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Symbols of Japan

Flag of Japan Imperial Seal of Japan
Flag and Emblem

Welcome to Japan!

The table below should be accurate up to and including the national stone (jadeite). However, the remaining symbols were gleaned from Wikipedia, which is all over the map when it comes to symbols. For example, Wikipedia mistakenly calls the cherry tree Japan’s national tree.

At any rate, I’ll attempt to verify the remaining symbols when I find time.

Nicknames
  Land of the Rising Sun
Symbols of State
Anthem Kimigayo  
EcoSymbols
Flower cherry blossom (Prunus serrulata) & Chrysanthemum morifolium  
Tree Japanese red cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)  
Fruit Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki)  
Bird green pheasant (Phasianus versicolor) 1947
Fish koi (Cyprinus carpio)  
Butterfly great purple emperor (Sasakia charonda)  
Microorganism (unofficial?) Aspergillus oryzae  
Stone jadeite 2016
Mountain (unofficial) Mount Fuji  
Cultural Symbols
Colors red and white  
Dish sushi, Japanese curry, ramen  
Liquor sake  
Sport (unofficial) sumo  
Instrument koto  
Dance Noh Mai  
Poet Koizumi Yakumo, Murasaki Shikibu, Matsuo Bashō  
Epic Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori Monogatari), The Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari)  

Follow the links below to see lists of the symbols of each prefecture and pictures of the prefectural flags and emblems. When I find time, I’ll add more information and pictures.

Aichi Hyōgo Miyazaki Shimane
Akita Ibaraki Nagano Shizuoka
Aomori Ishikawa Nagasaki Tochigi
Chiba Iwate Nara Tokushima
Ehime Kagawa Niigata Tōkyō
Fukui Kagoshima Ōita Tottori
Fukuoka Kanagawa Okayama Toyama
Fukushima Kōchi Okinawa Wakayama
Gifu Kumamoto Ōsaka Yamagata
Gunma Kyōto Saga Yamaguchi
Hiroshima Mie Saitama Yamanashi
Hokkaido Miyagi Shiga  
Aichi Kagawa Ōsaka
Akita Kagoshima Saga
Aomori Kanagawa Saitama
Chiba Kōchi Shiga
Ehime Kumamoto Shimane
Fukui Kyōto Shizuoka
Fukuoka Mie Tochigi
Fukushima Miyagi Tokushima
Gifu Miyazaki Tōkyō
Gunma Nagano Tottori
Hiroshima Nagasaki Toyama
Hokkaido Nara Wakayama
Hyōgo Niigata Yamagata
Ibaraki Ōita Yamaguchi
Ishikawa Okayama Yamanashi
Iwate Okinawa  
Aichi Miyazaki
Akita Nagano
Aomori Nagasaki
Chiba Nara
Ehime Niigata
Fukui Ōita
Fukuoka Okayama
Fukushima Okinawa
Gifu Ōsaka
Gunma Saga
Hiroshima Saitama
Hokkaido Shiga
Hyōgo Shimane
Ibaraki Shizuoka
Ishikawa Tochigi
Iwate Tokushima
Kagawa Tōkyō
Kagoshima Tottori
Kanagawa Toyama
Kōchi Wakayama
Kumamoto Yamagata
Kyōto Yamaguchi
Mie Yamanashi
Miyagi