Central Highland (Japan)
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The , or , is an inland
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
on central
Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...
in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. It forms the central part of the
Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Ya ...
. It comprises most of Nagano and
Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 787,592 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the n ...
s, as well as the Hida area of
Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...
. Sometimes Tōnō area of Gifu Prefecture is included. The
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
of the region gives large temperature differences between summers and winters, and between days and nights. Precipitation is light throughout the year. The more northern and western portions of this region tend to experience heavy snow during the winter with lower daytime temperatures resembling parts of Northern Japan and Hokkaido more so than its neighbor prefectures. In the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
, the
Nakasendō The , also called the ,Richard Lane, ''Images from the Floating World'' (1978) Chartwell, Secaucus ; pg. 285 was one of the centrally administered Edo Five Routes, five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected the ''de facto'' ...
and Kōshū Kaidō ran through the Central Highland.


Geography

The region is known for its various mountains and geological features, and is most well known for
Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
, the tallest mountain in Japan. * Mountain Ranges:
Akaishi Mountains The are a mountain range in central Honshū, Japan, bordering Nagano Prefecture, Nagano, Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka prefectures. They are also called the , as they join with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Al ...
, Hida Mountains,
Kiso Mountains are a mountain range in Nagano Prefecture, Nagano and Gifu Prefecture, Gifu prefectures in Japan. They are also called the and they combine with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Akaishi Mountains ("Southern Alps") to form a group col ...
, Yatsugatake Mountains * Mountains:
Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
, Mount Tateshina, Mount Yari, Mount Hotakadake, Mount Yake, Mount Norikura, Mount Ontake, Mount Akaishi, Mount Shirouma,
Mount Asama is an active complex volcano in central Honshū, the main island of Japan. The volcano is the most active on Honshū. The Japan Meteorological Agency classifies Mount Asama as rank A. It stands above sea level on the border of Gunma prefecture ...
* Basins: Kiso Valley, Kofu Basin, Suwa Basin, Matsumoto Basin, Ina Basin, ''Ueda Basin, Saku Basin, Nagano Basin'' * Plateau: Kirigamine, ''Sugadaira'' Plateau * Lakes: Lake Suwa, Lake Aoki, Lake Shirakaba * Rivers : Fuefuki River, Fuji River,
Tenryū River The is a river in central Honshū, Japan. With a length of , it is Japan's ninth longest river. Its source is Lake Suwa in the Kiso Mountains near Okaya in Nagano Prefecture. It then flows through Aichi Prefecture and western Shizuoka Prefec ...
, Kiso River, Shinano River *
Onsen In Japan, are hot springs and the bathing facilities and Ryokan (inn), traditional inns around them. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan, and approximately 3,000 ''onsen'' establishments use naturally hot water ...
: Kamisuwa Onsen, ''Bessho Onsen''


Demographics

Per Japanese census data, and,Koshin subregion 1920-2000 population statistics
/ref> Koshin subregion has had continuous negative population growth since year 2000


References

{{Reflist Regions of Japan Geography of Nagano Prefecture Geography of Yamanashi Prefecture Geography of Gifu Prefecture Highlands