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Although not a single city, the Tokyo metropolis is home to the Japanese government and emperor. and is considered to be the capital of Japan. About 12 million people—10 percent of the country's population—live in Tokyo, while about 33–36 million people live in the entire Greater Tokyo area, making it part of the most populated urban area on Earth.
Tokyo is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. Its center is at 35°41' North, 139°46' East (35.68333, 139.7667) *, but its borders extend to outlying islands in the Pacific Ocean, some as far as 1,000 km south of the mainland.
Tokyo is the nation's center of politics, business, finance, education, mass media, and pop culture. Tokyo has Japan's highest concentration of corporate headquarters, financial institutions, universities and colleges, museums, theaters, and shopping and entertainment establishments. Tokyo is widely considered to be one of the world's major "global cities", and a Megacity.
History
Tokyo's rise to prominence can be largely attributed to two men: Tokugawa Ieyasu and Emperor Meiji. In 1603, after unifying the warring states of Japan, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made Edo (now Tokyo) his base. As a result, the city developed rapidly and grew to become one of the largest cities in the world with a population topping one million by the 18th century. It became the de facto capital of Japan even while the emperor lived in Kyoto, the imperial capital. For details, see: Edo After 263 years, the shogunate was overthrown under the banner of restoring imperial rule. In 1869, the figurehead 17-year-old Emperor Meiji moved to Edo, which was renamed "Tokyo" ("East Capital"; in Chinese, which uses the same characters, the city is known as Dongjing). Tokyo was already the nation's political, economic, and cultural center, and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well with the former Edo Castle becoming the Imperial Palace.
Tokyo went on to suffer two major catastrophes and has recovered remarkably from both. One was the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, and the other was World War II. The firebombings in 1945 were almost as devastating as the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Large areas of the city were flattened.
After the war, Tokyo was completely rebuilt, and showcased to the world during the city's 1964 Summer Olympics. Tokyo became the largest city in the world in 1965 (taking the lead from New York). The 1970s brought new high-rise developments such as Sunshine 60, a new and controversial airport at Narita (well outside Tokyo), and a population increase to about 11 million (in the metropolitan area). Tokyo's subway and commuter rail network became the busiest in the world as more and more people moved to the area. In the 1980s, real estate prices skyrocketed during an economic bubble: many got rich quick, but the bubble burst in the early 1990s and many companies, banks, and individuals were caught with real estate shrinking in value. A major recession followed, making the 1990s Japan's "lost decade" from which it is now slowly recovering.
Tokyo still sees new urban developments on large lots of less profitable land. Recent projects include Ebisu Garden Place, Tennozu Isle, Shiodome, Roppongi Hills, Shinagawa (now also a Shinkansen station), and Tokyo Station (Marunouchi side). Buildings of significance are demolished for more up-to-date shopping facilities such as Omotesando Hills. Land reclamation projects in Tokyo have also been going on for centuries. The most prominent is the Odaiba area, now a major shopping and entertainment center.
Tokyo was hit by powerful earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855 and 1923. The 1923 earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 8.3, killed 142,000 people.
There have been various plans proposed for transferring national government functions from Tokyo to secondary capitals in other regions of Japan, in order to slow down rapid development in Tokyo and revitalize economically lagging areas of the country. These plans have been controversial within Japan and have yet to be realized.
Due to evolution in the method in which Japanese letters are transliterated into their roman representation, older texts may refer to the city as "Tokio."
Geography and administrative divisions
The mainland portion of Tokyo lies northwest of Tokyo Bay, and measures about 90 km east to west and 25 km north to south. It borders Chiba Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the west, Kanagawa Prefecture to the south, and Saitama Prefecture to the north. Tokyo also includes two island chains in the Pacific Ocean directly south — the Izu Islands which are almost parallel to the Izu Peninsula, and the Ogasawara Islands which stretch more than 1,000 km away from mainland Japan.
Under Japanese law, Tokyo is designated as a to (都, often translated "metropolis"). Its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other prefectures. Within Tokyo lie dozens of smaller entities, most of them conventionally referred to as cities. It includes 23 special wards (特別区 -ku) which until 1943 comprised the city of Tokyo but are now separate, self-governing municipalities, each with a mayor and a council, and having the status of a city. In addition to these 23 municipalities, Tokyo also encompasses 26 more cities (市 -shi), five towns (町 -chō or machi), and eight villages (村 -son or -mura), each of which has a local government. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is headed by a publicly-elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its headquarters are in the ward of Shinjuku. They govern all of Tokyo, including lakes, rivers, dams, farms, remote islands, and national parks in addition to its famous neon jungle, skyscrapers and crowded subways.
Tokyo lies at the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, by far the world's most populous metropolitan region. Greater Tokyo includes the surrounding prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba.
