Japan

I received two postcards today.  The second one was from Japan.

This postcard shows Hakodate at night.

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island.  Hokkaido is the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectures.  (A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction or subdivision.)  The largest city on the island of Hokkaido is its capital, Sapporo.

Here is some of what I learned about Hakodate, the city shown on the postcard.

• Hakodate is a city and port located in Hokkaido, Japan.
• Hakodate was Japan's first city whose port was opened to foreign trade in 1854.
• Hakodate was the biggest city in Hokkaido before a great fire in 1934.
• Hakodate has an estimated population of 279,851 as of 2011.
• Hakodate has a total area of approximately 262 square miles.
• Hakodate is the third biggest city in Hokkaido after Sapporo and Asahikawa.

sources:

   Wikipedia - Hokkaido
   Wikipedia - Hakodate
   Wikipedia - prefecture