Kamakura & the Daibutsu
The bronze Amida Buddha (1252) sits in the open air after a 15th-century tsunami carried away its hall; the surrounding hills hide a dozen Zen and Pure-Land temples.
Open in Maps ↗Prefecture profile · 都道府県
Kanagawa 神奈川県
Tokyo's southwestern industrial twin — Yokohama is Japan's second-largest city, Kawasaki the country's densest manufacturing belt, Kamakura the Buddhist capital of the medieval Minamoto, Hakone the imperial onsen, and Yokosuka the home of the US 7th Fleet.
Capital
Yokohama
Population
9.2 million
Area
2,416 km²
Region
Kantō
History
Kamakura was Japan's de facto capital from 1185–1333 — the first 'warrior government' under Minamoto no Yoritomo built it into a temple-and-samurai city; the bronze Great Buddha (1252) is the symbol of that age.
Yokohama was the harbor Commodore Perry's black ships forced open in 1859. Foreign concessions, the first telegraph, the first ice cream, the first beer, the first daily newspaper — Yokohama was Japan's import gateway for Western modernity in the late 19th century.
Postwar Kanagawa industrialized along the Keihin coast: Nissan's headquarters and Yokohama plant, NEC, Toshiba, the JFE Steel Keihin works. Yokosuka and Atsugi host US Navy and Naval-Air facilities — the largest US military presence in mainland Japan.
Economy & business
Kanagawa's prefectural GDP is around ¥36 trillion (US$245 billion), Japan's 4th-largest after Tokyo, Osaka, and Aichi. The economy is heavily manufacturing- and R&D-oriented: automotive (Nissan), electronics (NEC, Toshiba R&D), pharmaceuticals, IT (the Minatomirai 21 cluster), and shipbuilding history at Yokohama.
Key industries
Automotive
Nissan's global HQ moved to Yokohama in 2009; the Oppama plant and a major R&D campus anchor the prefecture.
Heavy industry — Keihin belt
JFE Steel Keihin, Isuzu, Mitsubishi Fuso, JX Nippon — Japan's densest urban manufacturing zone.
Electronics & R&D
NEC, Toshiba R&D, Fujitsu, Canon all run major Kanagawa research campuses.
Pharmaceuticals & life sciences
Chūgai (Roche), Takeda Kanagawa, BMS — the Tsujidō/Minamionsen cluster is a key Kanto biotech node.
Tourism & hospitality
Hakone (~20 million visitors/year), Kamakura, Enoshima, Yokohama Minatomirai.
Notable companies
NissanJFE Steel KeihinNECChūgai PharmaceuticalIsuzu MotorsCanon R&D KanagawaYokohama Bank
Trade partners
United StatesChinaThailandSouth KoreaTaiwan
Tourism highlights
Hakone
Mountain hot-spring district with views of Mt. Fuji across Lake Ashinoko, the Hakone Open-Air Museum, and the volcanic Ōwakudani 'great boiling valley.'
Open in Maps ↗Yokohama Minatomirai
Reimagined harbor district with the Cosmo Clock Ferris wheel, the Cup Noodles Museum, and the world's largest Chinatown by population.
Open in Maps ↗Enoshima
Small offshore island reached by a bridge — surfing, sunset, a cave shrine, and a long view of Mt. Fuji on clear days.
Open in Maps ↗Yokosuka
US Navy port; Curry no Hi celebrates the city's claim as the birthplace of Japanese-style curry (it was developed for Meiji-era Imperial Navy crews).
Open in Maps ↗Sankei-en Garden
Yokohama strolling garden assembled by silk magnate Hara Sankei in the early 1900s — 17 important cultural-property buildings transplanted from across Japan.
Open in Maps ↗Did you know
Yokohama's Chinatown is the largest in Japan and one of the largest in the world by resident population (~3,000–4,000).
Japanese-style curry (kare-raisu) was developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy in Yokosuka in the late 19th century as a Western-fortified ration; Curry no Hi (Curry Day) is still observed on Navy bases every Friday.
The Great Buddha of Kamakura sits outdoors because its original wooden hall was washed away by a tsunami in 1498; the statue itself, cast in 1252, has stood through five centuries of typhoons and earthquakes.
About Kanagawa — Frequently asked
What is the capital of Kanagawa?
The capital of Kanagawa is Yokohama.
What region of Japan is Kanagawa in?
Kanagawa is part of the Kantō region of Japan.
What are Kanagawa's main industries?
Kanagawa's key industries include Automotive, Heavy industry — Keihin belt, Electronics & R&D, Pharmaceuticals & life sciences.
What are the top tourist attractions in Kanagawa?
Top attractions in Kanagawa include Kamakura & the Daibutsu, Hakone, Yokohama Minatomirai, Enoshima.
What major companies are based in Kanagawa?
Notable companies headquartered in Kanagawa include Nissan, JFE Steel Keihin, NEC, Chūgai Pharmaceutical, Isuzu Motors.
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