<Japanese>
	Northern part Rebun island,Rishiri island and Wakkanai Center part Dohoh East part Dohtoh Shiretoko Peninsula South part Syakotan Peninsula
Japan has four lands and other less thousand small islands. Hokkaido is the north land of Japan.This name indicates the northern route for trade in origin of the middle ages.However this name have not be used before modern ages of Japan. The word "Ezo" meaned barbarous land had used to point the northern territory. The name Hokkaido is also used calling for the prefecture covered all over the land. It's feels little strange.Commonly names of prefectures in Japan called with "ken" such like a "Kanagawa ken". Although there are four exceptions exsited. One of the which you will be able to feel at the time you ask where is the capital of Japan.There is no Tokyo ken isn't existed.These exceptions depends on the history. Governance of Hokkaido island has been started a hundred more years ago with instituted a ministry of the central goverment. Roughly speaking,After that "doh" is used for local governor of this land. The strange point I wanted to say is the distinctive part attaching prefecture name is already in own name. Doh can be sectioned four areas on the sightseeing pourpose with suffixes to indicate location. "Hoku" means north,"Dohhoku" points nothern part of this island.In that way,we call "Dohnan" for sourthern area. Biggest city Sapporo is in where, and many tourist choice the city for entrace of the Hokkaido. "Dohtoh" is east part of Hokkaido. Many younger Japanese attracted this area caused by their images of wilderness areas. I haven't hear about "Dohsei" which should mean the west areas.Instead of this,"Dohoh" is used showing the area spread from the center to the west of Hokkaido.