Honshu contains Kyoto, Japan’s former imperial capital. Honshu is Japan’s largest and most populous island, and Kyoto lies in its central Kansai region.
The island also contains Tokyo, Japan’s present capital, along with Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Hiroshima. Honshu covers about 227,960 square kilometres, making it the seventh-largest island in the world by area. The Japanese Alps run through its interior, and Mount Fuji stands near its Pacific side.
Kyoto served as Japan’s imperial capital for more than a thousand years, from 794 until the imperial court moved to Tokyo in 1868. The city remains famous for temples, shrines, gardens, and traditional architecture.
Honshu is connected to Japan’s other main islands by bridges and tunnels, including the Seikan Tunnel to Hokkaido and the Great Seto Bridge system toward Shikoku. Its name means “main province” or “main land” in Japanese.