Draw Japan Prefectures on a Terrain Map

Two ways to play

Draw a region: circle the prefecture’s land. Coastlines do not need to be precise and small offshore islands are not scored. Draw a shared border: trace the line between two neighbours, such as Nagano and Gifu across the Japanese Alps, or Kyoto and Shiga along the hills east of the city.

Terrain clues to look for

• The Hida, Kiso and Akaishi ranges (the Japanese Alps) form the spine between Nagano and its western neighbours.
• Lake Biwa sits entirely inside Shiga; Mount Fuji straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi.
• Many borders in the Kanto plain follow rivers such as the Tone and the Edo, where there is no relief at all.

Coverage and scoring

All 47 prefectures have outline questions. Border questions cover every pair that shares a land border of 8 km or more; Hokkaido and Okinawa, which have no land neighbours, appear as outlines only. Boundaries are derived from Japan’s National Land Numerical Information (see map data); scores follow the scoring rules.

How do I draw Japanese prefectures from memory?

Begin with a mountain ridge or familiar coastline, then close a ring around the prefecture. This Japan prefectures border game also asks for shared land boundaries: draw a line rather than a ring for those questions. Use separate rings for islands and compare the reveal before trying again.