Japan


Japan
Redirects:	日本 Nippon
Category:	Country
Planet:	Earth
Continent:	Asia
Locale:	East Asia
Points of interest:	Hiroshima; Nagasaki; Osaka; Tokyo

Japan is a country located in East Asia. Officially known as Nippon, it is a nation comprised of 6,852 islands and 47 prefectures. The four largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which together comprise about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area.

Japan has played a consistent role in the daikaiju ("giant monster") films of the Shōwa period and Heisei periods. Beginning with 1954's Gojira and extending into the modern era, Japan and its many inhabitants have had to deal with all sorts of atomically mutated monsters including Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Anguirus and many others. Godzilla first set his sights on the island after causing some mayhem on nearby Oto Island. Members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force mustered up all of their military might to combat him, as he laid waste to bridges, towers, and skyscrapers, but were unable to stop his rampage. Ultimately, it was the work of one tormented scientist, Daisuke Serizawa, and his Oxygen Destroyer, which finally put the monster down for good... or did it? Like the proverbial bad penny, Godzilla and his pals found a way to spring back up time and time again to make trouble for the poor folks of Japan.

Points of Interest[]

Regions[]

Chūbu region: The Chūbu region is the central region of Honshū. It encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, Yamanashi, and often Mie. The region is the widest part of Honshū and the central part is characterized by high, rugged mountains. The Japanese Alps divide the country into the Pacific side, sunny in winter, and the Sea of Japan side, snowy in winter. In Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, a race of aliens known as Xians tricked the Japanese government into relinquishing control of Godzilla and Rodan over to them. Mentally controlling the monsters, the Xians threatened to have them rampage through Shizuoka unless they surrendered to them.

Chūgoku region: The Chūgoku region is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. The Chūgoku region is characterized by irregular rolling hills and limited plain areas and is divided into two distinct parts by mountains running east and west through its center. The city of Hiroshima, the "capital" of the Chūgoku region, was rebuilt after being destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945, and is now an industrial metropolis of more than one million people.

Kansai region: The Kansai region lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included. 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 urban region of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto (Keihanshin region) is the second most populated in Japan after the Greater Tokyo Area.

Kantō region: The Kantō region is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 45 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain. The rest consists of the hills and mountains that form the land borders.

Tōhoku region: The Tōhoku region consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures (ken): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains a reputation as a remote, scenic region with a harsh climate. In the 20th century, tourism became a major industry in the Tōhoku region.

Prefectures[]

Akita Prefecture: Akita Prefecture is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. It is located in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshu, which is the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita. Akita Prefecture played a minor role in the 1965 film Frankenstein Conquers the World.

Gunma Prefecture: Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. It is located on the main island of Honshu in the Kantō region. It has a total land area of 2,456.83 square miles and a population of more than 2,014,600 people. Its capital is Maebashi. Like other prefectures in Japan, Gunma has suffered no shortage of attacks from giant monsters. In 1965, it was the site of a battle between a rapidly growing humanoid savage known as Furankenshutain and an ancient creature called Baragon.

Hiroshima Prefecture: Hiroshima Prefecture s a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima. It has a population of around 2.9 million. Hiroshima prefecture lies in the middle of Chūgoku. Most of the prefecture consists of mountains leading towards Shimane Prefecture; and rivers produce rich plains near the coast. The province faces Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea. Hiroshima Bay opens on the Inland Sea. The prefecture also includes many small islands.

Kanagawa Prefecture: Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of the island archipelago nation of Japan. It is located in the southern Kantō region on the island of Honshu and is considered part of the greater Tokyo area. A relatively small prefecture, it is located at the southeastern corner of the Kantō Plain, wedged between Tokyo on the north, the foothills of Mount Fuji on the northwest, and the Sagami Bay and Tokyo Bay on the south and east. It's capital city is Yokohama.

Kumamoto Prefecture: Kumamoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kumamoto. It is bordered by the Ariake inland sea and the Amakusa archipelago to the west, Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture to the north, Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south. One of Kumamoto's most notable landmarks is Mount Aso - a 1,592 mile high super-volcano. In 1956, two giant winged monsters dubbed Rodan sought refuge in Kumamoto at Mount Aso. However, the volcano erupted, seemingly destroying both creatures.

