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What special characteristics does the Kanto region have? |
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Some 39.6 million people live in the Kanto region, which comprises Tokyo and the six prefectures of Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa. In the national capital of Tokyo, many companies, government offices, universities, and other facilities are concentrated. It is also amply served by cinemas, theaters, department stores, and other establishments of entertainment and consumption. In the center of Tokyo, land prices and rents are extremely high, so even when their jobs or schools are in central Tokyo, many people choose to commute from the suburbs, not only in Tokyo but in the surrounding prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, and Ibaraki. An industrial belt has developed along the coastal strip facing Tokyo Bay. Arrayed along it are factories of companies in sectors such as steelmaking, shipbuilding, petroleum, and electrical equipment. Industrial parks have also been set up in inland Kanto. There are also areas of vegetable and fruit cultivation, dairy farming, and pig-breeding. Photo courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government. |
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