Honshu had a population of 104 million as of 2017[update], constituting 81.3% of the entire population of Japan,[11] and mostly concentrated in the coastal areas and plains. Approximately 30% of the total population resides in theGreater Tokyo Area on theKantō Plain. As the historical center of Japanese cultural and political power,[12] the island includes several past Japanese capitals, includingKyoto,Nara, andKamakura. Much of the island's southern shore forms part of theTaiheiyō Belt, amegalopolis that spans several of the Japanese islands.[12] Honshu also contains Japan's highest mountain,Mount Fuji, and its largest lake,Lake Biwa.[13]
Most of Japan's industry is located in a belt running along Honshu's southern coast, fromTokyo toNagoya,Kyoto,Osaka,Kobe, andHiroshima.[12][14] The island is linked to the other three major Japanese islands by a number of bridges and tunnels. The island primarily shares two climates, with Northern Honshu having four seasons with largely varying temperatures while the south experiences long, hot summers and cool to mild winters.[15]
Humans first arrived in Honshu at least approximately 37,000 years ago. The first humans to arrive in Honshu wereStone Age hunter-gatherers from Northeast Asia, likely following the migration ofice agemegafauna. Surviving artifacts from this period include finely crafted stone blades, similar to those found inSiberia.[19]After the initial arrival of hunter-gatherers, the island saw the emergence of the Jōmon period (c. 14,000–300 BCE), one of the earliest known eras of prehistoric Japanese culture. The Jōmon people were known for their distinctive cord-marked pottery and dogū clay figurines, many of which have been excavated at archaeological sites across Honshu. These artifacts reflect a complex spiritual life and early forms of sedentary communities, particularly along the coasts and river valleys.
The Meiji Restoration, in Japanese history, is the political revolution in 1868 that brought the final demise of the Tokugawashogunate (which is a military government). It ended theEdo (Tokugawa) Period (1603–1867) and at least nominally returned control of the country to direct imperial rule under Mutsuhito (theEmperor Meiji). One of the main leaders of the restoration (who were mostly youngsamurai) was Chōshū in far western Honshu, which was one of the feudal areas, hostile to Tokugawa authority domains.
Japan as seen from a satellite. Honshu is the largest, middle island.
The island is roughly 1,300 km (810 mi) long and ranges from 50 to 230 km (31 to 143 mi) wide, and its total area is 227,960 km2 (88,020 sq mi).[1] It is slightly larger thanBritain. Its land area has been increasing withland reclamation and coastal uplift in the north due toplate tectonics with aconvergent boundary. Honshu has 10,084 kilometres (6,266 mi) of coastline.[7]
Mountainous and volcanic, Honshu experiences frequent earthquakes (such as theGreat Kantō earthquake, which heavily damaged Tokyo in September 1923; and theearthquake of March 2011, which moved the northeastern part of the island by varying amounts of as much as 5.3 m (17 ft)[20][21] while causing devastating tsunamis). The highest peak is the active volcanoMount Fuji at 3,776 m (12,388 ft), which makes Honshu the world's7th highest island. There are many rivers, including theShinano River, Japan's longest. TheJapanese Alps span the width of Honshu, from the 'Sea of Japan' coast to the Pacific shore. Western Japan experiences a temperate climate with hot summers and cool to mild winters.In addition to the general climate patterns, central Honshu, particularly the regions surrounding the Japanese Alps, experiences heavy snowfall in winter. Areas such as Niigata, Toyama, and Nagano prefectures are renowned for their snow accumulation, making them popular destinations for skiing and winter sports. These regions are among the snowiest inhabited places in the world, due to the humid air masses from the Sea of Japan colliding with the mountainous terrain.
Honshu has a total population of 104 million people, according to a 2017 estimate, 81.3% of the entire population of Japan.[11] The largest city isTokyo (population: 13,988,129),[22] the capital of Japan and part of theGreater Tokyo Area, the most populousmetropolitan area in the world.
(kamoshika, lit. "coarse pelt deer"): (Capricornis crispus) is a Japanesegoat-antelope found in densewoodland primarily in northern and central Honshu.
Kishu Ken are a rare dog breed that was selectively bred for the hunting of wild boar and deer in the mountainousMie prefecture andWakayama prefecture.
Fruit, vegetables, grains, rice and cotton make up the main produce grown in Honshu.[28] TheTōhoku region, spanning the north-eastern part of the island, is notable for its rice production, with 65% of cultivated land being rice paddy fields – almost a quarter of all paddy fields in Japan.[29]Chiba Prefecture is famous for its peanuts, also being the largest producer in Japan.[30] Rare species of the lichen genusMenegazzia are found only in Honshu.[31]
Honshu is home to a large portion[32] of Japan's minimal mineral reserves,[33] including small oil and coal deposits. Several coal deposits are located in the northern part of the island,[34] concentrated inFukushima Prefecture andNiigata Prefecture, though Honshu's coal production is negligible in comparison toHokkaido andKyushu.[35] Most of Japan's oil reserves are also located in northern Honshu, along the west coast, spanning Niigata,Yamagata, andAkita Prefectures.[36]
TheTokaido Shinkansen, opened in 1964 betweenTokyo andShin-Ōsaka, is Japan's first high-speed rail line.[38] It is the world's oldest high-speed rail line and one of the most heavily used.[39][40] TheSan'yō Shinkansen connects stations in the two largest cities in western Japan,Shin-Osaka inOsaka withHakata Station inFukuoka. Both the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Sanyo Shinkansen help form a continuous high-speed railway through theTaiheiyō Belt megalopolis.
The island is divided into five nominal regions and contains 34 prefectures, including metropolitan Tokyo. Administratively, some smaller islands are included within these prefectures, notably including theOgasawara Islands,Sado Island,Izu Ōshima, andAwaji Island.
^SeeJapan Census of 2000; the editors ofList of islands by population appear to have used similar data from the relevant statistics bureaux and totalled up the various administrative districts that make up each island, and then done the same for less populous islands. An editor of this article has not repeated that work. Therefore, this plausible and eminently reasonable ranking is posted as unsourcedcommon knowledge.
