Chūbu region is the central region of Honshū island. Chūbu means middle (chū, 中) region (bu, 部). The region consists of 9 prefectures: Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama and Yamanashi.
It is the widest part of Honshū. The central part characterized by high, rugged mountains, is crossed by the Japanese Alps.
Chūbu region is usually divided in 3 parts:
- Hokuriku region lies on the Sea of Japan coastline and includes Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures.
- Kōshinetsu region encompasses the mountainous part including Nagano, Niigata, and Yamanashi prefectures.
- Tōkai region lies on the Pacific ocean coastline including Aichi, Shizuoka and Gifu prefectures.
Amoung the main attractions of this region, it is worth noting:
- The mount Fuji, the most capricious mountain I ever (try) to see....
- Japanese Alps where I never been yet, but where I dream to go to at least to see macaques swimming into hot springs.
- Kanazawa city and Kenrokuen garden which is considered one of the 3 most beautiful japanese gardens.
