Japanese Submitted Place Names

AIKAWA (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of several towns in Japan. The first one (愛川) is located in Kanagawa Prefecture in eastern Japan, the second one (合川), located in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan, was merged with other towns to form the city of Kitaakita... [more]

AKIHABARA (Region) Japanese
From Japanese 秋 (aki) meaning "autumn", 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

AOBA (Political Subdivision) Japanese
From Japanese 青 (ao) meaning "blue, green" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf".

FUJI (Mountain) Japanese
This is the name of a mountain, known in Japanese as Fuji-san/Fujiyama (富士山), located on the boundaries of Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures in central Japan, that has been a symbol for the Japanese for centuries... [more]

GIFU (Other) Japanese
This is the name of a city and prefecture of the same name, located in central Japan.... [more]

HAKONE (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a resort town in Japan's Kanagawa prefecture which, apart from its hot spring resorts, houses the Hakone Shrine (箱根神社, はこねじんじゃ) which dedicates to the Hakone Gongen (箱根権現, はこねごんげん).... [more]

IMARI (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a city, known for Imari porcelain (even though it's actually made in nearby Arita) and for Imari pears, which is located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū in south-western Japan.... [more]

IZUMO (Other) Japanese
This is the name of a city in Japan's Shimane Prefecture. Izumo-taisha (出雲大社) (or Izumo Grand Shrine) is located in the city.... [more]

KAGOSHIMA (Other) Japanese
This is the name of a city, prefecture and shrine located in the south of Kyūshū in the south-west of Japan. The kanji used are 鹿 (roku, ka, shika) meaning "deer", 児 (gei, ji, ni, ko) meaning "child, newborn babe, young of animals" and 島 (tou, shima) meaning "island."

KAIYŌ (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a town in Japan's Tokushima Prefecture.... [more]

KANTOU (Region) Japanese
From Japanese 関 (kan) meaning "barrier" and 東 (tou) meaning "east".

KARASU (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a former town located in Japan's Mie Prefecture which merged and expanded, along with a few other towns and municipalities, into the city of Tsu.... [more]

KASHIWA (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a city in Chiba Prefecture in eastern Japan. It is simply derived from 柏 (haku, hyaku, byaku, kashiwa) meaning "oak" (or more specifically, daimyo oak/sweet oak).... [more]

KIRISHIMA (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a city which is located near the Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima prefecture in south-western mainland Japan.... [more]

KOGANE (Other) Japanese
This is the name of several towns, stations and mountains found in Japan.... [more]

KYOTO (Settlement) Japanese, English
From Japanese 京 (kyo) meaning "capital" and 都 (to) meaning "city." Kyoto, Japan is known for it's beautiful shrines.

KYŪSHŪ (Region) Japanese
This is the name of a region and island in south-west Japan.... [more]

MITSUE (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a village located in the eastern-most part of Nara prefecture in western Japan.... [more]

NARA (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a city which is the capital of Nara Prefecture in western Japan. The kanji used are 奈 (dai, na, nai, ikan, karanashi) meaning "Nara, what?" and 良 (ryou, i.i, yo.i, ra) meaning "good, pleasing, skilled."... [more]

REBUN (Island) Japanese
This is the name of an island which is off the north-western tip of Hokkaidō in the far north of Japan.... [more]

SAEKI (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a former town in Okayama Prefecture in western Japan and a ward of Hiroshima City, also in western Japan.... [more]

SHIME (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a town in Japan's Fukuoka prefecture.... [more]

SHIRETOKO (Other) Japanese
This is the name of a peninsula (declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005) in north-eastern Hokkaidō in northern Japan. The kanji that make up Shiretoko are 知 (chi, shi.raseru, shi.ru, shire) meaning "know, wisdom" and 床 (shou, toko, yuka) meaning "bed, floor, padding, tatami."... [more]

TAKAMORI (Settlement) Japanese
From Japanese 高 (taka) meaning "tall" and 森 (mori) meaning "forest".

TENRI (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a city in Nara prefecture which used to be (briefly) the capital of Japan under the reign of Emperor Ninken (probably reigned from 488–498).... [more]

UTSUNOMIYA (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a city which is the capital and most populous city of Tochigi Prefecture, located in central Japan. The kanji used are 宇 (u) meaning "eaves, heaven, house, roof", 都 (tsu, to, miyako) meaning "capital, metropolis" and 宮 (kyuu, ku, kuu, guu, miya) meaning "constellations, palace, princess, Shinto shrine."... [more]

YOICHI (Settlement) Japanese
This is the name of a district and town in Shiribeshi Subprefecture in south-western Hokkaidō, located in northern Japan.... [more]

YOKOSUKA (Settlement) Japanese
This is from a place in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture in the east of the country. The kanji that make up Yokosuka are 横 (ou, yoko) meaning "horizontal, side, sideways, width, woof", 須 (shu, su, subekara.ku, subeshi, hige, matsu, machi.iru, mato.meru) meaning "by all means, necessarily, ought" and 賀 (ga, ka) meaning "congratulations, joy."... [more]