# Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race — Lap every prefecture of Japan

> Educational racing game exploring Japan's prefectures and islands. (iPhone/iPad app by SHINYA TANIMOTO.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ken-isshu-japan-map-race/id6822145339 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [SHINYA TANIMOTO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1877842483)
- Category: Games, Education, Family, Racing
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.0 · 7 MB
- Languages: American English, Japanese
- Released: 2026-10-21
- Data updated: 2026-11-01
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ken-isshu-japan-map-race/id6822145339/reviews.md

## What is Ken Isshu?

Every prefecture in Japan is a racetrack shaped like the real thing.
Hold anywhere to drive, let go to brake, and lap the outline of all 47 prefectures. Start from your home prefecture; each lap opens its neighbors. Set the fastest time this week and you're that prefecture's Champ. Then come 36 islands and whole regions.

■ How to play
・Hold to drive, let go to brake. Steering is automatic.
・The road turns red where you need to let go. Hold again when the red ends. Too fast and you hit the guardrail.
・Follow the red for silver; push a little past it for gold. Hold right as the red ends to charge your turbo.
・A lap takes 10–30 seconds, and you can retry instantly.

■ Time Attack and races
・Time Attack: one lap for gold, silver or bronze, and the Champ title.
・Race: 3 laps against 3 computer cars (Rookie to Master, matched to your medal), with one nitro boost per lap from lap 2.
・Race people: up to 4 players live via Game Center, or just friends with a 4-digit room code.
・Win races for tickets, flags on the map, and region cups.

■ 36 islands
・Finish a prefecture to unlock its islands: Sado, Awaji, Yakushima, Ishigaki and more.
・Sea winds, dolphins and whales, island specialties, and a stamp for each island.

■ Region courses
・7 courses shaped like Japan's regions open when you finish every prefecture in them, then a lap of all Japan. Each has a leaderboard.

■ Counterclockwise
・Finish a course once to drive it the other way. Separate records, rankings and titles.

■ Learn the map of Japan as you drive
・Neighboring prefectures and seas pass on your left, named on the road and on blue signs.
・Giant models of 169 local specialties, like Aomori's apples and Osaka's takoyaki, line the road. Medals fill your Specialty Book.
・Two or more landmarks per prefecture, like Mt. Fuji and Lake Biwa, plus one on every island. Light up the map, earn region titles, and watch the sky follow the time of day.
・The speedometer shows Mach numbers at real map scale.
・A calm navigation voice and original music.

■ Compete across Japan (Game Center)
・Every course has a leaderboard; this week's fastest player is the Champ.
・Race the Champ's ghost.
・Standings count Champs by home prefecture; a Friends tab shows friends. Top-3 spots get medal signs on the map and an optional alert when you're passed.
・No sign-in needed to drive every course and win medals.

■ Fictional license plates
・Your car carries a plate with a real place name, drawn in Japanese (Shinagawa, Naniwa and more: 138 in all).
・Win new place names in the Plate Lottery with tickets earned by playing (never sold, no duplicates).
・Plate number, class number and 16 car colors are free to choose. Kei cars get a yellow plate.
・Trade tickets for special paints or roof ornaments of your specialties, at fixed prices.
・The plates use only kana never issued in real life (お, し, へ, ん and voiced kana such as ば and ぴ), so no plate matches a real vehicle.

■ Shop (one-time purchases and tips)
Ken Isshu is free to play with no ads; every course, race, ranking and the Plate Lottery is free.
If you enjoy it, support is welcome. As a thank-you:
・Car Pack: 4 car bodies (taxi, bus, wagon, buggy)
・Plate Pack: 4 picture plates (dawn, wave, gold, night)
・Driving Pack: choose your ghost, and a lap log with your “ideal time”
・All-Japan Pass: all three packs plus every shelf car, future ones too
・Car shelf: 30 cars, from a dekotora to a monster truck, one at a time or by set. Looks only. Also in the Pass.
・Support tips: fuel for the developer. Nothing is added in the game.
One-time purchases only, no subscriptions. Preview every car before buying.

Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

■ Also
・No ads, no account. Progress stays on your device; the app goes online only for Game Center and purchases.
・Map data: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Zones), MLIT Japan, processed by us.

Privacy policy: https://shinya03111.github.io/codemedia-legal/kenisshu/

## Key features

- Lap all 47 prefectures of Japan
- Race against computer or live players
- Unlock and explore 36 islands
- Learn local specialties and landmarks
- Compete on leaderboards
- Customize vehicle license plates and colors

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Car shelf: Kei van | $3.99 | one-time |
| Car shelf: Pickup | $3.99 | one-time |
| Car shelf: Light truck | $3.99 | one-time |
| Car shelf: EV | $3.99 | one-time |
| Car shelf: Formula car | $3.99 | one-time |
| Car shelf: Monster truck | $3.99 | one-time |
| Car shelf Set 3: all 5 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Car shelf: 10-wheel dekotora | $3.99 | one-time |
| Car shelf: Dekotora trailer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Car shelf Set 2: all 13 | $22.99 | one-time |


## Is Ken Isshu safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Ken Isshu.

## Is Ken Isshu legit?

Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Ken Isshu is 65 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

## Recent user reviews (5 of 5)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ken-isshu-japan-map-race/id6822145339/reviews.md

### 5/5 — 県の形もわかっていい！

*2026-10-29*

操作がシンプルで県の名産や形もわかって勉強にもなってとっても良い！

### 5/5 — くせになる！

*2026-10-27*

コースが県の形で面白いし、自分の車の上に名物乗っけれたり、ナンバー変えれたり、楽しい要素あります！
しかも県だけじゃなくて、島の名前とか海の名前とかもわかって軽い勉強にもなる(笑)
気づいたら次、次、とやってしまうくらいに楽しいです！！！

### 5/5 — たのしいし

*2026-10-26*

広告出なくていい✨

### 5/5 — 中年でも

*2026-10-25*

操作がシンプルで簡単。そしてなんか懐かしい感じがする。昔やったスロットカー感覚で楽しい。

### 5/5 — くせになる！

*2026-10-24*

コースも県の形で面白いです！

## Frequently asked questions about Ken Isshu

### How do you play Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race?

You hold the screen to drive and let go to brake, following the red lines on the road. Steering is automatic. The goal is to lap prefectures, islands, and regions as quickly as possible.

### What are the different game modes in Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race?

Ken Isshu offers Time Attack for individual lap challenges, Races against AI opponents, and live multiplayer races via Game Center or room codes.

### Can I play Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race offline?

While the description mentions live multiplayer via Game Center, it does not explicitly state offline play capabilities for all modes. Time Attack and single-player races are likely playable offline.

### Does Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race have ads?

No, Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race does not contain advertisements. The app is free to play and monetizes through one-time purchases.

### What are the in-app purchases in Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race?

The shop offers one-time purchases for items like special paints or roof ornaments. Tickets earned by playing can be traded for these items, and they are never sold directly.

### How does Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race help me learn about Japan?

The game teaches geography by having you race through prefectures and islands, with neighboring areas and seas named. It also features models of local specialties and landmarks along the roads.

### What devices is Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race available on?

Currently, Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race is supported on iPhones. It is rated for ages 4 and up.

### How often is Ken Isshu: Japan Map Race updated?

The app was last updated on October 30, 2026, with version 1.4.0. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing support and development.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.4.0 — 2026-10-30

・Drive any course you've finished counterclockwise too: all 47 prefectures, 36 islands, the region courses and all Japan, so twice the courses. Switch with "Clockwise | Counterclockwise" on the map panel. The prefecture is on your left and its neighbors and seas on your right. Records, medals and rankings are separate for each direction, and your first counterclockwise finish earns a ticket. There are counterclockwise titles too, and the Prefectures list can switch to show your counterclockwise medals.
・More landmarks: every prefecture now has two or more, and each of the 36 islands has its own.
・The All-Japan Pass now includes everything: the three packs plus all 30 shelf cars, and future cars too (one-time purchase).
・Every car has been rebuilt with rounded, more realistic shapes (all but the go-kart, buggy and tractor).
・Car shelf Set 3: an EV, a monster truck, a formula car, a 10-wheel dekotora and a dekotora trailer truck (one at a time, or all 5 together). The trailer swings along behind you in corners.
・Voiced kana such as ば and ぴ for your plate, free.
・Where you're in this week's top 3, the map shows a gold, silver or bronze "You" sign, and you can get a notification when someone passes you (asked once, or in Settings > Notifications).
・Runnable courses now have a flag in the Regions and Islands menus.
・Fixed: in races, putting your finger back down near the nitro button sometimes didn't accelerate.
・Fixed: if you hadn't chosen a home prefecture, island and region records could show up under the wrong prefecture in the rankings.

