> From: <Washu2OOOO@aol.com>
> 47 prefectures, 43 of them are regular prefectures, 1 (Tokyo) is a 
> metropolitan prefecture, 2 (Kyoto and Osaka) are urban prefectures, 1 
> (Hokkaido) is a special prefectural district. 

47 administrative areas of Japan : 
1-to 1-do 2-fu 43-ken. 

"To", i.e., Tokyo-to, is the capital, not metropolitan 
(although they use the same kanji).  

"Do" is an acient classification of an adminstration 
area.  Hokkai-do is kept for histroical reason.  

The 2 "Fu" is for the 2 capitals of acient Japan : 
Osaka-fu and Kyoto-fu.

I was once very interested in this so I can recite 
all those 43 "ken" (AKA prefecture) from memory:

--
Aomori
Akita
Iwate
Yamagata
Miyagi
--
Fukushima
Niigata
Nagano
Ibaraki
Gunma
--
Tochigi
Chiba
Saitama
Kanagawa
Yamanashi
--
Fukui
Ishikawa
Toyama
Shizuoka
Aichi
--
Gifu
Shiga
Wakayama
Mie
Nara
--
Hyogo
Okayama
Hiroshima
Tottori
Shimane
--
Yamaguchi
Ehime
Kochi
Tokushima
Kagawa
--
Fukuoka
Saga
Nagasaki
Kumamoto
Oita
--
Miyazaki
Kagoshima
Okinawa
--

Out of 1-to 1-do 2-fu 43-ken, I have been to 36.  Target to 
hit the 37th ken early next year....

--
'CuSO4' Yung, travel maina
cuso4@cuso4.org, cuso4@cuso4.com, cuso4@manbow.com, cuso4@computer.org