Tohoku

Chiho (region), located on northern Honshu, Japan, and including the ken (prefectures) of Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, and Fukushima. Its name is derived from the Japanese terms to (“east”) and hoku (“north”). The region is also known as Ou, in reference to its main mountain range. Tohoku occupies nearly one-fifth of Japan's total area but contains less than one-tenth of the country's