Mie Prefecture: Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of the island of Honshu. It has fourteen major cities, seven districts and municipalities. It's capital city is Tsu. It is part of the Kii Peninsula with a total land area of 5,777.22 km2. In the 1954 film Gojira, the fictional locale of Oto Island was filmed in Toba in Mie Prefecture.

Miyagi Prefecture: Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai. It has an area of 7,285.16 km² with a population of 2,337,513. It has 10 districts and 36 municipalities.

Nagano Prefecture: Nagano Prefecture is located on the island of Honshu in the Chūbu region. Its capital city is Nagano. A notable location is the Kitasaku District which contains the town of Karuizawa. In the 2003 film Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., Karuizawa was the home of Doctor Shin'ichi Chûjô, and his nephew Yoshito Chûjô and grandson Syun Chûjô .

Nagasaki Prefecture: Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Nagasaki. Nagasaki borders Saga Prefecture on the east, and is otherwise surrounded by water, including Ariake Bay, the Tsushima Straits, and the East China Sea. It also includes a large number of islands such as Tsushima and Iki. Most of the prefecture is near the coast and there are a number of ports such as Nagasaki and a United States Navy base at Sasebo.

Niigata Prefecture: Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata with which it shares the same name. Godzilla series actress Kumi Mizuno was born in the city of Niigata on January 1st, 1937.

Okayama Prefecture: Okayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Okayama.

Okinawa Prefecture: Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost prefecture of Japan. It comprises hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long. The Ryukyus extend southwest from Kyūshū (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. The Okinawa Prefecture encompasses the southern two thirds of that chain. Naha, Okinawa's capital is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island. The events of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla take place in Okinawa Prefecture.

Osaka Prefecture: Osaka Prefecture is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. It is located on the island of Honshu in the Kansai region. It has a total land area of 733.32 square miles and a population of more than 8,864,200 people. Its capital city is also named Osaka.

Shiga Prefecture: Shiga Prefecture is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. It is located on the island of Honshu in the Kansai region. It has a land area of 1,551.11 square miles and a population of more than 1,402,130 people. It encircles Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan. Its capital city is Ōtsu.

Tokyo Prefecture: Tokyo is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. It is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū and includes the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands. Tokyo Metropolis was formed in 1943 from the merger of the former Tokyo Prefecture and the city of Tokyo. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family.

Toyma Prefecture: Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island. The capital is the city of Toyama. Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity from abundant hydroelectric resources.

Shizuoka Prefecture: Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. It is located on the island of Honshu in the Chūbu region. With a land area of 3,003.73 square miles, it borders the Pacific Ocean to the east. It is bordered to the west by the Japanese Alps, which includes Mount Fuji. In film, Shizuoka Prefecture has made numerous appearances in Asian cinema. It often appears in films of the daikaiju ("giant monster") vein, such as Godzilla vs. Monster Zero in 1965. In that film, a race of aliens known as Xians tricked the Japanese government into relinquishing control of Godzilla and Rodan over to them. Mentally controlling the monsters, the Xians threatened to have them rampage through Shizuoka unless they surrendered to them.

Toyama Prefecture: is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island. The capital is the city of Toyama. Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity from abundant hydroelectric resources.

Yamagata Prefecture: Yamagata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on Honshu island. Its capital is Yamagata. Yamagata Prefecture is located in the southwest corner of Tōhoku, facing the Sea of Japan. It borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture on the south, Miyagi Prefecture on the east, and Akita Prefecture on the north. All of these boundaries are marked by mountains, with most of the population residing in a limited central plain.

Districts[]

Kitasaku District: The Kitasaku District is located in Nagano Prefecture in Japan. It has three towns, Karuizawa, Miyota and Tateshina. In the 2003 film Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., Kitsaku District was the site of a Mothra sighting, who accompanied the Shobijin fairies to visit the home of Doctor Shin'ichi Chûjô.

