[MoCHE] Cities of eJapan

Day 2,977, 06:15 • Published in Japan Russia • by shirosakura


I know all of us know about what cities make up our territories, but do you really know what these cities are? Today, I give a brief rundown to our capital cities and spread a little knowledge about our history!



Sapporo (札幌市)

The capital of our northernmost region, Hokkaido, is a city called Sapporo. The area around Sapporo (and Hokkaido in general) were inhabited by the Ainu people for thousands of year until the arrival of the Japanese in the 1500s began a long decline for their people. Once the Japanese had colonized Hokkaido however, they realized that their previous capital of Hakodate (on the very southern tip of the island) wasn't very defendable, so established Sapporo in 1866.

Sapporo is home to about 2 million people, and is an important center of industry and trade for Japan. Sapporo is about on latitude with most of Central Europe, so while summers are usually pretty nice, winters are very snowy, and it is not uncommon for snowfall to occur five months out of the year.




Sendai

Sendai may be the least known of all of our current capitals. By far the smallest capital with just over a million residents, it is by far the largest city in the Tohoku region of Northern Japan. It was founded when a powerful warlord, Date Masamune, decided to move his capital there in 1600. However, it was relatively remote save by mountain train and ship until being connected to the national rail system in the late 19th century. Today, despite damage from the 2011 Tsunami, Sendai prides itself as a logistics hub and trade center, and is a very prosperous city.




Nagoya

The third most populous city in Japan and by far the largest city in the Chubu region with over 9.6 million residents, Nagoya is the captial of Chubu, or Central Japan. The city grew to prominence by being a base for famous warlord Oda Nobunaga and his retainers, and after the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the city grew as important trade station for travel between East and West Japan. The city grew into an industrial powerhouse, and to this day remains the center of Japanese manufacturing and trade.

The city prides itself on its crafts, whether it be food, ceramics, or cars, and these things make up much of what Nagoya is known for. The climate of Nagoya is very temperate, and sees four seasons year-long (but more rain than snow).



Osaka

Osaka is a city that barely needs introduction. The second largest city in Japan (and 12th largest city in the world) is a world-class financial hub and the heart of West Japan, and is one of Japan's oldest and most historic cities. Founded in the early 300s as an imperial residence, it became the capital of Japan in 645 before shortly losing it to neighboring Nara. Even after, the city became a haven for artists and merchants who would sell their goods both to locals and abroad for the city, and for much of Japan's history would remain the center of culture and commerce in the country.

Osaka is known for it's food and cuture among many other things, and is world-class city in many regards when it comes to media, fashion, and entertainment. Climate-wise, it's pretty humid year-round, going from cool in the winter months to stick and hot during the summer, making it a total opposite from Sapporo.

That's it! Hope you guys enjoyed the article, let me know what you think below! Next time we'll be celebrating Coming of Age Day! Don't miss it!