The or the lies in the southern-central region of

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 ...

's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama,

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui,

Tokushima is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...

and Tottori. The metropolitan region of Osaka,

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

and

( Keihanshin region) is the second-most populated in Japan after the Greater Tokyo Area.

Name

The terms , , and have their roots during the Asuka period. When the old provinces of Japan were established, several provinces in the area around the then-capital Yamato Province were collectively named Kinai and Kinki, both roughly meaning "the neighbourhood of the capital". Kansai (literally ''west of the tollgate'') in its original usage refers to the land west of the Osaka Tollgate (), the border between Yamashiro Province and Ōmi Province (present-day

and Shiga prefectures).Entry for . Kōjien, fifth edition, 1998, During the Kamakura period, this border was redefined to include Ōmi and Iga Provinces. It is not until 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 ...

that Kansai came to acquire its current form.Entry for . Kōjien, fifth edition, 1998, (''see Kamigata'') While the use of the terms "Kansai" and "Kinki" have changed over history, in most modern contexts the use of the two terms is interchangeable. The term "Kinai", once synonymous with Kinki, now refers to the Kyoto–Osaka–Kobe (Keihanshin) area at the center of the Kansai region. Like all regions of Japan, the Kansai region is not an administrative unit, but rather a cultural and historical one, which emerged much later during the Heian period after the expansion of Japan saw the development of the Kantō region to the east and the need to differentiate what was previously the center of Japan in Kansai emerged.

"Kinki" from an international perspective

The name "Kinki" is pronounced similarly to the English word " kinky", which means "twisted" or " perverted". This has become a problem due to internationalization, and some organizations have changed their name as a result. In April 2016, changed its English name to Kindai University. uses "Kansai" in English notation, and also uses "Kansai" in English notation since 2015. In addition, the changed its name to "Kansai Chamber of Commerce and Industry Association" on July 22, 2015. In the fall of 2014, asked the government to unify the name of the local agency to "Kansai". On June 28, 2003, the English name of the major private railway company Kintetsu Railway was changed from ''Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd.'' to the official abbreviation Kintetsu Corporation. It was subsequently changed again to ''Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd.'' on April 1, 2015.

Overview

The Kansai region is a cultural center and the historical heart of Japan, with 11% of the nation's land area and 22,757,897 residents as of 2010. The Osaka Plain with the cities of Osaka and

forms the core of the region. From there the Kansai area stretches west along the Seto Inland Sea towards

and Himeji, and east encompassing Lake Biwa, Japan's largest freshwater lake. In the north, the region is bordered by the Sea of Japan, to the south by the Kii Peninsula and the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, and to the east by the Ibuki Mountains and Ise Bay. Four of Japan's national parks lie within its borders, in whole or in part. The area also contains six of the seven top prefectures in terms of national treasures.Kansai Now: History
retrieved January 17, 2007 Other geographical features include Amanohashidate in

Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 () and has a geographic area of . Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture ...

and Awaji Island in Hyōgo. The Kansai region is often compared with the Kantō region, which lies to its east and consists primarily of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and the surrounding area. Whereas the Kantō region is symbolic of standardization throughout Japan, the Kansai region displays many more idiosyncrasies – the culture in

, the mercantilism of Osaka, the history of Nara, or the cosmopolitanism of

– and represents the focus of counterculture in Japan. This East-West rivalry has deep historical roots, particularly from the

. With a samurai population of less than 1% the culture of the merchant city of Osaka stood in sharp contrast to that of Edo, the seat of power for the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

