Tochigi栃木県

Tochigi-ken, とちぎけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.

Tochigi is landlocked and has Nikkō and its shrines. Utsunomiya is known across Japan for gyōza.

Open Tochigi on the map

Facts

Japanese name

栃木県

Reading

Tochigi-ken / とちぎけん

Region

Kantō 関東

Capital

Utsunomiya 宇都宮市

Population

1,933,146 (2020 census)

Area

6,408 km²

Density

302 people per km²

Municipalities

25: 14 cities and 11 towns

Designated cities

None

Districts (郡)

5

Codes

JIS 09, ISO 3166-2 JP-09

Website

www.pref.tochigi.lg.jp

Tree

Japanese horse chestnut トチノキ

Flower

yashio azalea ヤシオツツジ

Bird

blue-and-white flycatcher オオルリ

The tree, flower, and bird are the prefectural symbols, chosen by ordinance. Every prefecture has all three.

The most populous municipalities

2020 census. Share is the municipality's part of the prefecture's population. The other 15 are listed below.

How an address here begins

The prefecture name is written first, then the municipality name. The guide explains the rest of the address, and the map finds any address you paste into it.

Neighbouring prefectures

• Fukushima福島県
• Ibaraki茨城県
• Gunma群馬県

Questions about Tochigi

What is the capital of Tochigi?

Utsunomiya (宇都宮市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture.

What does 県 mean in 栃木県?

県 (ken) means prefecture. It is the ordinary word for prefecture, used by 43 of the 47. The other four are Tokyo (都), Hokkaidō (道), Osaka, and Kyoto (府), which are the same kind of government with a different word at the end of the name.

How many municipalities are in Tochigi?

25: 14 cities and 11 towns. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. The towns and villages are grouped into five districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.

What is the population of Tochigi?

1,933,146 at the 2020 census, on 6,408 km², which is 302 people per km². Tochigi is the 19th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 20th largest by area.

Which prefectures border Tochigi?

Three prefectures: Fukushima (福島県), Ibaraki (茨城県), and Gunma (群馬県). Borders across water are not counted.

What region is Tochigi in?

Kantō (関東). A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government, so Tochigi elects a governor and an assembly but the region elects nothing.

How is Tochigi written in Japanese?

栃木県, read Tochigi-ken and written とちぎけん in hiragana. The last character, 県, is the word for prefecture, and the name is often used without it in English.

How does an address in Tochigi begin?

With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 栃木県宇都宮市… (Tochigi-ken, Utsunomiya-shi, …). After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.

What is the largest city in Tochigi?

Utsunomiya City (宇都宮市), with 518,757 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Utsunomiya City (宇都宮市, 518,757), Oyama City (小山市, 166,666), and Tochigi City (栃木市, 155,549).

What are the symbols of Tochigi?

The prefectural tree is the Japanese horse chestnut (トチノキ), the flower the yashio azalea (ヤシオツツジ), and the bird the blue-and-white flycatcher (オオルリ). Tochigi chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.