Big Three plum blossoms in eastern Tokyo
In eastern Tokyo (the area near Tokyo Skytree), there is a trio of major plum blossom spots: Kameido Tenjin Shrine (亀戸天神社), Omurai Katori Shrine Kobaien Plum Garden (小村井香取神社 香梅園), and…
Origin of Fukui prefectural name
FUKUI – Good Fortune Well 福井県 Fukui Prefecture was named after a water well named “Fuku-no-i” or “Good Fortune Well” (福の井) at Fukui Castle in central Fukui city. This well…
Origin of Ishikawa prefectural name
ISHIKAWA – Stone River 石川県 Ishikawa was named after Tedori River (手取川) whose ancient name was “Ishikawa.” The upper reaches of the river was known to have many rocks and…
Origin of Toyama prefectural name
TOYAMA – Bountiful Mountain 富山県 “Toyama” first appeared in writing as early as 1398. At the time, the kanji characters were 外山 meaning “Outer Mountain.” The document was a donation…
Origin of Gifu prefectural name
GIFU – Crossroads Hill 岐阜県 The leading theory or popular belief is that warlord Oda Nobunaga, during his unsuccessful quest to conquer and unify Japan, renamed the castle town of…
Origin of Aichi prefectural name
AICHI – Beloved Wisdom 愛知県 “Aichi” is another prefectural name whose origin of the verbal word (pronunciation) and written word (kanji characters) stem from different histories. They don’t match up,…
Origin of Shizuoka prefectural name
SHIZUOKA – Quiet Hill 静岡県 During the samurai era, present-day Shizuoka had a major city and samurai domain named Fuchu (府中). However, the new Meiji government didn’t like the name…
Origin of Kanagawa prefectural name
KANAGAWA – Kana River 神奈川県 Like many prefectural names, Kanagawa has multiple theories as to its origin and meaning. Although Kanagawa sounds like the name of a river, there’s no…
Origin of Yamanashi prefectural name
YAMANASHI – Mountain Pear 山梨県 Japan’s only fruity prefectural name! There are multiple theories regarding the origin of the name “Yamanashi.” ・Theory 1: According to the prefecture’s website, one theory…
Origin of Nagano prefectural name
NAGANO – Long Field 長野県 “Nagano” refers to the long (nagai 長い) or “flowing” (nagareru 流れる), gently sloping field (almost like a delta) on the Nagano Basin (also called Zenkoji-daira)…