The Kinki Region (近畿地方, Kinki Chihō), also commonly known as Kansai (関西, literally “west of the border”) encompasses the Osaka Plain and consists of seven prefectures. It used to be the political and cultural center of Japan for many centuries and includes the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Kobe.
The Kansai or Kinki region is the western region of the island of Honshu and includes the cities of Himeji, Kobe, Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. It is the cultural and historical heart of Japan and the second-most populated after Kanto.
Prefectures: Hyōgo, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Osaka, Shiga and Wakayama.
