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The Japanese Connection : Serving since 1985

Japanese Interpreters | Japanese Interpreting Services in Japan


Our professional Japanese interpreters can assist you in cities and towns all over Japan and across the rest of the world.

All our Japanese linguists are highly trained experts who understand the nuances and complexities of the Japanese as well as the other languages they work with.

We believe linguistic excellence should go hand in hand with an in-depth knowledge of subject matter and, for this reason, we always endeavour to provide Japanese interpreters and translators with a background or qualification in the given field. Their command of subject-related, often technical, terminology, procedure and the wider context ensures language support of the highest quality whatever the nature of your enquiry. 

Our professional Japanese interpreters cover court cases, hearings, depositions, arbitrations, business meetings, negotiations, conferences, technical discussions, on-site visits and much more...

Please contact us directly if you wish to find out more about the interpreting services we provide... 

 

 


We provide professional Japanese interpreting services in all regions of Japan

The Japanese archipelago is traditionally divided into eight major regions, and 47 prefectures (都道府県 Todōfuken), 43 of which are prefectures (県 ken) proper; two , Osaka and Kyoto, are urban prefectures (府 fu); Hokkaido is a "territory" (道 dō) and Tokyo is a "metropolis" (都 to). The Japanese Connection's professional interpreters are located in cities across all eight regions listed below. Click on a region for details of the cities and towns in each in which we provide interpreting and translation assistance. 

 

Kantō

Home to the Greater Tokyo Area and the Tokyo-Yokohama Metropolitan Area, the Kantō region is situated in the middle of Japan’s largest island, Honshu, and stretches to its eastern coast. Its name means “East of the Barrier”. It is made up of seven prefectures in total: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. The heartland of feudal power in Japan’s Kamakura and Edo periods, Kantō became the centre of modern Japanese development. Today, it is the most highly developed, industrialized and urbanized region of Japan, and houses around a third of the Japanese population, the seat of Japanese government: the National Diet Building in Nagatachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, as well as the lion's share of the nation's universities and cultural institutions. 

Aside from Tokyo, major cities in the region include Yokohama (Kanagawa)ÅŒta City (Special Ward of Tokyo), Kawasaki (Kanagawa), Yokosuka (Kanagawa), Saitama (in Saitama Prefecture), Chiba (in Chiba), Atsugi (Kanagawa), Isesaki (Gunma), Mito (Ibaracki), Tsukuba (Ibaracki), Maebashi (Gunma). Utsunomiya (in Tochigi) is home to the multinational automotive corporation Honda.

 

Kansai

Kansai, a word meaning “West of the Barrier” is a region with many names and a rich history. Sometimes referred to as Kinki, literally "the neighbourhood of the capital", this region was for many centuries the political and cultural centre of Japan. It is situated in the lower central portion of Honshu and spans from its north coast to its south coast.

Encompassing the seven prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, Kansai is home to over 23 million people, around 18 per cent of the overall population of Japan. Indeed, it is second only to Kanto in number of inhabitants.

Kansai is home to many of Japan’s major cities, including Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Kobe as well as Sakai (Osaka), Tsu (Mie) and Akashi (Hyogo), Himeji (Hyogo), Yokkaichi (Mie). The urban region of Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto is known as the Keihanshin region, and is one of the world's most-productive regions. According to statistics by NationMaster.com, if Keihanshin were an independent state, it would be the 16th-largest economy in the world. 

Hokkaido

The island of Hokkaido is the northernmost region of Japan. A self-contained prefecture, it is the second largest island of the archipelago. The city of Sapporo, located in the far west of the island, is its capital. Just under 5.5 million people inhabit Hokkaido and 2 million of these live in SapporoAsahikawa and Hakodate are also major cities on Hokkaido. 

The island is famous for its beautiful untouched forests, many of which comprise national parks. With numerous mountains and six active volcanoes, Hokkaido is, like much of Japan, a centre of seismic activity. The island borders three oceanic bodies: the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Pacific Ocean. In addition to the rich sealife here, including orcas, sharks, dolphins and whales, Hokkaido is also home to rare land wildlife including its own subspecies of brown bear known as the Ezo brown bear, as well as the Ezo red fox, red-crowned crane and the highly endangered Blakiston’s fish owl. 

Chūbu

Situated between the country’s two most populous urbanized regions, Kantō and Kansai, the ChÅ«bu region is located in the middle of Japan’s main island: HonshÅ«, It spans the widest part of HonshÅ« from the Sea of Japan coastline to the Pacific ocean coastline, and the landscape in the centre is characterised by high, rugged mountains, including Japan’s iconic volcano, Mount Fuji. 

