Most people have heard of Kanto (関東) and Kansai (関西)—the East and West areas of Japan, known for their contrasting personalities, foods, and customs. But unless you’ve lived here a while, you might not have heard of the Kinki region (近畿). Even if you have lived here a while, do you know the difference between Kinki and Kansai? I asked my 関西人 husband and even he was clueless.
Kansai vs. Kinki
It turns out that, although both terms are often used interchangeably, neither has a strict definition.
In general, Kansai means the area encompassing Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo, Shiga, and Wakayama, while the Kinki region refers to the same area plus Mie prefecture. In practice, though, the lines are rather blurry; for example, sometimes the terms include Fukui, Tottori, or even Tokushima. (On another note, the literal term for “western Japan” or 西日本 refers to a much larger area.)
Though these two terms may seem interchangeable, the situations in which you use them differ greatly. For example, you can say 関西人, but you will never hear someone refer to themselves as 近畿人. (How unfortunate, as that would open doors to so many fun, nsfw jokes.) There isn’t a concrete reason for this, other than the history of when the word “Kansai” grew in popularity.
When it comes to government documents and news programs, “Kinki” could be considered more formal because of the word’s origins; however, recent years has seen a steady decline of its use. Why? Yes, it’s exactly the reason you think: because immature English-speakers will confuse it with the word “kinky.” (I mean, I did just make a joke about it, so I kinda see their point.) This is one example I think Japan is, at times, too quick to change things for the sake of tourists.
What about Mie?
One very disputed aspect of the Kansai vs. Kinki debate is: where to put Mie. You may hear older people say that schools taught Mie prefecture was part of Kinki. But if you watch the weather channel, you’ll notice that they always leave Mie out of their Kinki forecasts. Some say Mie belongs to the Tokai region (along with Shizuoka, Aichi, and Gifu) because it has more similarities in weather, commerce, etc. than with the Kansai region. I guess we’ll never have a real answer to the question why, but as for where, Mie is now classified as Kansai but not Kinki.
History of the Kinki region
So as I mentioned, Kinki is considered “more correct” because… well, the meaning of the name is just better. Kansai was literally chosen as a contrast to the word Kanto after the imperial palace moved to Tokyo (or “Edo”). Basically people thought, “Well, I live east of the gates to Edo, so we’ll call this area 関東 (gate + east). All you guys west of that can be called 関西 (gate + west).” Languages that use characters for writing get real literal sometimes.
Some records show the word Kansai being used earlier, but it wasn’t until Meiji that it spread and gained its modern definition. Before that, it was less a name and more a broad term that changed depending on the era’s politics.
For example, the Kamakura period had three famous gates (三関) that guarded the capital from attackers; they were located on the eastern border of present-day Shiga, and anything west of that was referred to as Kansai. Then in the early days of Edo, the capital gates moved and the delineation of Kansai moved as far east as Hakone.
Meanwhile, “Kinki” comes from the much older term “Kinai” (畿内). Unlike the other terms, “Kinai” actually did have a strict definition. The name means “within the capital,” which, at the time, was in Kyoto. After the palace moved, however, it would have seemed weird to continue calling it Kinai, right? When the emperor moved to Edo during the Meiji Restoration, people started calling the area around Kyoto and Osaka “Kinki” (近畿) instead.
What’s in a name?
Both Kinki and Kansai have long histories connected to their names, and the lack of a formal definition—even today—makes it all very confusing. But as long as you have a general idea of where and when to use them, you’ll be right on par with the average Japanese person. Knowing the history behind them will put you one step up!
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