Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is the capital of Japan. Having suffered numerous natural and military disasters, Tokyo has persevered to become a globally important economic center. As one of the world's largest metropolitan areas, Tokyo has set world records for population growth and industrial development.

Tokyo is also Japan's cultural center, with many sports, music and artistic venues. Metropolitan Tokyo blends traditional Japanese cultural elements with modern urban communities.

Landscape

Tokyo is located in the Kanto Plain on Honshu, the largest of Japan's islands. The city is situated in the geographic center of the Japanese archipelago. The central area of the city consists of twenty-three special wards. The Greater Tokyo Area also includes the surrounding regions of Saitama, Kanagawa, and Chiba.

The Tokyo prefecture has an area of 2,187 square kilometers (844 square miles) and sits at an average elevation of 18 meters (59 feet). Tokyo is located in a deciduous climate zone with four distinct seasons and average temperatures around 16 degrees Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit). The temperature can be hot in summer, averaging 22 to 29 degrees Celsius (72 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit) and occasionally rising to almost 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). There is a mild rainy season lasting from early June to late July, and occasional typhoons in September.

Tokyo is bordered on the east by the Edogawa River, a major route for export shipping, and on the west by mountains. The Tokyo government also oversees the Izu and Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

People

The greater Tokyo metropolitan area has more than 37.1 million residents. In 2023, the estimated total population of Japan was more than 123.7 million.

Immigrants make up approximately 1.5 percent of Japan's population. Roughly 0.3 percent of the population is Korean and 0.6 percent is Chinese. Taken as a whole, Japan is one of the world's most ethnically homogenous countries. Tokyo contains the majority of the country's foreign residents.

Japan is also home to a few small indigenous groups, including descendents of the Ainu, a tribal population native to Tokyo. The Ryukyuan people were once part of a separate kingdom in the island of Okinawa until their culture was absorbed by the Japanese in the 1600s. Small populations of Ryukyuan descendents live in Tokyo.

Tokyo has low crime rates and is considered one of the world's safest cities, partly because of its economic prosperity. The districts surrounding central Tokyo are sometimes called the downtown districts.

The central Chiyoda district contains the Imperial Palace and many of the country's administrative offices. Downtown Tokyo also contains the districts of Chuo, known for its shopping; Minato, known for its dining and port access; Shibuya, known for its nightlife and fashionable shopping areas; and Shinjuku, one of the city's largest entertainment districts.

Economy

Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kawasaki are Japan's three main economic centers. Each district accounts for nearly one-third of the country's economy. Tokyo's industries include electronics, steel, and automobile production. Tokyo maintains one of the largest metropolitan economies in the world. The rivers and canals running through Tokyo helped the city become an important export center.

Tokyo has one of the world's largest commuter populations, especially in the central districts where the number of individuals can more than double between day and night. To service such a large business population, Tokyo has developed the world's most extensive public transportation systems. Subways, buses, and a commuter monorail have all set global records for ridership.

Tokyo's unemployment rate was estimated at 2.6 percent in 2022. During the 1990s, Tokyo's economy suffered, compromised further by decreased economic activity in the United States, Europe, and the rest of Asia. In the early 2000s, the economic environment began to improve. However, an aging population and a large amount of government debt are significant and persistent economic problems.

Landmarks

Japan contains a wealth of landmarks, including religious, cultural, and governmental institutions, all of which contribute to Tokyo's tourism industry. Tokyo also contains numerous museums, from contemporary art to natural history.

The National Diet Building in Chiyoda district was built in 1936. The Diet is home to the two major branches of Japanese government: the Parliament and the House of Councilors. Tours are available for visitors looking to get a glimpse of the Japanese legislative procedures.

The Hie Shrine is located near the National Diet and was first erected in 1478 to protect the castle of the Edo emperor. The shrine was destroyed in 1657 and rebuilt and then destroyed again during World War II and rebuilt in 1967. The Hie Shrine hosts one of Tokyo's largest festivals, the Sanno Matsuri Festival, which is held in odd numbered years.

