Kansai region

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The Kansai region (関西地方, Kansai-chihō^?) of Japan, also known as the Kinki region (近畿地方, Kinki-chihō^?), lies in the Southern-Central region of Japan's main island, Honshū.

1 Outline
2 History
3 Dialect
4 Universities
5 Airports
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Outline

The word ki (畿) in Kinki is also read in Japanese as miyako meaning capital. It stems from the fact that up until the Edo era Japan's capital was located in this region.

The Kansai region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Shiga. The Kansai region is often compared (yet more often contrasted) with the Kantō region, which lies to the east and is comprised primarily of Tokyo and the surrounding area.

Whereas the Kanto region is symbolic of standardization throughout Japan (from the government to economics to the language), the Kansai region displays many more idiosyncrasies through the culture in Kyoto, the mercantilism of Osaka, the history of Nara, the internationality of Kobe, and the distinct dialect (Kansai-ben) heard through the seven prefectures.

The Kansai region is the mainstay of the counterculture to the Kanto region (Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kamakura), and can be said to define the character of Western Japan.

[edit] History

Kinai (畿内) is a historical region of Japan. Its name literally means "inside the capital." It consisted of the following five provinces: Yamato, Yamashiro, Kawachi, Settsu and Izumi.

Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe belonged to Kinai, now Kinai means Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto (Keihanshin) area, the center of Kansai region.

Kinki (近畿) literally stands for "the neighbourhood of the capital".

Kansai (関西) which literally means "Western Checkpoint", whose location moved eastward through the history. Multiple definitions of the area of Kinki and Kansai partially come from the ambiguity of the neighbourhood and relocation of the checkpoints.

[edit] Dialect

The dialects of the people of the Kansai region have their own variations of pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar which are unique to the region. Kansai-ben is a term referring to the group of dialects spoken in Kansai. This dialect is especially strong in cities such as Osaka, Kyoto, and Otsu. The Kansai-ben group of dialects can be further subdivided into recognizable dialects such as Osaka-ben and Kyoto-ben.

[edit] Universities

Doshisha University (Private University)
Kansai University (Private University) [1]
Kansai Gaidai University (Private University)
Kinki University (Private University) [2]
Kobe City University of Foreign Studies (Municipal University)
Kobe City College of Nursing (Municipal University)
Kobe University (National University)
Konan University (Private University) [3]
Kyoto City University of Arts (Municipal University)
Kyoto Institute of Technology (National University)
Kyoto Prefecture University (Prefectural University)
Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (Prefectural University)
Kyoto Sangyo University (Private University) [4]
Kyoto University (National University)
Kyoto University of Education (National University)
Kwansei Gakuin University (Private University) [5] (the name is a variant romanization of Kansai)
Marine Technical College (Governmental College)
Mie University (National University)
Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology (Private University) Univ.-Website
Nara Medical University (Prefectural University)
Nara Prefectual University (Prefectural University)
Nara University of Education (National University)
Nara Women's University (National University)
Osaka Kyoiku University (National University)
Osaka University (National University)
Osaka University of Foreign Studies (National University) [6]
Osaka City University (Municipal University)
Osaka Prefecture University (Prefectural University) [7]
Ritsumeikan University (Private University)
Ryukoku University (Private University) [8]
Shiga University (National University)
Shiga University of Medical Science (National University)
University of Hyogo (Prefectural University) [9]
University of Shiga Prefecture (Prefectural University)
Wakayama Medical University (Prefectural University)
Wakayama University (National University)

[edit] Airports

The region has three major airports:

Kansai International Airport, south of Osaka, which handles some domestic and all of the international traffic. It is famous for being built on an artificial island.
Osaka International Airport, in Itami and Toyonaka, handles most of the domestic traffic
Kobe Airport, on another artificial island in Kobe, handling domestic traffic. This newest airport opened February 16, 2006.

There are three minor airports:

Nanki-Shirahama Airport, in Shirahama, Wakayama, handles scheduled flights between Tokyo and scenic flights mainly for tourists
Tajima Airport, in Toyooka, Hyogo, handles commuter services between Osaka International Airport
Yao Airport, in Yao, Osaka, for general aviation and no scheduled transport services