Kantō region

The is one of Japan's regions. The Japanese conventions of geography and history divide the nation into eight regions, including the Kantō region. These have been used since 1905 as basic units for description and comparison and as cultural markers.
The regions of Japan are a fusion of historical divisions and modern administrative needs". The significance of the region in Japan is geographical, cultural and administrative.
History.
In the late 7th century, the "Tōkaidō" region were identified as one of the eight largest administrative areas of the Imperial system ("ritsuryo seido").
"Gokishichidō" is an ancient system of names for parts of the country, including "Tōkaidō". "Kantō" covers an east-central area of the island of Honshū in roughly the same area as the traditional "Tōkaidō".
The region of Kantō covers the east-central part of the island of Honshū.
In the Meiji period, the modern regional system was made by Imperial decree. Japan was divided into regions ("chihō "), including the Kantō region. A regional council ("chihō gyōsei kyōgisai") was headed by the governor of the most powerful prefecture in the regional grouping. The council also included regional chiefs of central government ministries.
Table: Kanto Region.
Over time, Kantō developed its own regional dialects, customs and unique traditional culture.
Geography.
The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area. The Kantō covers seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa.
Subdivisions.
North and South subdivisions are sometimes used: 
East and West subdivisions are sometimes used: 
Inland and Coastal subdivisions are sometimes used:
Greater Kantō.
The Japanese national government defines the as the Kantō region plus Yamanashi Prefecture.
Japan's national public broadcaster NHK defines the which includes Yamanashi, Nagano and Niigata Prefectures for regional programming.