Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture is a densely populated prefecture in Japan’s Kantō region, centered on Yokohama and extending from Tokyo Bay to Sagami Bay and the Hakone mountains.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Kanagawa Prefecture is an administrative prefecture of Japan on the southeastern edge of Honshu’s Kantō region. Its capital and largest city is Yokohama, Japan’s second-largest city, while Kawasaki, Sagamihara, Fujisawa, Kamakura, Odawara, and Yokosuka are among its other important urban centers. The prefecture occupies approximately 2,415 square kilometres, making it one of Japan’s smaller prefectures by area, but it has a very large population because much of its eastern and central territory forms part of the Greater Tokyo Area. It is bordered by Tokyo to the north, Yamanashi to the northwest, and Shizuoka to the west, with Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay defining much of its maritime setting. The prefecture combines major metropolitan, industrial, port, military, cultural, agricultural, and resort functions. Eastern Kanagawa is highly urbanized and includes the international Port of Yokohama, the industrial city of Kawasaki, and the naval city of Yokosuka. Central areas around the Sagami River contain dense residential communities, transport corridors, universities, and manufacturing. The western part is more mountainous and includes the Tanzawa range, Mount Hakone, Lake Ashi, Odawara, and the resort district of Hakone. The Miura Peninsula and coastal areas around Kamakura, Enoshima, and Fujisawa are important leisure and heritage destinations. Kanagawa has played an outsized role in Japanese history. Kamakura served as the seat of the Kamakura shogunate from 1185 to 1333 and was effectively Japan’s political center during that period. In the nineteenth century, Commodore Matthew Perry’s landings in 1853 and 1854 led to the Convention of Kanagawa, an important step in the opening of Japan to the United States. Yokohama subsequently opened to foreign trade in 1859 and developed into one of Japan’s principal international ports. Early railway development connected Tokyo and Yokohama in 1872, reinforcing the area’s commercial importance. The prefecture has also experienced major disasters and wartime destruction. The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and related tsunami and fires severely damaged Yokohama, Kamakura, Odawara, and surrounding communities. Yokohama, Kawasaki, and other cities were again heavily damaged by air raids in 1945. After the Second World War, rapid metropolitan growth integrated Kanagawa more closely with Tokyo. U.S. military facilities remain in the prefecture, including installations associated with Camp Zama, Yokosuka, and Naval Air Facility Atsugi. Today, Kanagawa’s identity is shaped by its proximity to Tokyo, diverse landscapes, extensive rail and road networks, port logistics, advanced manufacturing, tourism, education, sports, and international exchange. Shin-Yokohama and Odawara provide access to the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, while the prefecture’s railways connect its cities with Tokyo and the wider metropolitan region. Tourist attractions include Yokohama Chinatown, historic Kamakura temples and shrines, Hakone’s hot-spring and mountain environment, Enoshima, and coastal festivals. Kanagawa also hosts major sports venues and professional teams, including Yokohama Stadium, Nissan Stadium, Yokohama F. Marinos, Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama DeNA BayStars, and other regional clubs.
History
Kanagawa’s territory contains archaeological evidence associated with the Jōmon period. In later antiquity, its plains were relatively lightly populated, while the area became associated principally with the historical provinces of Sagami and Musashi. Kamakura rose to national importance in the medieval period when it became the seat of the Kamakura shogunate from 1185 to 1333. Its temples, shrines, coastal setting, and surviving historic landscape remain central to the prefecture’s cultural identity. During the Edo period, western Sagami was governed by the daimyō of Odawara Castle, while other portions were administered directly by the Tokugawa shogunate from Edo. Kanagawa’s modern international importance began with the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry in Sagami Bay in 1853 and 1854. The Convention of Kanagawa helped establish formal relations between the United States and Japan and contributed to the opening of Japanese ports. Yokohama opened to foreign merchants in 1859 and quickly developed into a major international trading port. Foreign settlement, shipping, finance, and manufacturing transformed the city and its surrounding region. The Meiji government’s railway connection between Shinbashi in Tokyo and Yokohama, completed in 1872, strengthened Kanagawa’s role as a transport and commercial gateway. Yokosuka developed as a naval center, a role it retains through Japanese and United States maritime facilities. Industrialization also expanded around Kawasaki and the eastern coast, while Hakone and other western districts developed as resort and tourism destinations. The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake caused catastrophic damage throughout the region. Yokohama suffered extensive destruction, while Kamakura and Odawara experienced deaths, building collapses, tsunami effects, and fires. Recovery was followed by further urban and industrial growth. In 1945, bombing damaged Yokohama, Kawasaki, and other population centers. General Douglas MacArthur landed in Kanagawa after the war, and the prefecture became an important location for Allied occupation activities. U.S. military facilities subsequently remained part of the regional landscape. Postwar Kanagawa experienced rapid population growth as Tokyo’s metropolitan area expanded. Yokohama became a major residential, commercial, cultural, and port center; Kawasaki developed as an industrial city; and Sagamihara grew as a large inland urban center. Railways, expressways, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, container shipping, and airport and military infrastructure tied the prefecture closely to national and international networks. The prefecture’s geography continues to support a varied economy and public identity. Flat and heavily urbanized eastern districts contrast with the mountainous Tanzawa and Hakone areas in the west. The Miura Peninsula, Sagami Bay coast, Kamakura, Enoshima, and Hakone attract visitors from Tokyo and abroad. Kanagawa also promotes international exchange through sister-region ties and hosts major educational, cultural, sporting, and civic events. Its contemporary character is therefore neither exclusively metropolitan nor solely touristic: it is a large, highly connected prefecture where historic cities, industrial ports, suburban communities, protected landscapes, and coastal resorts coexist.
