The Kansai region (関西地方, Kansai-chihō, pronounced [kã̠ɰ̃sa̠i t͡ɕi̥ꜜho̞ː]) or the Kinki region (近畿地方, Kinki-chihō, [kʲĩŋʲkʲi̥ t͡ɕiꜜho̞ː]) lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolitan region of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto (Keihanshin region) is the second-most populated in Japan after the Greater Tokyo Area.
