, historically known as or , is the largest of Japan's four main islands. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian island of Java.See Japan Census of 2000; the editors of List of islands by population appear to have used similar data from the relevant statistics bureaux and totalled up the various administrative districts that make up each island, and then done the same for less populous islands. An editor of this article has not repeated that work. Therefore, this plausible and eminently reasonable ranking is posted as unsourced common knowledge.
Honshu had a population of 100.7 million , constituting 81.9% of the entire population of Japan, and mostly concentrated in the coastal areas and plains. Approximately 30% of the total population resides in the Greater Tokyo Area on the Kantō Plain. As the historical center of Japanese cultural and political power, the island includes several past Japanese capitals, including Kyoto, Nara, and Kamakura. Much of the island's southern shore forms part of the Taiheiyō Belt, a megalopolis that spans several of the Japanese islands. Honshu also contains Japan's highest mountain, Mount Fuji, and its largest lake, Lake Biwa.
Most of Japan's industry is located in a belt running along Honshu's southern coast, from Tokyo to Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Hiroshima.Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan The island is linked to the other three major Japanese islands by a number of bridges and tunnels. The island primarily shares two climates, with Northern Honshu having four seasons with largely varying temperatures while the south experiences long, hot summers and cool to mild winters.
Etymology The name of the island, , stems from Middle Chinese. It directly translates to "main province" or "home land" in English.
History
Early history Humans first arrived in Honshu at least approximately 37,000 years ago. The first humans to arrive in Honshu were Stone Age hunter-gatherers from Northeast Asia, likely following the migration of ice age megafauna. Surviving artifacts from this period include finely crafted stone blades, similar to those found in Siberia. After the initial arrival of hunter-gatherers, the island saw the emergence of the Jōmon period (), one of the earliest known eras of prehistoric Japanese culture. The Jōmon people were known for their distinctive cord-marked pottery and dogū clay figurines, many of which have been excavated at archaeological sites across Honshu. These artifacts reflect a complex spiritual life and early forms of sedentary communities, particularly along the coasts and river valleys.
Meiji Restoration The Meiji Restoration, in Japanese history, is the political revolution in 1868 that brought the final demise of the Tokugawa shogunate (which was a military government). It ended the Edo (Tokugawa) Period (1603–1867) and at least nominally returned control of the country to direct imperial rule under Mutsuhito (the Emperor Meiji). One of the main leaders of the restoration (who were mostly young samurai) was Chōshū in far western Honshu, which was one of the feudal areas, hostile to Tokugawa authority domains.
Geography
The island is roughly long and ranges from wide, and its total area is . It is slightly larger than Britain. Its land area has been increasing with land reclamation and coastal uplift in the north due to plate tectonics with a convergent boundary. Honshu has of coastline.
Mountainous and volcanic, Honshu experiences frequent earthquakes (such as the Great Kantō earthquake, which heavily damaged Tokyo in September 1923; and the earthquake of March 2011, which moved the northeastern part of the island by varying amounts of as much as while causing devastating tsunamis). The highest peak is the active volcano Mount Fuji at , which makes Honshu the world's 7th highest island. There are many rivers, including the Shinano River, Japan's longest. The Japanese Alps span the width of Honshu, from the 'Sea of Japan' coast to the Pacific shore. Western Japan experiences a temperate climate with hot summers and cool to mild winters. In addition to the general climate patterns, central Honshu, particularly the regions surrounding the Japanese Alps, experiences heavy snowfall in winter. Areas such as Niigata, Toyama, and Nagano prefectures are renowned for their snow accumulation, making them popular destinations for skiing and winter sports. These regions are among the snowiest inhabited places in the world, due to the humid air masses from the Sea of Japan colliding with the mountainous terrain.
Population Honshu has a total population of 100.7 million people, according to the 2025 Census, 81.9% of the entire population of Japan. The largest city is Tokyo (population 14,246,219), the capital of Japan and part of the Greater Tokyo Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world.
Extreme points Bridges and tunnels Honshu is connected to the islands of Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku by tunnels and bridges. Three bridge systems have been built across the islands of the Inland Sea between Honshu and Shikoku (Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and the Ōnaruto Bridge; Shin-Onomichi Bridge, Innoshima Bridge, Ikuchi Bridge, Tatara Bridge, Ōmishima Bridge, Hakata–Ōshima Bridge, and the Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge; Shimotsui-Seto Bridge, Hitsuishijima Bridge, Iwakurojima Bridge, Yoshima Bridge, Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge, and the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge), the Seikan Tunnel connects Honshu with Hokkaido, and the Kanmonkyo Bridge and Kanmon Tunnel connect Honshu with Toyo.
Flora and fauna These are notable flora and fauna of Honshu.