- 2006
Kanagawa becomes Japan’s second-most populous prefecture
[1]Reference material states that Kanagawa reached second place nationally by population in 2006 amid continued metropolitan growth.
- 1945
Wartime bombing damages major cities
[1]Yokohama, Kawasaki, and other urban areas suffer severe damage during air raids near the end of the Second World War.
- 1923
Great Kantō earthquake
[1]The earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent fires cause extensive destruction and loss of life across Kanagawa.
- 1872
Tokyo–Yokohama railway opens
[1]One of Japan’s earliest railways links Tokyo and Yokohama, accelerating regional integration and commerce.
- 1859
Yokohama opens to foreign trade
[1]Yokohama begins operating as an international trading port and develops into a major commercial gateway.
- 1854
Convention of Kanagawa
[1]The Convention of Kanagawa is concluded, contributing to the opening of Japanese ports to the United States.
- 1853
Perry arrives in Kanagawa
[1]Commodore Matthew Perry lands in the Kanagawa area during the American effort to establish relations with Japan.
Kamakura becomes the seat of the shogunate
[1]Kamakura becomes the political center of the Kamakura shogunate, beginning a period in which the area holds national governmental importance.
End of the Kamakura period
[1]The Kamakura shogunate ends, closing the period in which Kamakura served as Japan’s de facto capital.
Products and positioning
A major metropolitan and coastal prefecture combining Yokohama’s international gateway, Tokyo-area urban connectivity, historic Kamakura, industrial Kawasaki and Yokosuka, and the mountain and resort landscapes of western Kanagawa.
Port and logistics infrastructure
Port of Yokohama
The Port of Yokohama is Kanagawa’s principal international maritime gateway and a major container and trade hub. Its development followed Yokohama’s opening to foreign commerce in the nineteenth century. The port supports freight, passenger activity, logistics, and the broader commercial economy of the Greater Tokyo Area.
Tourism destination
Hakone tourism
Hakone is a western Kanagawa resort area known for hot springs, mountain scenery, Lake Ashi, and proximity to Mount Fuji. It functions as a major short-break destination for visitors from Tokyo and contributes substantially to the prefecture’s tourism identity.
Cultural tourism
Kamakura heritage tourism
Kamakura’s temples, shrines, historic sites, and coastal setting reflect its medieval role as the seat of the Kamakura shogunate. The city is one of Kanagawa’s best-known cultural destinations and a leading day-trip location in the Tokyo region.
Transport service
Tōkaidō Shinkansen services
Shin-Yokohama and Odawara stations provide Kanagawa with high-speed rail access on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen. The service connects the prefecture with Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and other major cities, reinforcing its metropolitan and national connectivity.
Marketing campaigns
- International sister-region exchange
United States · China · Ukraine · Germany · South Korea · Australia · Malaysia · Sweden
Kanagawa conducts international exchange through sister relationships with regions including Maryland, Liaoning, Odesa, Baden-Württemberg, Gyeonggi, Queensland, Penang, Västra Götaland, and Aguascalientes.
Outcome. The relationships support cultural, educational, administrative, and regional cooperation.
- Kanagawa festivals and regional events
Japan
Annual events across the prefecture include the Kamakura Festival, Yokohama Port Anniversary Festival, Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival, Chigasaki Hamaori Festival, Odawara Hōjō Godai Festival, Yugawara Kifune Festival, and Tama River fireworks.
Outcome. These events reinforce local cultural identity and attract domestic and international visitors.
Sources2 sources
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