Do you like geography, pop culture, and train tracks? Then this DLE is for you! Test your knowledge about the 47 prefectures of Japan: compare population, area, whether it has a coastline, which region it is in, what the most famous railway lines are, and even cultural tags (tea, onsen, volcanoes, sushi, and more). It's a perfect game for those studying to travel, learning Japanese, or simply love discovering curiosities about the archipelago.
Classic Mode
Photo Mode
Guess the character through a distorted image. With each mistake, the image becomes clearer!
In photo mode, you must discover the correct one through the image and some clues!
Guess by the Portrait Time: Attempts: Your guess... Kick Reveal Colors (costs 1) GOOD! You got it right! Wrong! The image improved a little... Revealed colors! Time expired. Attempts have run out. Invalid or corrupted game link. Character bank not found. You lost. The correct answer was: Buy tracks Reveal (costs 1) No clues available. You lost. The correct answer was: GOOD! You got it right!Citation Mode
In citation mode, you must cite names of characters corresponding to the chosen criterion.
2. Type the name of a character to set the criterion and start the game:
Survival Mode
Get as many characters as you can based on random criteria. If you fail, it's over!
Name | Name (JP) | Region | Population | Area (km²) | Coast | Main Lines | Tags |
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Name | Name (JP) | Region | Population | Area (km²) | Coast | Main Lines | Tags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hokkaido | Hokkaido | Hokkaido | 5225000 | 83424 | Yes | Hakodate Main Line, Muroran Main Line, Nemuro Main Line | snow, sushi, ramen, onsen, volcano, festival |
Aomori | Aomori Prefecture | Tohoku | 1238000 | 9646 | Yes | Or Main Line, Tohoku Main Line, Gono Line | fruit, sushi, festival, ramen |
Iwate | Iwate Prefecture | Tohoku | 1210000 | 15275 | Yes | Tohoku Main Line, Yamada Line, Sanriku Railway | nature, history |
Miyagi | Miyagi Prefecture | Tohoku | 2302000 | 7282 | Yes | Tohoku Main Line, Joban Line, Senseki Line | history, nature, sushi |
Akita | Akita Prefecture | Tohoku | 960000 | 11638 | Yes | Or Main Line, Uetsu Main Line | rice, sake, festival, onsen |
Yamagata | Yamagata Prefecture | Tohoku | 1068000 | 9323 | Yes | Or Main Line, Uetsu Main Line, Yonesaka Line | rice, cherry tree, fruit, mountain |
Fukushima | Fukushima Prefecture | Tohoku | 1833000 | 13784 | Yes | Tohoku Main Line, Ban’etsu West Line, Joban Line | ramen, snow, cherry tree, sake |
Ibaraki | Ibaraki Prefecture | Kanto | 2867000 | 6097 | Yes | Joban Line, Mito Line, Suigun Line | nature, technology, history |
Tochigi | Tochigi Prefecture | Kanto | 1933000 | 6408 | No | Tohoku Main Line, Ryomo Line, Nikko Line | temple, nature, onsen |
Gumma | Gunma Prefecture | Kanto | 1939000 | 6362 | No | Takasaki Line, Ryomo Line, Joetsu Line | onsen, mountain, nature |
Saitama | Saitama Prefecture | Kanto | 7345000 | 3798 | No | Takasaki Line, Tohoku Main Line, Kawagoe Line | history, city |
Chiba | Chiba Prefecture | Kanto | 6284000 | 5158 | Yes | Sobu Main Line, Joban Line, Narita Line | airport, beach, soy |
Tokyo | Tokyo Metropolis | Kanto | 14047594 | 2194 | Yes | Yamanote Line, Chuo Main Line, Tokaido Main Line | city, sushi, technology, temple |
Kanagawa | Kanagawa Prefecture | Kanto | 9237000 | 2416 | Yes | Tokaido Main Line, Yokosuka Line, Negishi Line | city, technology, beach, port |