The 23 special wards
The 23 special wards (tokubetsu-ku) of Tokyo comprise the area formerly known as Tokyo City. Each ward is a local municipality with its own elected mayor and assembly, differing from an ordinary city in that certain governmental functions are handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and, for most, also differing in having no particular center and little cultural or similar distinctiveness from the immediate surroundings. As of September 1, 2003, the official total population of the 23 wards combined was about 8.34 million, with a population density of 13,416 persons per square kilometer.The term "central Tokyo" today may refer to the 23 wards, the area within the Yamanote Line loop, or to the three "central wards" of Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato. While the generally-accepted center of Tokyo is the Imperial Palace, there are a number of major urban centers where business, shopping, and entertainment are concentrated. These include:
- Shinjuku — Tokyo's capital where the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is located. It is best known for Tokyo's early skyscrapers, erected since the early 1970s. Major department stores, electronics stores, and hotels can be found. On the east side of Shinjuku Station, Kabuki-cho is notorious for its many bars and nightclubs. Shinjuku Station moves an estimated three million passengers a day, making it the busiest in the world.
- Marunouchi and Otemachi — The main financial and business district of Tokyo has many headquarters of banks, trading companies, and other major businesses. The area is seeing a major redevelopment with new buildings for shopping and entertainment constructed in front of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi side.
- Ginza and Yurakucho — Major shopping and entertainment district with department stores, upscale shops selling brand-name goods, and movie theaters.
- Shinbashi—By being the gateway to Odaiba and having the new Shiodome Shiosite complex of high-rise buildings, this area has been effectively revitalized.
- Shinagawa — In addition to the major hotels on the west side of Shinagawa Station, the former sleepy east side of the station has been redeveloped as a major center for business.
- Shibuya — A longtime center of shopping, fashion, and entertainment, especially for the younger set. Shibuya is also home to some of Tokyo's largest and newest nightclubs.
- Ikebukuro — Anchored by the Sunshine City (which was once Tokyo's tallest building) hotel and shopping complex, this is another area where people gather due to the various train lines shooting out of Ikebukuro Station.
- Ueno — Ueno Station serves areas north of Tokyo from where many people commute. Besides department stores and shops in Ameyoko, Ueno boasts Ueno Park, Ueno Zoo, and major national museums. In spring, Ueno Park and adjacent Shinobazu Pond are prime places to view cherry blossoms.
- Odaiba — A large, reclaimed, waterfront area that has become one of Tokyo's most popular shopping and entertainment districts.
- Kinshicho — Major shopping and entertainment area in eastern Tokyo.
- Nagatacho — The political heart of Tokyo and the nation. It is the location of the Diet, government ministries, and party headquarters.
- Akasaka — District with expensive restaurants, clubs and hotels, next to Roppongi, Nagatacho, and Aoyama.
- Aoyama — A neighborhood of Tokyo with parks, an enormous cemetery, expensive housing, trendy cafes, and international restaurants (includes the subway station Omotesando).
West Tokyo
West of the 23 wards, Tokyo consists of cities, towns and villages which enjoy the same legal status as those elsewhere in Japan. While serving a role as "bed towns" for those working in central Tokyo, some of these also have a local commercial and industrial base. Collectively, these are often known as "West Tokyo."Cities
Twenty-six cities (in the administrative sense) are within the west of Tokyo.
Districts, towns, and villages
The far west is occupied by the district (gun) of Nishitama. Much of this area is mountainous and unsuitable for urbanization. The highest mountain in Tokyo, Mount Kumotori, is 2,017 m high; other mountains in Tokyo include Mount Takasu (1737 m), Mount Odake (1266 m), and Mount Mitake (929 m). Lake Okutama, on the Tama River near Yamanashi Prefecture, is Tokyo's largest lake.Islands
Tokyo's outlying islands extend as far as 1,850 km from central Tokyo. Because of the islands' distance from the city, they are locally run by branches of the metropolitan government. Most of the islands are classified as villages.Izu Islands
The Izu Islands are a group of volcanic islands and form part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The islands in order from closest to Tokyo are:Ogasawara Islands
- Ogasawara—Ogasawara includes, from north to south, Chichi-jima, Nishinoshima, Haha-jima, Kita Iwo Jima, Iwo Jima, and Minami Iwo Jima. Ogasawara also administers two tiny outlying islands: Minami Torishima, the easternmost point in Japan and at 1,850 km the most distant island from central Tokyo, and Okino Torishima, the southernmost point in Japan. These later two islands are contested by some nations as being only uninhabited rocks. The Iwo chain and the outlying islands are mostly uninhabited, but there are small local populations on the three islands closer to Honshu.
National Parks
There are four national parks in Tokyo:- Chichibu Tamakai National Park, in Nishitama and spilling over into Yamanashi and Saitama Prefectures
- Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park, around Mount Takao to the south of Hachioji.
- Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park which includes all of the Izu Islands.
- Ogasawara National Park. Efforts are being made to make Ogasawara National Park a UNESCO natural World Heritage Site.
Economy
Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world: its nominal GDP of around US$1.315 trillion is greater than the eighth-largest national economy in the worldList of countries by GDP (Nominal). It is a major international finance center, is site of the headquarters of several of the world's largest investment banks and insurance companies, and serves as a hub for Japan's transportation, publishing, and broadcasting industries.
During the centralized growth of Japan's economy following World War II, many large firms moved their headquarters from cities such as Osaka (the historical commercial capital) to Tokyo, in an attempt to take advantage of better access to the government. This trend has begun to slow due to ongoing population growth in Tokyo and the high cost of living there.
