Hokuriku region
The Hokuriku region (北陸地方, Hokuriku chihō, Lit. "Northlands region") is located in the northwestern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan. It lies along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region. It is almost equivalent to Koshi Province and Hokurikudō area in pre-modern Japan.
The Hokuriku region includes the four prefectures of Ishikawa, Fukui, Niigata and Toyama, although Niigata is sometimes included in one of the following regions:
Shin'etsu (信越): includes Niigata and Nagano prefectures
Kōshin'etsu (甲信越): includes Niigata, Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures
Hokushin'etsu (北信越): includes both the Hokuriku and Shin'etsu regions
Major cities
The major population centers of Hokuriku are:
Niigata (designated city)
Kanazawa, Toyama (core cities)
Fukui, Jōetsu, Nagaoka (special cities)
Of these, Niigata is the largest with a population of over 800,000.
Industries
The main industries in the Hokuriku area include chemicals, medicine, tourism, textiles and textile machinery, heavy machinery, farming, and fishing. Koshihikari, a popular variety of rice is a special product of Hokuriku region.
