Cities, towns, and wards of Japan

Kumamoto (熊本市)

Kumamoto (熊本市) is the capital of Kumamoto Prefecture in central Kyushu, Japan; a government-designated city since 2012 with about 740,000 residents, known for Kumamoto Castle, groundwater, and 2016 earthquake recovery.

Kurashiki

Kurashiki (倉敷) is a city in southern Okayama Prefecture, Japan, population about 474,000, home to the Bikan Historical Quarter canal district, the Ohara Museum of Art, and the Mizushima industrial complex.

Kure, Hiroshima

Kure (呉市) is a port city in Hiroshima Prefecture on the Seto Inland Sea, once Japan's foremost naval arsenal town that built the battleship Yamato, now a shipbuilding and naval-heritage city.

Kurume

Kurume (久留米市) is a core city in southwestern Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, population about 304,000, third in the prefecture. Founded 1889 as a castle town; birthplace of tonkotsu ramen, Bridgestone's rubber industry, and painters Aoki Shigeru and Sakamoto Hanjiro.

Kyoto (京都市)

Kyoto (京都市), also spelled Kioto, is a Japanese city of about 1.46 million people in the Kyoto Basin that served as imperial capital from 794 until 1869, known for its temples and shrines.

Machida

Machida (町田市) is a city at Tokyo's southern tip, protruding into Kanagawa Prefecture. Incorporated February 1, 1958 as Tokyo's ninth city from four municipalities, it has about 430,000 residents, ranks third in Tokyo after the 23 wards and Hachioji, and serves as a rail-linked bedroom and commercial city.

Maebashi

Maebashi (前橋市) is the prefectural capital of Gunma, Japan, on the Tone River below Mount Akagi. Incorporated 1892; core city 2009; population about 326,000; formerly called Mayabashi.

Matsudo

Matsudo (松戸市, Matsudo-shi) is a city in northwestern Chiba Prefecture, Japan, bordering Tokyo across the Edogawa River. A commuter and industrial city of about 500,000 people, it was incorporated in 1943.

Matsue

Matsue (松江市) is the capital of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, a castle town founded in 1611 around Matsue Castle, a National Treasure keep. Known as the City of Water between Lake Shinji and Nakaumi; population about 193,000.

Matsumoto

Matsumoto (松本市) is a city in Nagano Prefecture, central Honshu, Japan; castle town of Matsumoto Domain, home of national treasure Matsumoto Castle, population about 241,000, area 978.47 km².

Matsuyama

Matsuyama (松山市), capital of Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku, Japan; largest Shikoku city, about 491,000 residents, home to Matsuyama Castle and Dōgo Onsen, Japan's oldest hot spring.

Mito

Mito (水戸) is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, about 100 km northeast of Tokyo; a former Tokugawa Gosanke castle town, home to Kairakuen garden, the Mito School, and the Dai Nihon-shi.

Miyazaki (city)

Miyazaki (宮崎市) is the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture in southeastern Kyushu, Japan. Founded 1924, a core city since 1998, about 387,000 residents, 36 km Pacific coastline, resort and mythology tourism.

Morioka

Morioka (盛岡市) is the capital of Iwate Prefecture, Japan, a core city of about 276,000 people at the confluence of the Kitakami, Nakatsu, and Shizukuishi rivers, former Nanbu clan castle town, home of the Sansa Odori taiko festival and Nanbu ironware.

Nagano, Nagano

Nagano (長野市, Nagano-shi) is the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, Japan, home to Zenkoji Temple (founded 642). Population 357,416 (Oct 2026); area 834.81 km²; served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen; sister city Clearwater, Florida.

Nagaoka

Nagaoka (長岡市, Nagaoka-shi) is Niigata Prefecture's second-largest city, Japan, on the Sea of Japan along the Shinano River; about 250,000 residents, 891.26 km², known for the Kome Hyappyo tradition and the Nagaoka Festival fireworks.

Nagareyama

Nagareyama (流山市) is a city in northwestern Chiba Prefecture, Japan, about 20 minutes from Tokyo by Tsukuba Express. Known as the birthplace of shiro mirin, it has one of Japan's fastest-growing populations thanks to childcare support policies.

Nagasaki (長崎市)

Nagasaki (長崎市) is the prefectural capital of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Port opened 1571 for Portuguese trade; Japan's only open port 1641–1858 via Dejima; atomic-bombed 1945; population about 390,000.

Nagoya (名古屋)

Nagoya (名古屋) is Japan's third-largest city, capital of Aichi Prefecture, founded in 1610 as the castle town of the Owari Tokugawa around Nagoya Castle; a manufacturing hub of about 2.35 million people.

Naha (那覇)

Naha (那覇) is the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, former port of the Ryukyu Kingdom; about 310,700 residents on 41.46 km², municipalized 1921, destroyed in 1944, reverted to Japan 1972.

Namie, Fukushima

Namie (浪江町) is a Fukushima Prefecture town, Futaba District, wholly evacuated after the 2011 nuclear disaster; orders partially lifted 2017 and 2023, with only about 2,400 of 14,000 registered residents returned.

Nara-shi

Nara-shi (奈良市), core city and prefectural capital in northern Nara Prefecture, Japan; site of Heijō-kyō, Japan's capital 710–784; about 343,500 residents; UNESCO Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara inscribed 1998.

Narashino

Narashino (習志野市) is a city in northwestern Chiba Prefecture, Japan, about 30 km from Tokyo on Tokyo Bay; 20.97 km2, 175,396 residents, a former military town now an academic and residential commuter city with 5 rail lines and 7 stations.

Neyagawa

Neyagawa (寝屋川市, Neyagawa-shi) is a core city in northeast Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on the left bank of the Yodo River between Osaka and Kyoto. Named for the Neyagawa River, it covers 24.70 km2, has about 222,000 residents, became a city in 1951, and is a commuter residential city with kofun heritage including the Ishihoden kofun.

Niigata (city)

Niigata (新潟市) is a government ordinance-designated city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, the largest on Honshu's Sea of Japan coast, with eight wards, about 753,000 residents, 726 km², Japan's largest paddy fields, and treaty-port history since 1858.

Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya (西宮市) is a core city in southeastern Hyogo Prefecture between Osaka and Kobe, population about 481,000. Known for Koshien Stadium, Nishinomiya Shrine, Miyamizu sake brewing, and its 1963 educational residential city declaration.

Numazu

Numazu (沼津市) is a city in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on Suruga Bay south of Mount Fuji, gateway to the Izu Peninsula; a port, post station, and castle town, city status 1923, population about 183,000, known for dried horse mackerel and the View-O floodgate.