Encompassing the nine prefectures of Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Yamanashi, ChÅ«bu has a population of almost 22 million people.  Its largest city is Nagoya (capital of the Aichi prefecture), one of Japan’s major shipping ports, and home to over 2 million people. Nagoya is also at the centre of the nation’s third largest metropolitan area, often called the ChÅ«kyō Metropolitan Area, comprising Nagoya, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Gifu and Tsu.  ChÅ«bu is a hub for the automobile, aircraft, and other manufacturing industries. Kanazawa (Ishikawa), Toyohashi (Aichi), Okazaki (Aichi), Matsumoto (Nagano), Toyota (Aichi), home of the multinational automotive manufacturer, are also located in ChÅ«bu .

The ChÅ«bu region is often divided into three distinct subregions (aside from the business subregion of ChÅ«kyō): Tōkai, bordering the Pacific Ocean; Kōshin'etsu, including the Japanese Alps; and the snowy Hokuriku lying on the Sea of Japan coastline. 

 

Tohoku

The northeastern section of the island of Honshu is known as Tohoku. This traditional region of Japan comprises six prefectures: Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Its major cities include Aomori, Morioka (Iwate), Sendai (Miyagi), Toyama and Yamagata. It is connected by the Seikan tunnel to the island of Hokkaido.

Thanks to its beautiful countryside, mountains, lakes and hot springs, Tohoku is a popular tourist destination for Japanese tourists. Its gorgeous mountainous scenery remains largely unknown to international tourists. Some of the major attractions include: Lake Towada, the largest crater lake in Honshū island, Japan; the remote and stunning coastline of the Shimokita Hanto peninsula in the Aomori prefecture; the seventeenth-century Hirosaki Castle and the Shirakami-Sanchi UNESCO World Heritage Site a mountainous area that includes some of the last remaining virgin beech forests of northern Japan. The region is also known for its rough winters.

The east coast of Tohoku was one of the areas worst hit by the tragic earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. The damage inflicted by this natural disaster led to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which left 500,000 people homeless.  

 

Chūgoku

Comprising the westernmost portion of Honshu island, ChÅ«goku is a region of two halves. It is commonly known as San'in-San'yō, a name which refers to the regional split between the heavily urbanized and industrialized Sanyo, situated along the Seto Inland Sea coast and the agricultural San'in, which spans its mountainous interior and the Sea of Japan Coast. The two halves of ChÅ«goku are divided by the mountains running through its centre.

Home to more than 7.5 million people, the ChÅ«goku region is made up of the Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi prefectures. Major cities include Hiroshima, Okayama, Kurashiki, Fukuyama, Shimonoseki, Kure, Matsue, Kurashiki (Okayama).

The city of Hiroshima is the capital of the ChÅ«goku region. Destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945, Hiroshima is now an industrial metropolis home to more than one million people.

Shikoku

The smallest of Japan’s four main islands, Shikoku Island encompasses Shikoku and its surrounding islets. The region consists of four prefecturesEhime, Kagawa, Kōchi, and Tokushima.  Its name, meaning literally “four provinces”, refers to the four former provinces that made up the island. These were known as Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo. 

Shikoku is situated south of Honshu and east of Kyushu, and is connected to the nation’s main island, Honshu, by three expressways which together form the HonshÅ«–Shikoku Bridge Project. With just under 3.8 million inhabitants, Shikoku is the least populous of the four main islands of Japan. Its major cities include Matsuyama (Ehime), Kochi, Takamatsu (Kagawa) and Tokushima.

Udon noodles, often served hot in a noodle soup, is a Shikoku speciality. Shikoku has a warm climate which lends itself to the cultivation of citrus fruits including yuzu and mikan. Alone of Japan’s four main islands, Shikoku has no volcanoes.

 

 

Kyushu (incl. Okinawa)

Located to the south west of Honshu, Kyushu is the third largest of Japan's four major islands. Although its name means "nine provinces", the region of Kyushu is today made up of seven prefectures plus the Okinawa prefecture, comprising the Okinawa and Ryukyu islands, and lying around 400 miles south of Kyushu in the East China Sea. The other seven are Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, ÅŒita, Saga, Kagoshima and Miyazaki. Kyushu has a population of almost 13 million. Its major cities include Kitakyushu, Naha (Okinawa) and Sasebo. Thanks to its partly subtropical climate, Kyushu's major agricultural products include rice, tea, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and soy. The northern portion of the island is known for heavy industry including the chemical, automobile, semiconductor, and metal processing industries. Japanese automotive manufacturer Lexus's manufacturing plant is located in Kyushu.

The mountainous island of Kyushu is home to Japan's largest volcano, Mt Aso. The island is linked to Honshu by the Kanmon Tunnels. The northern part of the island is famed for its mud hot springs, many of which are located near to Beppu


Major cities in Japan


Looking for Japanese language assistance in another country? 

The Japanese Connection provides specialist interpreting and translation services all over the world. Whatever your requirement and wherever you require it, we can provide tailored Japanese language services to assist you. 

Our language specialists utilise their knowledge of subject-specific terminology to deliver precise, unambiguous translations whatever the context - enabling you to communicate effectively with the rest of the world in a vast array of industries, contexts and specialist fields, and for all manner of events We are able to adapt to almost any type of project.


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