The , or , is an inland region on central

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It forms the central part of the

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshu, Honshū, Japan, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi Prefecture, Aichi, Fukui Prefecture, Fukui, Gifu Prefecture ...

It comprises most of Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures, as well as the Hida area of

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...

. Sometimes Tōnō area of Gifu Prefecture is included. The humid continental climate of the region gives large temperature differences between summers and winters, and between days and nights. Precipitation is light throughout the year. The more northern and western portions of this region tend to experience heavy snow during the winter with lower daytime temperatures resembling parts of Northern Japan and Hokkaido more so than its neighbor prefectures. In the Edo period, the Nakasendō and

Kōshū Kaidō The was one of the five routes of the Edo period. It was built to connect Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with Kai Province in modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The route continues from there to connect with the Nakasendō's Shimosuwa-shuku in Na ...

ran through the Central Highland.

Geography

The region is known for its various mountains and geological features, and is most well known for

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...

, the tallest mountain in Japan. * Mountain Ranges:

Akaishi Mountains The are a mountain range in central Honshū, Japan, bordering Nagano, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. It is also called the , as it joins with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Kiso Mountains ("Central Alps") to form the Japa ...

Hida Mountains The , or , is a Japanese mountain range which stretches through Nagano, Toyama and Gifu prefectures. A small portion of the mountains also reach into Niigata Prefecture. William Gowland coined the phrase "Japanese Alps" during his time in Japan, ...

Kiso Mountains are a mountain range in Nagano and Gifu prefectures in Japan. They are also called the and they combine with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Akaishi Mountains ("Southern Alps") to form a group collectively known as the Japanese Al ...

, Yatsugatake Mountains * Mountains:

Mount Tateshina also Suwa Fuji is a complex volcano located on the border of the municipalities of Chino and Tateshina in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It has an elevation of . This mountain is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. Outline Mount Tateshi ...

Mount Yari is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The peak lies in the southern part of the Hida Mountains (Northern Alps) of Japan, on the border of Ōmachi and Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture and Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. The priest Banry� ...

Mount Hotakadake , also known as Mount Hotakadake, is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains as coined by the media, reaching a height of . Mount Hotaka is situated in Japan's Hida Mountains and all its major peaks except Mount Maehotaka, lie on the border b ...

Mount Yake literally, ''"Burning mountain"'' is an active volcano in the Hida Mountains, lying between Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, and Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, reaching at the highest peak. Geog ...

, Mount Norikura, Mount Ontake,

Mount Akaishi , is a peak in the Akaishi Mountains, on the border of Shizuoka and Nagano Prefectures in central Honshū, Japan. On June 1, 1964, the mountain was included within the Minami Alps National Park. Geography At , Mount Akaish is the 7th tall ...

, Mount Shirouma, Mount Asama * Basins:

Kiso Valley The is a geographical area that centers on the valley of the upper portions of the Kiso River in the southwestern part of Nagano Prefecture in Japan. It is a v-shaped valley with length of approximately 60 km (36 mi) that follows the r ...

, Kofu Basin, Suwa Basin, Matsumoto Basin, Ina Basin, ''Ueda Basin, Saku Basin, Nagano Basin'' * Plateau:

Kirigamine is a 1,925m volcano, located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Outline The tallest peak of Mount Kirigamine is Mount Kuruma, on which there is a weather radar site. Most of the mountain is covered in grass with sparse bushes and rocks. The south ...

, ''Sugadaira'' Plateau * Lakes: Lake Suwa, Lake Aoki, Lake Shirakaba * Rivers : Fuefuki River, Fuji River, Tenryū River,

Kiso River The is a river in the Chubu region of Japan roughly long, flowing through the prefectures of Nagano, Gifu, Aichi, and Mie before emptying into Ise Bay a short distance away from the city of Nagoya.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al.'' (2005) ...

, Shinano River *

Onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

: Kamisuwa Onsen, ''Bessho Onsen''

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, and,Koshin subregion 1920-2000 population statistics
/ref> Koshin subregion has had continuous negative population growth since year 2000

References

{{Reflist Regions of Japan Geography of Nagano Prefecture Geography of Yamanashi Prefecture Geography of Gifu Prefecture Highlands