In this way , many districts have become extinct .
Many of those that still exist contain only a handful of or often only one remaining municipality as many of today 's towns and villages are also much larger than in the Meiji era .
In this way , many districts have become extinct , and many of those that still exist contain only a handful of or often only one remaining municipality as many of today 's towns and villages are also much larger than in the Meiji era .