.Omusubi
– "Japan's Regional Diversity", retrieved January 22, 2007 Many characteristic traits of Kansai people descend from Osaka merchant culture. Catherine Maxwell, an editor for the newsletter '' Omusubi'', writes: "Kansai residents are seen as being pragmatic, entrepreneurial, down-to-earth and possessing a strong sense of humor. Kantō people, on the other hand, are perceived as more sophisticated, reserved and formal, in keeping with Tokyo's history and modern status as the nation's capital and largest metropolis."Livingabroadin.com
– "Prime Living Locations in Japan", retrieved January 22, 2007 Kansai is known for its food, especially Osaka, as supported by the saying . Popular Osakan dishes include takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kitsune udon and kushikatsu. Kyoto is considered a mecca of traditional Japanese cuisine like kaiseki. Kansai has many wagyu brands such as Kobe beef and Tajima cattle from Hyōgo, Matsusaka beef from Mie and Ōmi beef from Shiga. Sake is another specialty of the region, the areas of Nada-Gogō and Fushimi produce 45% of all sake in Japan. As opposed to food from Eastern Japan, food in the Kansai area tends to be sweeter, and foods such as nattō tend to be less popular. The dialects of the people from the Kansai region, commonly called '' Kansai-ben'', have their own variations of pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Kansai-ben is the group of dialects spoken in the Kansai area, but is often treated as a dialect in its own right. Kansai is one of the most prosperous areas for baseball in Japan. Two

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

teams, Hanshin Tigers and

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture ...

, are based in Kansai. Koshien Stadium, the home stadium of the Hanshin Tigers, is also famous for the nationwide high school baseball tournaments. In

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, the Kansai Soccer League was founded in 1966 and currently has 16 teams in two divisions. Cerezo Osaka, Gamba Osaka, and Vissel Kobe belong to J. League Division 1 and Kyoto Sanga F.C. belongs to J. League Division 2, the top professional leagues in Japan.

History

As a part of the reforms of the seventh and eighth centuries, the provinces of Yamato, Yamashiro, Kawachi, Settsu, and Izumi were established by the Gokishichidō. These provinces were collectively referred to as Kinai or Kinki. The Kansai region lays claim to the earliest beginnings of Japanese civilization. It was Nara, the most eastern point on the Silk Road, that became the site of Japan's first permanent capital.Kansai Economic Federation
: "Kansai Brief History", retrieved January 17, 2007 This period (AD 710–784) saw the spread of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

to Japan and the construction of Tōdai-ji in 745. The Kansai region also boasts the Shinto religion's holiest shrine at Ise Shrine (built in 690 AD) in Mie prefecture.Japan Reference
– "Ise Jingu Guide", retrieved January 17, 2007 The Heian period saw the capital moved to Heian-kyō (, present-day

), where it would remain for over a thousand years until the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

. During this golden age, the Kansai region would give birth to traditional Japanese culture. In 788, Saicho, the founder of the Tendai sect of Buddhism established his monastery at Mount Hiei in Shiga prefecture. Japan's most famous tale, and some say the world's first novel, '' The Tale of Genji'' was penned by Murasaki Shikibu while performing as a lady-in-waiting in Heian-kyo. Noh and

Kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

, Japan's traditional dramatic forms both saw their birth and evolution in Kyoto, while Bunraku, Japanese puppet theater, is native to Osaka. Kansai's unique position in Japanese history, plus the lack of damage from wars or natural disasters, has resulted in Kansai region having more UNESCO World Heritage Listings than any other region of Japan. The five World Heritage Listings include: Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area, Himeji Castle, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities), Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, and Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Japan
retrieved January 17, 2007 – Kiyomizu-Dera, Todai-ji, and Mount Koya are part of collections of sites and chosen as representative

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, Kansai region much like Keihanshin has experienced a small population increase beginning around 2010.

Major cities

: a designated city, the capital of Hyōgo Prefecture *

: a designated city, the capital of

, formerly the Imperial capital of Japan * Nara: a core city, the capital of Nara Prefecture * Osaka: a designated city, the capital of Osaka Prefecture * Otsu: a core city, the capital of Shiga Prefecture * Sakai: a designated city * Tsu: the capital of Mie Prefecture * Wakayama: a core city, the capital of Wakayama Prefecture

