Editing Geography of Japan (section)

===Plains===
[[File:Kanto plain.png|thumb|220px|Map of the Kantō Plain]]
There are three major plains in central Honshū. The largest is the [[Kantō Plain]], which covers {{convert|17000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} in the [[Kantō region]]. The capital Tokyo and the largest metropolitan population are located there.  The second largest plain in Honshū is the [[Nōbi Plain]] ({{convert|1800|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}), with the third-most-populous urban area being [[Nagoya]]. The third-largest plain in Honshū is the [[Osaka Plain]], which covers {{convert|1600|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} in the [[Kinki region]]. It features the second-largest urban area of [[Osaka]] (part of the [[Keihanshin]] metropolitan area). Osaka and Nagoya extend inland from their bays until they reach steep mountains. The Osaka Plain is connected with Kyoto and Nara. [[Kyoto]] is located in the [[Yamashiro Basin]] ({{convert|827.9|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}) and [[Nara, Nara|Nara]] is in the [[Nara Basin]] ({{convert|300|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}).

The Kantō Plain, Osaka Plain, and Nōbi Plain are the most important economic, political, and cultural areas of Japan. These plains had the largest agricultural production and large bays with ports for fishing and trade. This made them the largest population centers. Kyoto and Nara are the ancient capitals and cultural heart of Japan. The Kantō Plain became Japan's center of power because it is the largest plain with a central location, and historically, it had the most agricultural production that could be taxed. The [[Tokugawa Shogunate]] established a ''[[bakufu]]'' in [[Edo (Tokyo)|Edo]] in 1603.<ref>Gordon, Andrew. (2003). ''A Modern History of Japan from Tokugawa Times to the Present'', p. 23.</ref> This evolved into the capital of Tokyo by 1868.

Hokkaido has multiple plains, such as the [[Ishikari Plain]] ({{convert|3800|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}), [[Tokachi Plain]] ({{convert|3600|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}), the [[Kushiro-shitsugen National Park|Kushiro Plain]], the largest wetland in Japan ({{convert|2510|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}), and the [[Sarobetsu Plain]] ({{convert|200|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}). There are many farms that produce a plethora of agricultural products. The average farm size in Hokkaido was 26 hectares per farmer in 2013. That is nearly 11 times larger than the national average of 2.4 hectares. This made Hokkaido the most agriculturally rich prefecture in Japan.<ref name="Agriculture Hokkaido">{{Cite news |title=Trend toward stronger agriculture seen in Hokkaido |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Biotechnology/Trend-toward-stronger-agriculture-seen-in-Hokkaido/ |work=[[The Nikkei]] |date=5 January 2015 |access-date=7 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407200056/https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Biotechnology/Trend-toward-stronger-agriculture-seen-in-Hokkaido/ |archive-date=7 April 2019 |url-status=live |df=dmy}}</ref> Nearly one-fourth of Japan's arable land and 22% of Japan's forests are in Hokkaido.<ref name="business-env">{{cite web |url=http://www.pref.hokkaido.jp/keizai/kz-bkkry/env/env-e.html |title=Hokkaido's Business Environment |publisher=Trade and Economic Exchange Group, Commerce and Economic Exchange Division, Department of Economic Affairs, Hokkaido Government|access-date=2008-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721020826/http://www.pref.hokkaido.jp/keizai/kz-bkkry/env/env-e.html|archive-date=2010-07-21}}</ref>

Another important plain is the [[Sendai Plain]] around the city of [[Sendai]] in northeastern Honshū.<ref name=loc/> Many of these plains are along the coast, and their areas have been increased by land reclamation throughout recorded history.<ref name=loc/>