What do the Kanto and Kansai regions of Japan refer to respectively?

The expressions "Kanto" and "Kansai" are commonly used by the Japanese to distinguish regions, but if we think further, we can only say that the geographical scope mentioned in this expression is obscure.

This statement clearly shows that this concept is the dividing line between "Kanto" and "Kansai" represented by "Guan". "Pass" refers to "checkpoint". Specifically, there are three checkpoints between East and West Japan to check pedestrians: Suzuka, Tokaido, Bubu, Hokuriku (Fuwa, Gifu) and Aifa (Peanut, Fukui) in Dongshan. Three passes are called "Kanto" to the east and "Kansai" to the west. It is said that this statement began in the twelfth century. Later, I don't know when it was distributed, but the brand changed these three checkpoints into Osaka checkpoints between Kyoto and Otsu (Shiga Prefecture).

However, judging from the history of Japan, which has always been centered on Kyoto, it seems more appropriate to set up checkpoints to defend the capital, so it is called "inside the customs" in Kyoto and "outside the customs". There is no such thing as "Kansai". The area around Kyoto is called "Kini" because "Kini" means "capital". Expand the scope again, and that area will be called "Feng Jingen". This name continues to this day. After entering the Kamakura era, the rulers left Kyoto, and people began to realize that Kyoto was in the west, so the word "Kansai" came into being.

As mentioned above, although there is little information about the boundary between "Kanto" and "Kansai", there is a basis for explanation. However, if we simply consider the problem in this way, we will think that "Kansai" refers to the western part of Japan and "Kanto" refers to the eastern part of Japan. But in fact, most Japanese don't think so.

Interestingly, the word "Kanto" is used in all administrative divisions of Japan now, and the word "Kansai" is basically not used. The administrative division of "Kanto" refers to Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Ibaraki, Gunma, Tochigi and * * * as six counties. Administrative divisions call the area centered on Kyoto and Osaka "Feng Jingen", including Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Nara Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture and Hyogo Prefecture, and * * * is two counties and four counties (sometimes including Mie Prefecture, two counties and five counties). As for the meaning of "Kansai", it is difficult to set such a clear scope.

However, as the name of a region, "Kansai" is much more used than "Feng Jingen". For example, Osaka accent, Kyoto accent, Nara accent and Wakayama accent are still different, but as the same system, dialects are all called Kansai accent. In contrast, there is no so-called "Kanto accent". In addition, when comparing the temperament of people living in Tokyo and Osaka, people often use the word "Kansai people", but basically they don't use the word "Kanto people" but say "Tokyo people". The names of Kansai Electric Power Company, Kansai TV Station and Kansai International Airport can often be seen by representative large companies and legal organizations in the two regions, but the names of Kanto are rarely seen, and most of them are called Tokyo.

It is also interesting from the self-perception of residents in the two places. Residents of two counties and four counties in Feng Jingen usually call themselves "Kansai people"; The residents of one capital and six counties in kanto region basically don't call themselves "Kanto people".

Finally, talk about the "subtle" area that can be called "buffer".

Residents of six counties in Yidu not only don't call themselves "Kanto people", but also don't think they belong to any region. From this perspective, let's treat these six counties as "pure Kanto" for the time being. Subtle is the Izu place in Yamanashi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture. The map shows that these two counties belong to the "central region". If carefully divided, Yamanashi Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture are all "places where Schwab crossed"; Shizuoka Prefecture, on the other hand, is considered as the place in the East China Sea, which is different from Kanto. However, from the administrative point of view, Yamanashi Prefecture and Izu Prefecture are close to Tokyo, and are within the traffic circle of Tokyo office workers like the suburbs of Tokyo, and sometimes they are considered to be included in kanto region. Residents of these two places sometimes consider themselves "Kanto people". On the other hand, the residents of Fukushima Prefecture, a neighboring county to the north of kanto region, consider themselves as "northeast places" and therefore cannot be called "buffer zones".

In Kansai, the delicate areas are Mie Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture. On the map, Mie Prefecture belongs to Feng Jingen Prefecture, but judging from the local life, it is basically a part of the life circle of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. The so-called "East China Sea" certainly includes Mie Prefecture. However, from the perspective of dialects and living habits, there are many similarities with Kansai. In some ways, it is very different from Aichi Prefecture. With the development of railways and highways, the close contact between Mie County and surrounding areas began to shift from Feng Jingen to the East China Sea. It can be said that Mie Prefecture was originally a member of Kansai. When NHK Osaka Radio and Television broadcasts the weather forecast in Feng Jingen, Mie Prefecture near the east is also included. In addition, Okayama Prefecture belongs to the "land of China" both on the map and in administrative divisions. Among the students I have taught and are teaching, there are people from Okayama Prefecture. Many of them (of course, I can't say the vast majority) said, "It's nothing to treat us as Kansai people. This makes people feel that at least they don't regard their county as a district with Hiroshima. Of course, Okayama Prefecture cannot be said to be a county in the traffic circle of "Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe". Of course, it's not too far. Perhaps the residents of this county have a sense of closeness to Kansai out of yearning for big cities.