Destinations · Region guide
Kansai: 7 prefectures
Kansai is one of Japan’s eight regions: 7 prefectures — Mie, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara and Wakayama. This is a short overview with the official numbers; the full region guide is being written.
Last checked · Sources
Kansai 関西 is made up of 7 prefectures: Mie, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara and Wakayama. Open each one for its guide; the table below shows how many foreign visitors each prefecture received in 2025, which is the quickest way to see which are the popular stops and which are still quiet.
In 2025 the prefectures of Kansai recorded about 36.1 million foreign visits between them (a visitor who went to two prefectures counts in both). Osaka alone accounted for 47% of that, with Kyoto and Nara next, while Shiga had the fewest at 229,000.
The prefectures of Kansai
- Mie 三重県 Capital: Tsu.
- Shiga 滋賀県 Capital: Otsu.
- Kyoto 京都府 Capital: Kyoto.
- Osaka 大阪府 Capital: Osaka.
- Hyogo 兵庫県 Capital: Kobe.
- Nara 奈良県 Capital: Nara.
- Wakayama 和歌山県 Capital: Wakayama.
Foreign visitors by prefecture in Kansai
| # | Prefecture | Foreign visitors | Spend per visitor (yen) | Avg nights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Osaka | 16,996,000 | 98,000 | 3.5 | |
| 2 | Kyoto | 12,228,000 | 56,000 | 2.3 | |
| 3 | Nara | 3,709,000 | 10,000 | 0.4 | |
| 4 | Hyogo | 2,144,000 | 39,000 | 3.0 | |
| 5 | Wakayama | 496,000 | 51,000 | 3.2 | |
| 6 | Mie | 282,000 | 51,000 | 2.8 | |
| 7 | Shiga | 229,000 | 39,000 | 6.5 |
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final), summary report (regional survey) (都道府県別 訪問者数・消費単価・旅行消費額・平均泊数（地域調査）). Period: 2025-01 to 2025-12. Unit: visitors_10k = 10,000 persons; spend_per_person_10k_yen = 10,000 yen; spend_100m_yen = 100 million yen; nights = average nights.
Climate in Kansai: Tsu month by month
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snowfall | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10°C (49°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 48 mm (1.9 in) | 2 cm | 163 |
| Feb | 10°C (50°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 57 mm (2.2 in) | 3 cm | 156 |
| Mar | 13°C (56°F) | 5°C (41°F) | 104 mm (4.1 in) | 0 cm | 186 |
| Apr | 19°C (65°F) | 10°C (50°F) | 129 mm (5.1 in) | 0 cm | 193 |
| May | 23°C (74°F) | 15°C (60°F) | 167 mm (6.6 in) | 0 cm | 198 |
| Jun | 26°C (79°F) | 20°C (67°F) | 202 mm (7.9 in) | 0 cm | 147 |
| Jul | 30°C (87°F) | 24°C (75°F) | 174 mm (6.8 in) | 0 cm | 180 |
| Aug | 32°C (89°F) | 25°C (77°F) | 144 mm (5.7 in) | 0 cm | 221 |
| Sep | 28°C (82°F) | 21°C (71°F) | 277 mm (10.9 in) | 0 cm | 165 |
| Oct | 23°C (73°F) | 16°C (60°F) | 186 mm (7.3 in) | 0 cm | 164 |
| Nov | 17°C (63°F) | 10°C (49°F) | 76 mm (3.0 in) | 0 cm | 164 |
| Dec | 12°C (54°F) | 5°C (40°F) | 47 mm (1.9 in) | 1 cm | 172 |
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency, climatological normals (1991–2020) (station page). Snowfall is the monthly total of fresh snow.
Weather varies a lot within a region; each prefecture page has its own monthly table.
Other regions of Japan
- Hokkaido Hokkaido region · capital Sapporo
- Tohoku Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata and Fukushima
- Kanto Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa
- Chubu Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka and Aichi
- Chugoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi
- Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime and Kochi
- Kyushu & Okinawa Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Okinawa
Sources
Official and primary sources used for this page. Checked October 8, 2026.
- Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final), summary report (regional survey) – 都道府県別 訪問者数・消費単価・旅行消費額・平均泊数（地域調査） — 2025-01 to 2025-12
- Japan Meteorological Agency, climatological normals (1991–2020) — monthly climatological normals 1991–2020
To cite or link to this page: Kansai: 7 prefectures — Japan Pocket Guide, https://japanpocketguide.com/regions/kansai/