### 1.3.0 — 2026-10-27

・Prefectures now open step by step from your home prefecture: finish a lap and its neighbors open. Everything you have driven stays open.
・7 region courses shaped like Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu. Finish every prefecture in a region to open its course; finish all 7 and Hokkaido to open a lap of all Japan. Find them under "Regions" on the map. New titles: Region Hopper and Around Japan (“All-Japan Tour” is now “All 47 Complete”).
・Landmarks for all 47 prefectures, like Mt. Fuji and Lake Biwa, now stand on the map.
・Car shelf Set 2: 13 more cars, from a luxury sedan and a minivan to a kei van, a hybrid and a pickup (one at a time, or all 13 together).
・6 everyday colors such as Silver and Pearl White, free. Your plate number (1–9999) and the 3-digit class number are now free to choose. Kei cars get a yellow plate.
・The shop now has tabs for the Pass, the Car shelf and tips, with pictures of every car. Every ranking row shows a small picture of the car.
・Red road is now only where you really need to let go.

### 1.2.0 — 2026-10-26

・12 new cars on the Garage's Car shelf: Dekotora, Supercar, Fire truck, Patrol car, Go-kart, Convertible, Three-wheeler, Ambulance, Snowplow, Food truck, Tractor and Camper. Lap your home prefecture in a fire truck. Buy them one at a time or all 12 together, and test-drive one a day before buying.
・Sharing a result now adds the App Store link and a prefecture hashtag (like #Gunma).
・Redrew the lottery ticket icon so it no longer looks like a video icon.
・Fixed: the fly-down before the start could be skipped on island courses.

### 1.1.3 — 2026-10-26

・Now in English! Menus, place names, local specialties, the navigation voice and Navi's comments.
・Your initials on the rankings: “T.S (Hyogo)” instead of “Hyogo player”. Use the initials from your Game Center nickname, choose up to 2 letters yourself, or hide them (Garage > Plate).
・Rankings now show more than the top 20. Tap “Show more” for 20 at a time, up to 100th.
・A Shop button now sits next to Lottery and Garage on the map screen.

### 1.1.2 — 2026-10-24

・レースに「ニトロ」を追加しました。2周目から1周に1回、右下のボタンで好きなときに加速できます。どこで使うかが腕の見せどころ。コンピュータも使ってきます。
・ランキングの上位3人の車を、表彰台にのせて見せるようにしました。1位の人がどんな車で走っているか、ひと目で分かります。
・県対抗に、島の今週の1位の数も出るようにしました。県の1位の数が同じときは、島の1位が多いほうが上になります。
・カーナビの声が、レースの始まりなどにノイズになり、BGM まで乱れることがあったのを直しました。
・画面収録やイヤホンのつなぎかえのあとも、BGM と効果音が正しく鳴るようにしました。
・日本統一の「レースのカップ」に、3周のレースで勝った県を数えていること（タイムアタックのメダルとは別）を書きました。
・ガレージを「車」「屋根の飾り」「ナンバー」のタブに分けました。名物がたくさん集まっても、ナンバーの設定まですぐ行けます。
・ナンバーの交付くじで、引いたナンバーにまちがえてつけかえないよう、ボタンの並びを変えました。つけかえても、すぐもとにもどせます。「あつめた地名」を押して、つけかえることもできます。

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All apps by SHINYA TANIMOTO: https://appshunter.io/developer/1877842483

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-01.*