Municipalities[]

Karuizawa: Karuizawa is a town located in the Kitasaku District of Nagano Prefecture. In the 2003 film Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., Karuizawa was the home of Doctor Shin'ichi Chûjô, and his nephew Yoshito Chûjô and son, Syun Chûjô. The twin fairies known as the Shobijin visited Doctor Chûjô to implore his aid in convincing the Japanese government that they must cease using MechaGodzilla for it was made from the bones of the original Godzilla. Failure to do so would risk an attack from Mothra. Shin'ichi walked outside his home and saw Mothra in moth form resting before him.

Nagasaki: Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. During World War II, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made Nagasaki the second and, to date, last city in the world to experience a nuclear attack. Nagasaki lies at the head of a long bay which forms the best natural harbor on the island of Kyūshū. The main commercial and residential area of the city lies on a small plain near the end of the bay. Two rivers divided by a mountain spur form the two main valleys in which the city lies.

Narashino: Narashino is a city located in Chiba Prefecture in the Kantō region on the island of Honshu in Japan. It has a total land area of 8.10 square miles and a population of more than 165,000 people. In the 2002 film Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla, Narashino was the location of the Anti-Megalosaurus Force (AMF) command center. It was here in 1999 that Akane Yashiro received disciplinary action for her actions during an encounter with Godzilla that resulted in the deaths of several men.

Osaka: Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Japan. It is the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Japan and among the largest in the world with nearly 19 million inhabitants. Situated at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, Osaka is Japan's third largest city by population after the Tokyo 23 wards and Yokohama, and serves as a major economic hub.

Toba: Toba is a city in Mie Prefecture. It borders the cities of Ise and Shima. In the 1954 film Gojira, the fictional locale of Oto Island was filmed in Toba in Mie Prefecture.

Toyama: Toyama is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km (120 mi) north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km (190 mi) northwest of Tokyo.

Yamagata: Yamagata is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of Japan. The Mogami River passes through the city, which includes Mount Zaō within its borders. Yamagata City is located in a wide central valley that can heat up quickly in spring and summer and is often grey and humid, while to the east in Miyagi Prefecture on the Pacific coast it is usually clearer and more temperate.

Yokohama: Yokohama is a city in the island nation of Japan. It is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture in the Kantō region of Honshu Island. After Tokyo, it is the second most populous city in the country with a population of nearly 3,700,000 people. It has a total land area of 168.87 square miles. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu. It is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area.

Yokosuka: Yokosuka is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture. It has a total land area of 38.9 square miles and a population of approximately 415,000 people. In 1975, Yokosuka was devastated by a three-way monster war between the forces of Godzilla, Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus. Members of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) arrived to defend the city, but Titanosaurus leveled buildings and vehicles with the powerful wind drafts generated from his finned tale and Mechagodzilla set entire city blocks aflame with his multi-colored optic death rays.

Nearby islands[]

Izu Ōshima: Izu Ōshima is a volcanic island off the coast of Honshu, Japan in the Izu archipelago of the Philippine Sea. It is the largest and closest of Tokyo's outlying islands, which also include the Ogasawara Islands. In the Ringu film series, a scientist named Doctor Heihachirô Ikuma took the good & evil twin forms of Sadako Yamamura to Izu Ōshima, following the suicide of her mother, Shizuko. Ikuma took the "evil" Sadako and locked her up in a cellar and fed her drugs to stunt her growth. The evil Sadako merged with good self and was hunted by an angry mob. Doctor Ikuma attacked Sadako and threw her body into a well on the island. Sadako continued to live in the well for many years, but eventually died. Her ghost lived on however, and spread a curse, which was transmitted to her victims by way of a recording of herself on a video tape. ^[1] In the year 1984, members of the Japan Self Defense Forces mimicked the sonic waves given off by birds in order to lure the destructive kaiju known as Godzilla to the edge of Mount Mihara. They detonated explosive charges, which caused Godzilla to topple over and fall into the volcano. ^[2] Though it was believed that he died, Godzilla returned a few short years later. ^[3]

In film[]

Fast & Furious 6: In the 2013 action film, Fast & Furious 6, Tokyo, Japan appears as part of an end-credit bonus scene. The scene builds upon events chronicled in 2006's The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, wherein one of the main characters, Han, dies in a car accident. Furious 6 adds the element of showing that he was murdered by a character named Ian Shaw.