Niigata | Niigata Prefecture | Chubu | 2201000 | 12584 | Yes | Shin’etsu Main Line, Uetsu Main Line, Joetsu Line | rice, snow, sake, onsen |
Toyama | Toyama Prefecture | Chubu | 1035000 | 4248 | Yes | Takayama Main Line, Ainokaze Toyama Railway | sushi, mountain, rice, nature |
Ishikawa | Ishikawa Prefecture | Chubu | 1132000 | 4186 | Yes | IR Ishikawa Railway Line, Nanao Line | sushi, ceramics, history, garden |
Fukui | Fukui Prefecture | Chubu | 767000 | 4190 | Yes | Hokuriku Main Line, Obama Line | sushi, textile, dinosaur, temple |
Yamanashi | Yamanashi Prefecture | Chubu | 810000 | 4465 | No | Chuo Main Line, Minobu Line | mountain, fruit, wine |
Nagano | Nagano Prefecture | Chubu | 2048000 | 13562 | No | Chuo Main Line, Shin'etsu Main Line, Shinonoi Line | snow, mountain, castle, onsen, soba |
Gifu | Gifu Prefecture | Chubu | 1979000 | 10621 | No | Tokaido Main Line, Takayama Main Line, Chuo Main Line | mountain, ceramics, history, textile |
Shizuoka | Shizuoka Prefecture | Chubu | 3633000 | 7777 | Yes | Tokaido Main Line, Gotemba Line | tea, mountain, onsen, wasabi |
Aichi | Aichi Prefecture | Chubu | 7542000 | 5173 | Yes | Tokaido Main Line, Chuo Main Line, Kansai Main Line | technology, castle, industry, ceramics |
Mie | Mie Prefecture | Kansai | 1770000 | 5774 | Yes | Kansai Main Line, Kisei Main Line | temple, wagyu, tea, ninja |
Shiga | Shiga Prefecture | Kansai | 1413000 | 4017 | No | Tokaido Main Line, Kosei Line, Biwako Line | wagyu, ceramics, lake, history |
Kyoto | Kyoto Prefecture | Kansai | 2578000 | 4612 | Yes | San’in Main Line, Tokaido Main Line, Nara Line | temple, cherry blossom, tea, festival, textile |
Osaka | Osaka Prefecture | Kansai | 8838000 | 1905 | Yes | Osaka Loop Line, Tokaido Main Line, Hanwa Line | city, food, castle, technology |
Hyogo | Hyogo Prefecture | Kansai | 5465000 | 8401 | Yes | Tokaido Main Line, Sanyo Main Line, Fukuchiyama Line | wagyu, castle, sake, port |
Nara | Nara Prefecture | Kansai | 1324000 | 3691 | No | Kansai Main Line, Sakurai Line, Yamatoji Line | temple, history, cherry blossom, deer |
Wakayama | Wakayama Prefecture | Kansai | 922000 | 4725 | Yes | Kisei Main Line, Hanwa Line | fruit, beach, temple, onsen |
Tottori | Tottori Prefecture | Chugoku | 553000 | 3507 | Yes | San'in Main Line, Inbi Line | dune, nature, sushi |
Shimane | Shimane Prefecture | Chugoku | 671000 | 6708 | Yes | San’in Main Line, Kisuki Line | temple, history, mythology |
Okayama | Okayama Prefecture | Chugoku | 1888000 | 7115 | Yes | Sanyo Main Line, Uno Line, Tsuyama Line | garden, history, fruit |
Hiroshima | Hiroshima Prefecture | Chugoku | 2800000 | 8479 | Yes | Sanyo Main Line, Kure Line, Geibi Line | history, temple, sake, technology |
Yamaguchi | Yamaguchi Prefecture | Chugoku | 1342000 | 6112 | Yes | Sanyo Main Line, San’in Main Line, Yamaguchi Line | history, bridge, sushi, nature |
Tokushima | Tokushima Prefecture | Shikoku | 720000 | 4147 | Yes | Kotoku Line, Mugi Line, Tokushima Line | festival, nature, whirlwind |
Kagawa | Kagawa Prefecture | Shikoku | 950000 | 1877 | Yes | Yosan Line, Kotoku Line, Seto-Ohashi Line | udon, garden, bridge, island |
Ehime | Ehime Prefecture | Shikoku | 1335000 | 5676 | Yes | Yosan Line | fruit, onsen, castle, towel |
Kochi | Kochi Prefecture | Shikoku | 692000 | 7104 | Yes | Dosan Line | nature, river, history, sake |
