Usage patterns
〈場所〉地方the ~ region (e.g. the Kanto region)
It will probably rain in the Kanto region this weekend.
地方に住むto live in a rural area/the provinces
My grandparents live out in the countryside.
地方から〈場所〉に出るto move from the countryside to (a city)
He left the countryside for Tokyo and got a job.
地方によって〈事〉が違うto vary from region to region
Dialects vary greatly from region to region.