The kinki region (近畿地方) also called kansai (関西地方), is one of the two main plains of Japan. It is the second most populated region in Japan after the Kanto region. Kinki consists of 7 prefectures: Hyôgo, Kyôto, Mie, Nara, Ôsaka, Shiga and Wakayama.
Kinki (近畿) means "near the capital". Indeed, until Edo period the japanese capital was located in this area. Kansai (関西) means "Western Tollgates" refering to the time when the control points were located on Tôkaido road.
Kinki is rich in cultural sites: the former capitals of Kyoto and Nara, Ise-Jingu the most famous Shintô shrine and the dynamic and modern city of Osaka.
I have a particular attachment for this region and its welcoming and warn-hearted inhabitants, since Kansai was like an adopted region for me.