Fukuoka | Fukuoka Prefecture | Kyushu | 5135000 | 4987 | Yes | Kagoshima Main Line, Nippo Main Line, Chikuhi Line | ramen, city, festival, harbor |
Saga | Saga Prefecture | Kyushu | 811000 | 2441 | Yes | Nagasaki Main Line, Karatsu Line, Sasebo Line | ceramics, balao, history |
Nagasaki | Nagasaki Prefecture | Kyushu | 1312000 | 4132 | Yes | Nagasaki Main Line, Omura Line, Sasebo Line | history, port, island, castle |
Kumamoto | Kumamoto Prefecture | Kyushu | 1738000 | 7409 | Yes | Kagoshima Main Line, Hohi Main Line, Hisatsu Line | castle, volcano, ramen, nature |
Oita | Oita Prefecture | Kyushu | 1124000 | 6341 | Yes | Nippo Main Line, Hohi Main Line, Kyudai Main Line | onsen, volcano, nature, sushi |
Miyazaki | Miyazaki Prefecture | Kyushu | 1070000 | 7735 | Yes | Nippo Main Line, Nichinan Line | beach, mythology, nature, chicken |
Kagoshima | Kagoshima Prefecture | Kyushu | 1588000 | 9187 | Yes | Kagoshima Main Line, Ibusuki Makurazaki Line, Nippo Main Line | volcano, wagyu, tea, beach, space |
Okinawa | Okinawa Prefecture | Kyushu | 1467000 | 2281 | Yes | Okinawa Urban Monorail | beach, island, history, karate |
How to Play Japandle?
The gameplay is intuitive and challenging, perfect for casual and expert players. Follow the steps:
- Make Your Guess: Start by typing the name of one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. A list of suggestions will help you avoid spelling errors.
- Analyze the Clues: After each guess, the game will reveal a line of results, comparing your guess with the secret prefecture across various categories.
- Decipher the Colors:
- 🟩 Green: Perfect! The feature of your guess is identical to that of the secret prefecture.
- 🟨 Yellow: You're on the right track! For categories like “Main Lines” and “Tags,” this means there is at least one common feature, but not all. For “Population” and “Area,” the arrows (⬆️ or ⬇️) indicate whether the value of the secret prefecture is higher or lower.
- 🟥 Red/Grey: Incorrect. The information does not match that of the prefecture of the day.
- Use Logic: With each new attempt, use the clues you've already discovered to eliminate possibilities and get closer to the correct answer.
Understanding the Categories of Tips
- Region and Coast: Geographic clues essential for helping you locate yourself on the map. Knowing if a province has access to the sea or which of the eight regions it belongs to is a great step.
- Population and Area (km²): Numerical tips that help differentiate large and populous provinces, like Tokyo, from the smaller and more rural ones. The upward arrow (⬆️) indicates that the correct value is greater, and the downward arrow (⬇️) indicates that it is less.
- Main Lines and Tags: The cultural heart of the game! Discover which train lines serve the region and which cultural “tags” define it – is it famous for onsen, ramen, temples, or snow? These tips are the key to victory.
A Fun Dive into Japanese Culture
Japandle is more than just a simple guessing game. It is a celebration of Japan's rich diversity. With each game, you learn about the geography, cuisine, history, and traditions that make each province unique.
Whether you are a Japanese language student, a travel planner, or simply a pop culture enthusiast, this game is the perfect way to expand your horizons in a fun way.
Ready for the challenge? Guess today's province and show your friends who really understands Japan!