Geography Quiz: Elementary School Study + Slightly Advantageous Geography Questions

Ishikawa Prefecture

Fukui Prefecture has Fukui City and Toyama Prefecture has Toyama City as their respective prefectural capitals, but Ishikawa Prefecture has no place called Ishikawa City; its capital is Kanazawa City. Did you know that, historically, during the Meiji era, the Kaga Domain became the Kanazawa Domain and then Kanazawa Prefecture? It is said that Ishikawa Prefecture was later created to organize the complex map of the Hokuriku region, and Kanazawa City, located at its center, was designated as the prefectural capital.

Shizuoka Prefecture and Yamanashi Prefecture

The summit is considered to belong to neither prefecture. It also sounds fun to enjoy the contrasting views you see from the seaside on the Shinkansen and from the mountainside with hot springs.

Fukushima Prefecture

Since Niigata Prefecture is located in the Chubu region and Tochigi Prefecture is in the Kanto region, Fukushima Prefecture is the correct answer. Since 2011, it has also been strongly associated with the Great East Japan Earthquake, but it is known for having many specialty products thanks to its climate, which is well-suited to agriculture. In addition, it is historically important as the setting of the Aizu War, famous for the Byakkotai, so please be sure to remember it.

Fukuoka Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, Saga Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, Oita Prefecture, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kagoshima Prefecture

There are seven prefectures, so it’s curious why it’s called Kyushu, isn’t it? It’s said to come from the fact that there used to be nine old provinces, such as Chikuzen, Hyuga, and Satsuma.

Hyogo Prefecture

Hyogo Prefecture has about 22,000 irrigation ponds. There is the very large Kako-Ōike in Inami Town, and many ponds are also found on Awaji Island, accounting for an impressive 14% of all such ponds in Japan. They support local life in various ways, such as regulating floodwaters and securing agricultural water supplies.

Lake Biwa (670 km²)

Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, with an area of 670 km²—larger than Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki (220 km²) and Lake Saroma in Hokkaido (150 km²) combined—is known as the largest lake in Japan. Formed about 4.4 million years ago, it is an ancient lake located fairly close to Kyoto, and it’s said that Oda Nobunaga built Azuchi Castle on its shore to take advantage of water transport. Though it is called a lake, its vastness feels almost like the sea, making it a place you should see at least once.

12 nautical miles

Under the Territorial Sea Law, Japan’s territorial sea is defined as extending up to 12 nautical miles—approximately 22 kilometers—from the baseline coastline. Within the territorial sea, Japan has the recognized right to freely conduct activities such as fishing and resource development, and if foreign vessels enter without permission, they can be regulated in accordance with Japanese law.