How To Read A Japanese Address: An Easy Guide

A Japanese address works differently from addresses in most Western countries.

Instead of street names and house numbers, Japanese addresses use a hierarchical system that starts with the largest geographic unit (the prefecture) and narrows down to the smallest (the building number), moving from region to city to district to block to building.

Street names are not used in the official Japanese addressing system, with the exception of Kyoto and some cities in Hokkaido.

This guide explains each component of a typical Japanese address in order, covers the special cases of Kyoto and Sapporo, and shows you how to write the same address in Japanese and English.

Japanese address components at a glance

Japanese addresses are written from largest to smallest in Japanese and from smallest to largest in English romanized form.

Breaking down a Japanese Address

Right: Japanese address format; Left: Japanese international address format

Let’s use this example address from Japan Post for this breakdown.

1) Postal code

〒 is the Japanese symbol for its postal code. So, the postal code above is 170-3293.

The Japanese postal code is at the end in the international address format. 

2) Prefecture

Japan has 47 prefectures in total.

On official Japanese forms and documents, all four types of prefectures are collectively referred to as 都道府県 (todofuken), which combines the four suffixes: 都 (to), 道 (do), 府 (fu), and 県 (ken).

When you see a form field labelled 都道府県, it is asking for your prefecture, regardless of which of the four types it is. The majority of Japan's 47 prefectures end with 県 (-ken). For example, Fukuoka Prefecture is written as 福岡県.

However, there are special areas in Japan that don’t necessarily use the prefecture in its address:

• 東京都 (Tokyo-to): Since Tokyo is the capital, it’s given a special 都 (-to) at the end. The example address uses 東京都.

• 大阪府 (Osaka-fu): Osaka has a special 府 (-fu), which means "urban prefecture."

• 京都府 (Kyoto-fu): Kyoto is given a special 府 (-fu) to mean “urban prefecture.”

• 北海道 (Hokkaido): Hokkaido is given 道 (-dou) to mean “circuit.”

3) Municipality

The next section when reading a Japanese address is the municipality, which has three possibilities:

• [Name]市: 市(-shi) means “city” and is given to areas with enough population. For example, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Chiba, Yokohama, and Sapporo are given 市 at the end.

• [Name]区: 区 (-ku) means “ward” and is for subsections of cities. Tokyo’s 23 wards have 区. 

• [Name]郡: 郡(-gun) means “county” and is for areas with populations that can not be considered as 市(-shi) or city. As such, many rural areas or inaka Japan will use 郡(-gun).

4) Town

After the municipality, some Japanese addresses are broken 2 smaller areas:

• [Name]町: 町 (-machi or -cho) means “town.”

• [Name]村: 村 (-son) means “village.”

Not all Japanese addresses have this subdivision, though.

5) District, block, building

Next can be called the section areas of a Japanese address. It can be divided into:

• 丁目 (-chōme): city district. Usually, it is based on how close it is to the city center.

• 番地 (-banchi): city block. The block number is within a chōme.

• 号 (-gou): building number. Note: Building numbers within a block are not assigned geographically. They are assigned in the order the buildings were built or officially registered. This means that building number 1 and building number 20 in the same block may not be next to each other. This is why Japanese addresses can be difficult to navigate without a map application such as Google Maps, even if you have the full address.

In the example address above, it’s written as 銀座５−２−１but it can be written as 銀座５丁目２番地１号 to include the extra information. 

via Google Maps

6) Building name, floor, or room number

This last part pertains to larger buildings, which include offices, stores, or apartments. 

Specific floors would be indicated by 階 (-kai) or F.

Apartments and similar buildings would include the building’s name and room/apartment number (## 室号 (-shitsu go).

Alternative Japanese addresses

Kyoto's address system

Due to its historic grid layout, the Kyoto address system is street-based rather than the national standard.

It doesn't use street names but instead uses intersections of streets and the relative direction from that intersection. A building's location will be relative to the intersection, so you'll see directions like:

• North: 上ル (-agaru)

• South: 下ル (-sagaru)

• East: 東入ル (-higashi-iru)

• West: 西入ル (-nishi-iru)

Let's take a look at Kyoto Tower's address 〒600-8216京都市下京区烏丸通七条下ル 東塩小路町 721-1. The bolded text to find Kyoto Tower can be translated to "south of the intersection of Karasuma and Shichijō streets."

Sapporo address system

Because of Sapporo's grid structure, the address-based system is centered around two main streets, Kita-Ichijo Avenue and Soseigawa Street. So, the city is divided into blocks or quadrants:

• 条 (-jō) to indicate the north-south distance

• 丁目 (-chōme) to indicate east-west distance from the city center.

Let's take a look at Sapporo JR Tower's address: 札幌市中央区北5条西2丁目5番地 or Sapporo-shi, Chūō-ku, Kita-5-jō, Nishi 2-chōme, 5-banchi. The Sapporo JR Tower Building is located 5 jō (north) and 2 chōme (west) of the city center.

