Biggest cities by language A-Z (Japanese)

A

456,000

Kansai

former castle town and is famous for its historic Tera Machi (Temple District)

B

113,000

Kyūshū

undisputed hot spring capital, famous for its Eight Hells (Jigoku) - spectacular, colorful volcanic ponds

C

985,000

Kantō

home to the Makuhari Messe convention center and the world's longest suspended monorail system

D

118,000

Kansai

famous for the Nozaki Kannon temple and its lively Nozaki-mairi spring festival

E

141,000

Kantō

best known to travelers for the Ebina Service Area, Japan’s most famous highway rest stop

F

1.6 million

Kyūshū

famous for its open-air food stalls (Yatai) and Hakata Ramen, characterized by its rich, creamy pork bone broth

G

400,000

Chūbu

important to the unifier Oda Nobunaga; it is famous for Ukai, the 1,300-year-old tradition of fishing with cormorant birds on the Nagara River

H

1.2 million

Chūgoku

home to the Atomic Bomb Dome and the floating torii gate of nearby Miyajima Island

I

493,000

Kantō

city in Chiba Prefecture

J

189,000

Chūbu

historic base of the powerful warlord Uesugi Kenshin and the place where skiing was first introduced to Japan by an Austrian officer

K

1.5 million

Kantō

famous for the Kanamara Matsuri (the “Steel Phallus Festival”) and the Doraemon museum

M

505,000

Shikoku

it is home to Dogo Onsen, one of Japan’s oldest hot spring bathhouses and a primary inspiration for the film Spirited Away

N

2.3 million

Chūbu

heart of Japan's automotive industry (Toyota); its castle is famous for its Golden Shachihoko (mythical tiger-headed carps)

O

2.8 million

Kansai

known as the "Nation’s Kitchen," it is the spiritual home of street foods like Takoyaki

P

3,400

Hokkaido

became a national sensation due to a humorous 1980s TV commercial for “Pip Elekiban” (magnetic therapy patches)

R

75,000

Kantō

name means “Dragon Cape” and it is the home of Ushiku Pond, a famous spot for eel-based local cuisine

S

2 million

Hokkaido

famous for its annual Snow Festival, its eponymous brewery, and for hosting the first Winter Olympics in Asia (1972)

T

14.3 million

Kantō

formerly known as Edo, and home to the iconic Shibuya Crossing

U

515,000

Kantō

undisputed Gyoza (dumpling) capital of Japan, where the city features a famous stone statue shaped like a giant dumpling

W

351,000

Kansai

coastal city famous for its Kishu Plums (Umeboshi) and its unique style of ramen

Y

3.8 million

Kantō

Japan’s first port to open to foreign trade, it is home to one of the world’s largest Chinatowns

Z

131,000

Kantō

home to a major US Army base and world-famous for its massive Sunflower Festivals