The Koishikawa Korakuen is one of Japan's oldest landscape gardens. The park was started in 1629 by a lord of the Tokugawa imperial family. Hundreds of trees and small water features are used to recreate miniature versions of Japanese and Chinese landscapes.

The Ginza is Tokyo's most famous upscale shopping and entertainment district. Numerous restaurants, nightclubs, and boutiques have emerged there since the district was redesigned following a 1923 earthquake. The Ginza combines modern business centers with traditional buildings, like the Kabukiza Theatre, built in the 1800s, which still showcases traditional kabuki theatre.

History

The area of what is now Tokyo was inhabited during Paleolithic times by tribal colonies. The town of Edo was established in the region and became the site of Edo Castle, constructed in 1457 under the authority of Uesugi Mochitomo.

For years, feudal lords battled for control of the region. In 1524, Ieyasu Tokugawa won a pivotal battle to occupy Edo Castle. Over the next century, the Tokugawa Shogunate consolidated power in Edo until, by 1603, it was the de facto capital of Japan. This was the beginning of the Edo Period in Japanese history.

The city of Edo grew rapidly under the auspices of the Tokugawa, who invested heavily in local business and commerce. The city continued to thrive despite several major catastrophes, including a fire in 1657 that killed more than 100,000 people, and an earthquake in 1855 that devastated much of the region's architecture. The Japanese policy at this time was one of political and social isolation, which helped the nation to develop its own infrastructure.

A turning point in Tokyo history was the arrival in 1853 of American General Matthew Perry, who brought battleships to Tokyo and demanded that the city open to foreign visitors. This event agitated existing tensions between those who wanted to open the country to foreign trade and those who wanted to maintain Japan's isolationist state. Through a series of civil wars, the Tokugawa Shogunate relinquished power to Emperor Meiji in 1869.

During the period known as the Meiji Restoration, Japan shifted from an oligarchic form of government to a monarchy, and Edo was renamed Tokyo, meaning "Eastern Capital." The city grew during this period and, by 1872, expanded to include the area of the twenty-three special wards. In 1889, Tokyo City was officially established.

In the late nineteenth century, Tokyo officials began planning and construction of the city's public transportation system, which would eventually integrate the inner districts with the outlying prefectures, and would lead to rapid expansion of the metropolitan population.

The Great Kanto Earthquake hit Tokyo in 1923, killing approximately 140,000 and demolishing 400,000 buildings. Though the city was largely destroyed, the reconstruction efforts led to a modernization of Tokyo. The redesigned city included the country's first subway system, a modernized seaport, and Tokyo International Airport.

During World War II, Tokyo was bombed several times by Allied forces. By 1945, more than half the population had died or fled the city as a result of air raids. In addition, bombing raids destroyed most of the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Following the war, Tokyo was occupied briefly by Allied forces who directed the city's administrative restructuring. It was during this time that the twenty-three special wards were officially established.

The Japanese government invested heavily in the restoration and modernization of Tokyo. When Tokyo hosted the Olympic Summer Games in 1964, the city was in a state of rapid growth.

Economic instability slowed Tokyo's growth in the 1990s, but fiscal restoration policies began to reverse the trend toward the turn of the century. In the early twenty-first century, Tokyo continued to expand and has become one of the most influential and economically dominant cities in the world.

Bibliography

"About Our City: Tokyo's History, Geography, and Population." Tokyo Metropolitan Government, www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/ABOUT/HISTORY/history01.htm. Accessed 31 Jan. 2017.

Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2013.

"Japan." World Factbook, US Central Intelligence Agency, 20 Feb. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/japan/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.

Mansfield, Stephen. Tokyo—A Biography: Disasters, Destruction and Renewal: The Story of an Indomitable City. Tuttle Publishing, 2016.