Mainland Japan

Mainland Japan (内地, naichi) is the name used to describe areas of Japan that are seen as more Japanese than other areas. It's meaning has changed a lot. Now, people use it as a name for the four biggest islands of Japan (Hokkaidō, Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku). People also use it as a name for the biggest island in Japan which is Honshu. Also, people from Hokkaido and Okinawa use it as a name for all the regions of Japan except for Hokkaido and Okinawa. People from Hokkaido and Okinawa use this name because their cultures and native people are different from the other parts of Japan. What somebody means when they say "Mainland Japan" can change depending on the context.

Until the end of World War II, the name was a legal term (an word with a meaning set by a law) and was used to describe areas that were directly controlled by the Empire of Japan. This term did not include the colonies of the Japanese Empire. Some of the areas that were included in this definition of "Mainland Japan" are the four biggest islands of Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku), the Chishima Islands and the Ryūkyū Islands. Some of the areas that were not included in this definition of "Mainland Japan" are Taiwan, Korea and Japanese controlled Manchuria. Its important to know that just because a area was not part of Mainland Japan it did not mean that the Empire of Japan did not control them. Not being part of "Mainland Japan" just meant that they had a separate government from the Japanese Empire. However, since most of the areas that were colonies are no longer under control of Japan, those places don't call Japan "The Mainland" anymore.

In Hokkaido, a different word Dogai is also used. It means every part of Japan outside of Hokkaido.

In Okinawa a different word hondo is also used. It means every part of Japan outside of Okinawa.