1, 2024, I went to Sensoji Temple (浅草寺) in Asakusa, Tokyo’s most famous Buddhist temple and one of the most popular places in Japan for hatsumode (初詣) or…
Origin of Fukushima prefectural name
FUKUSHIMA – Good Fortune Island 福島県 The “Fukushima” name came from Suginome Castle (杉妻城 or 杉目城) after it was renamed “Fukushima Castle” (福島城) by the Gamo Clan castle lord. No…
Origin of Niigata prefectural name
NIIGATA – New Inlet 新潟県 There are two leading theories about the origin of the Niigata name. Theory 1: The origin dates back to the 16th century and likely refers…