+ Notable flora and faunaJapanese Wiki page :ja:北海道 Name Type Notes Japanese black bear Fauna A subspecies of the Asian black bear. It is typically herbivorous and lives in Honshu and Kyushu. Japanese macaque Fauna ( or snow monkey), is a terrestrial Old World monkey species that is native to Japan. Japanese golden eagle Fauna (), a subspecies of the golden eagle, inhabits Honshu and Hokkaido all year round.Japanese wolf Fauna Aka Honshu Wolf is an extinct subspecies of the wolf. Sika Deer Fauna Cervus nippon (Japanese deer), is overabundant in Honshu. Japanese dwarf flying squirrel Fauna () is one of two species of Old World flying squirrels in the genus Pteromys. Japanese raccoon dog Fauna ( also called tanuki), is a species of canid endemic to Japan. Japanese giant salamander Fauna () this fully aquatic salamander is endemic to Japan and called Ōsanshōuo (Giant Salamander) Takydromus tachydromoides Fauna The Japanese grass lizard, is a wall lizard species of the genus Takydromus. Japanese serow Fauna (kamoshika, lit. "coarse pelt deer"): () is a Japanese goat-antelope found in dense woodland primarily in northern and central Honshu. Japanese giant flying squirrel Fauna (musasabi, Petaurista leucogenys) is native to Japan where it inhabits sub-alpine forests and boreal evergreen forests on Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Japanese boar Fauna (Sus scrofa leucomystax, aka white-moustached pig, Nihon-inoshishi ()), is a subspecies of wild boar native to all of Japan, save for Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Islands. Japanese bush warbler Fauna (uguisu (), is an Asian passerine bird more often heard than seen. It is a year-round resident of Japan (except Hokkaido where it is only in summer). Sasakia charonda Fauna National butterfly of Japan (, "great purple") Copper pheasant Fauna () a large pheasant with a rich coppery chestnut plumage is endemic to Japan. Green pheasant Fauna (), aka Japanese green pheasant, is an omnivorous bird native to the Japanese archipelago, to which it is endemic. Grey Heron Fauna (Ardea cinerea) Long legged wading bird. Japanese scops owlFauna(Otus semitorques) is a resident breeder in Japan and found in other countries in East Asia. Doryrhamphus japonicus Fauna , or the Honshu pipefish, is a species of flagtail pipefish Brahmaea japonicaFauna(Japanese owl moth) a species of moth of the Brahmaeidae family native to Japan.Japanese spider crabFauna(Macrocheira kaempferi) a marine crab with the largest leg-span of any arthropod. They live off the southern coasts of Honshū from Tokyo Bay to Kagoshima Prefecture.Chum salmonFaunaaka white salmon () is native to middle and northern Honshu, Hokkaido and the North Pacific.Silurus biwaensisFaunaThe giant Lake Biwa catfish or , endemic to Lake Biwa.Oncorhynchus kawamuraeFaunaA species of landlocked Pacific trout in Japan. It is endemic to Lake Tazawa, Akita Prefecture, but was translocated to Lake Saiko. Akita Inu Fauna (, Akita-inu) is a historic dog breed of large size originating from the mountains in Akita Prefecture (northern Honshu). Kai Ken Fauna The Kai Ken () is a rare breed of dog native to Japan. It is originally from Kai Province in Yamanashi Prefecture. Kishu Fauna Kishu Ken are a rare dog breed that was selectively bred for the hunting of wild boar and deer in the mountainous Mie prefecture and Wakayama prefecture. Shiba Inu Fauna The Shiba Inu (), is an original and distinct spitz breed hunting dog, native to Japan. Japanese rose Flora (Rosa rugosa), a species of rose native to eastern Asia and Japan. Hydrangea hirta Flora A species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae that is native to East Asia and common in the Pacific side of Honshu. Tsuga sieboldii Flora ( or simply , ), is a conifer native to the Japanese islands of Honshū, Kyūshū, Shikoku and Yakushima.
Geologic activity
Being on the Ring of Fire, the island of Honshu is seismically active, and is home to 40 active volcanoes.
In 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0–9.1 occurred off the east coast of Honshu, generating tsunami waves up to 40.5 meters (133 ft) high that were observed all across the Pacific, and killing 19,759. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The tsunami subsequently led to the meltdown of 3 nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, leading to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Parks
+ National parks () Minami Alps National Park Chūbu-Sangaku National Park Hakusan National Park Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park Daisen-Oki National Park Chichibu Tama Kai National Park Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park Nikkō National Park Ogasawara National Park Ise-Shima National Park Sanin Kaigan National Park Yoshino-Kumano National Park Setonaikai National Park Bandai-Asahi National Park Sanriku Fukkō National Park Towada-Hachimantai National Park Oze National Park
Region List of Quasi-National Parks Tōhoku Shimokita Hantō, Tsugaru, Hayachine, Kurikoma, Minami Sanriku Kinkasan, Zaō, Oga, Chōkai Kantō Suigō-Tsukuba, Minami Bōsō, Meiji no Mori Takao, Tanzawa-Ōyama Chūbu Echigo Sanzan-Tadami, Myōgi-Arafune-Saku Kōgen, Sado-Yahiko-Yoneyama, Noto Hantō, Echizen-Kaga Kaigan, Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen, Tenryū-Okumikawa, Chūō Alps, Ibi-Sekigahara-Yōrō, Hida-Kisogawa, Aichi Kōgen, Mikawa-wan Kansai Suzuka, Wakasa Wan, Tango-Amanohashidate-Ōeyama, Biwako, Murō-Akame-Aoyama, Kongō-Ikoma-Kisen, Yamato-Aogaki, Kōya-Ryūjin, Meiji no Mori Minō, Kyoto Tamba Kogen Chūgoku Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan, Hiba-Dōgo-Taishaku, Nishi-Chūgoku Sanchi, Kita-Nagato Kaigan, Akiyoshidai
Economy
Honshu island generates around US$3.5 trillion or more than 80% of Japan's GDP.Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Gross Domestic Product, Large regions TL2, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 30 August 2022.
Agriculture