Sapporo's address system generally covers about 7 kilometers north-south and around 3 kilometers east-west from the city center. The system will use landmarks as reference points any further from the center.

The written order of Japanese addresses

Let’s put everything together by breaking down one more address in Japanese and English.

For this part, we’ll be using a Starbucks address in Hakata, Fukuoka: 〒812-0011 福岡県福岡市博多区博多駅前２丁目１−１福岡朝日ビル 1F.

Japanese address

The Japanese address system goes from largest to smallest. In this format, it'll be written in Japanese characters.

• Postal code: 〒812-0011

• Prefecture: 福岡県

• Municipality: 福岡市

• Town/ward: 博多区

• District: 博多駅前

• Block: ２丁目１−１

• Building or house number: 福岡朝日ビル 1F

Japanese address in English 

The address is reversed in its Romanized form to comply with international address standards. Here is the same address but in English:

• Fukuoka Asahi Building 1F, 2-1-1 Hakata Ekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken, JAPAN, 812-0011

So, the international address standard goes from smallest to largest. 

For international mail arriving in Japan from abroad, writing the address in the international format (smallest to largest, in English) is acceptable.

However, for domestic mail within Japan, Japan Post recommends including the Japanese address in Japanese characters to ensure reliable delivery.

If you are writing a Japanese address for domestic purposes such as filling out a form or registering a business, use the Japanese format with Japanese characters. If you are sending international mail to Japan, the English format is acceptable but including the Japanese is still recommended for the most reliable delivery.

How to find a Japanese address using a map

Because Japanese building numbers are assigned by registration order rather than location, finding a specific address by walking a block in order is unreliable.

The practical approach used by most people in Japan, including residents, is to use a map application.

Google Maps supports full Japanese address search in both Japanese characters and romanized form.

Enter the address in the format [district]-[block]-[building] or paste the full Japanese address directly into the search bar. The application will pin the location accurately.

For addresses in Kyoto, where the system uses street intersections and directional descriptions rather than block numbers, entering the full address in Japanese characters into Google Maps is the most reliable method.

For Sapporo's grid-based system, the jō (north-south) and chōme (east-west) coordinates will locate the address precisely on any map.

When receiving mail in Japan or providing your address for Japanese forms, confirm your full address including the postal code, prefecture, municipality, district, block, and building number. If you live in an apartment building, include the building name and room number as the final element.

Frequently asked questions

What does 丁目 mean in a Japanese address?

丁目 (chōme) refers to a city district or neighbourhood subdivision within a larger area. Chōme numbers are typically assigned based on proximity to the city centre, so 1-chōme is generally closest to the centre and higher numbers are further out. When you see a number followed by 丁目 in a Japanese address, it identifies which sub-district within a larger neighbourhood the address belongs to.

What does 〒 mean in a Japanese address?

〒 is the official Japanese symbol for a postal code (郵便番号, yubin bango). Japanese postal codes are always seven digits long in the format XXX-XXXX, where the first three digits identify the prefecture and broader area and the last four digits narrow down the delivery zone to a specific district or block. When filling out Japanese forms or addressing mail, always include the postal code with the 〒 symbol.

What is the difference between 市 and 区 in a Japanese address?

市 (shi) means city and applies to large municipalities with sufficient populations across Japan. 区 (ku) means ward and is used for subdivisions within large cities. Tokyo has 23 special wards (特別区, tokubetsu ku) that function almost like independent cities. Other large designated cities such as Osaka, Yokohama, and Fukuoka also use wards (ku) to subdivide their territory. If you see both a city (市) and a ward (区) in an address, the ward is the smaller subdivision within that city.

How do I write a Japanese address in English for international shipping?

When writing a Japanese address in English for international shipping, reverse the order from the Japanese format. Start with the building name and room or floor number, followed by the district and block and building number, then the ward or city, then the prefecture, then JAPAN, and finally the postal code. For example, the Starbucks address in this guide becomes: Fukuoka Asahi Building 1F, 2-1-1 Hakata Ekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken, JAPAN, 812-0011. Japan Post recommends including the Japanese characters alongside the English format for domestic delivery to ensure reliable handling.

Why do Japanese building numbers seem random?

Japanese building numbers within a block are not assigned based on geographic location. They are assigned in the order the buildings were officially registered, which means numerically adjacent numbers often refer to buildings on opposite sides of a block or spread across the area. This is why it is not reliable to navigate to a Japanese address by walking in numerical order. Using a map application such as Google Maps with the full address is the standard approach used by residents and visitors alike.

In closing

Now you know how to read a Japanese address. Whether you are writing in Japanese or English, understanding the structure is key when writing any Japanese address down.

Keep in mind that Kyoto and Sapporo have a different format than the official national address system, but the core principles remain the same.

Rest assured that Japanese postal services will efficiently handle your mail.