Tokyo was rated by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the most expensive (highest cost-of-living) city in the world for 14 years in a row ending in 2006. (inactive)
Demographics
As one of the major cities of the world, Tokyo has over eight million people living within its 23 wards, and during the daytime, the population swells by over 2.5 million as workers and students commute from adjacent areas. This effect is even more pronounced in the three central wards of Chiyoda, Chuo, and Minato, whose collective population is less than 300,000 at night, but over two million during the day.
Population
By area (as of Oct. 1, 2003)- All of Tokyo: 12.36 million
- 23 special wards: 8.34 million
- Tama area: 4 million
- Islands: 27,000
By age (As of Jan. 1, 2003):
- Juveniles (0-14): 1.433 million (12%)
- Working population (15-64): 8.507 million (71.4%)
- Aged population (65+): 2.057 million (16.6%)
By time (As of 2000)
- Nighttime: 12.017 million
- Daytime: 14.667 million
By nationality
- Foreign residents: 353,826 (as of Jan. 1, 2005)
- Top 5 Nationalities of Foreign Residents: Chinese (120,331), Korean (103,191), Philippine (31,505), American (18,043), British (7,585)
Transportation
Tokyo is Japan's largest domestic and international hub for rail, ground, and air transportation. Public transportation within Tokyo is dominated by an extensive network of clean and efficient, if often very crowded trains and subways run by a variety of operators, with buses, monorails and trams playing a secondary role.
Airports
Within Tokyo, Tokyo International Airport ("Haneda") offers mainly domestic flights. Outside Tokyo, Narita International Airport, in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, is the major gateway for international travelers.Railways and subways
Rail is the primary mode of transportation in Tokyo, which has the most extensive urban railway network in the world and an equally extensive network of surface lines. JR East operates Tokyo's largest railway network, including the Yamanote Line loop that circles the center of downtown Tokyo. Tokyo Metro and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation operate the subway network.Buses
The metropolitan government and private carriers operate bus routes. Local, regional, and national services are available, with major terminals at the giant railroad stations, including Tokyo and Shinjuku.Highways
Expressways link the capital to other points in the Greater Tokyo area, the Kanto region, and the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku.Others
- Taxis operate in the 23 Special Wards and the cities and towns. Long-distance ferries serve the islands of Tokyo and carry passengers and cargo to domestic and foreign ports.
Education
Being the nation's center of education, Tokyo has many universities, junior colleges, and vocational schools. Many of Japan's most prestigious universities are in Tokyo. The most prestigious is the University of Tokyo. Other schools include Keio University, Hitotsubashi University, and Waseda University.
Tokyo also has a few universities well-known for classes instructed in English. They include International Christian University, Sophia University, and Temple University Japan.
Universities in Tokyo
National Universities
- Ochanomizu University
- University of Electro-Communications
- Tokyo Medical and Dental University
- Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
- Tokyo Gakugei University
- Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
- Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku
- Tokyo Institute of Technology
- University of Tokyo
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
- Hitotsubashi University
Public University
Private Universities
Primary and Secondary Schools
Publicly run kindergartens, elementary schools (years 1 through 6), and junior high schools (7 through 9) are operated by local wards or municipal offices. Public high schools in Tokyo are run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education and are called "Metropolitan High Schools". Tokyo also has a great number of privately run schools from kindergarten through high school. For a list of high schools in Japanese, see *.Tourism in Tokyo
Tokyo has many tourist sightseeing, cultural and sport attractions. These include famous temples, shrines, annual festivals and events, parks, scenic views, popular shopping and nightlife districts. Cultural highlights of Tokyo include museums, concert halls, and theaters.
Tokyo in popular media
As the largest city in Japan and the location of the country's largest broadcasters and studios, Tokyo is frequently the setting for many Japanese movies, television shows, animated series (anime), and comic books (manga). The best-known outside Japan may be the kaiju (monster movie) genre, in which landmarks of Tokyo are routinely destroyed by giant monsters such as Godzilla. Many comic books and animated series set in Tokyo, such as Sailor Moon, Ranma ½, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, have become popular across the world as well.
Some Hollywood directors have turned to Tokyo as a filming location. Well-known examples from the postwar era include Tokyo Joe, My Geisha, and the James Bond film You Only Live Twice; well-known contemporary examples include Kill Bill, Tokyo Drift and Lost in Translation.
Miscellaneous topics
Sister relationships
Tokyo has sister relationships with several places worldwide:
External links
- WikiSatellite view of Tokyo at WikiMapia
- Official Tokyo Metropolitan Government homepage
- Festivals around Tokyo The Japan Times
- Interactive satellite view of the area
- Japan-guide to Tokyo
- Tokyo Diary Tokyo business/professional events calendar
- Tokyo Metro Subway lines
- Tokyo Past and Present Web Japan
- Picturetokyo guide to Tokyo Guide and gallery of many locations in Tokyo
References
Prefectures of Japan | Tokyo | Kanto region | Capitals in Asia | Coastal cities | Host cities of the Summer Olympic Games | Ports and harbours of Japan
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