Other cities

* Amagasaki, Hyōgo: a core city * Akashi, Hyōgo: a core city * Higashiōsaka, Osaka: a core city * Himeji, Hyōgo: a core city * Hirakata, Osaka: a core city * Ibaraki, Osaka: a special city * Kakogawa, Hyōgo: a special city * Kishiwada, Osaka: a special city * Neyagawa, Osaka: a core city * Nishinomiya, Hyōgo: a core city * Suita, Osaka: a special city * Takarazuka, Hyōgo: a special city * Takatsuki, Osaka: a core city * Toyonaka, Osaka: a core city * Yao, Osaka: a core city * Yokkaichi, Mie: a special city

Education

International schools

International schools have served expatriates in the Kansai region since 1909. Outside of Tokyo and Yokohama, Kansai has the largest number of international schools. In 1909, Deutsche Schule Kobe was founded to serve German, Austrian and German-speaking Swiss expatriates, traders and missionaries living in the Kobe area. After a long history of teaching a German curriculum, the school changed to The Primary Years Programme (PYP) in 2002. It provides curriculum in three languages: German, English, and Japanese. In 1913, Canadian Methodist Academy opened its doors to sixteen children. The school, renamed Canadian Academy in 1917, served children of missionary parents from grade one through high school and offered boarding facilities for students from throughout Asia. Today, the day and boarding school offers a PreK to Grade 12 education on the campus on Rokkō Island, a human-made island. The school, which is no longer affiliated with Canada or the church, is the largest school for expatriates in Kansai. The school is approved by the Japanese Ministry of Education and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Council of International Schools. The school awards both the International Baccalaureate (IB) and U.S. high school diplomas. The number of international schools burgeoned after World War II. In 1946, St. Michael's International School was established by Anglican Bishop Michael Yashiro and Miss Leonora Lee, a British missionary. Today, the school offers a distinctive British-style primary education based on the National Curriculum of England and Wales. The school has joint accreditation from the Council of International Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Brother Charles Fojoucyk and Brother Stephen Weber founded Marist Brothers International School in 1951 after communist authorities pressured them to leave Tientsin, China. Today, the international Montessori - Grade 12 school enrolls approximately 300 students. The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In 1957, a missionary homeschooled her son, his best friend and another student in their home. The next year, the home turned into Kyoto Christian Day School and a full-time teacher was hired. The school was renamed Kyoto International School in 1966. Today, the school serves students from two to fourteen years old. The school has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) since 1992 and authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) since 2006. Kansai is also served by Osaka International School, Lycée français international de Kyoto as well as Chinese and Korean schools.

Gallery

File:NintokuTomb Aerial photograph 2007.jpg, Daisen Kofun, the largest burial mound in the worldConsulate-General of Japan in San Francisco
- "History", retrieved March 15, 2007 File:Horyu-ji42s3200.jpg, Hōryū-ji Golden Hall, the oldest wooden structure in the world File:TodaijiDaibutsu0224.jpg, Daibutsu at Tōdai-ji, the largest bronze statue in the world File:Tōdai-ji Kon-dō.jpg, Tōdai-ji Main Hall, until 1998 the largest wooden structure in the world File:Biwa Lake.jpg, Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan and one of the oldest lakes in the world File:Okuni with cross dressed as a samurai.jpg, Izumo no Okuni, who founded

in Kyoto File:Kongo Gumi workers in early 20th century.jpg, Kongō Gumi, once the world's oldest continuously operating company, constructed several of Japan's cultural assets. File:Amanohashidate view from Mt Moju02s3s4592.jpg, Amanohashidate, one of Three Views of Japan File:Sen no Rikyu JPN.jpg, Sen no Rikyū, a merchant from Sakai, perfected the courtesy of the tea ceremony. File:Toji - Five-storied Pagoda.JPG, Japan's tallest temple pagoda in Tō-ji, Kyoto File:Nintendo Headquarters - panoramio.jpg,

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

became the world's most successful

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

company. File:Osaka Castle Nishinomaru Garden April 2005.JPG, Osaka Castle File:Kiyomizudera-Niomon-2017-Luka-Peternel.jpg,

from Kiyomizudera

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 58053128

External links

Visit Kansai travel guide

Kansai News

Kansai Economic Federation

Wakayama Prefecture official website

Hyōgo Prefecture official website

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