Overview
Tokyo is the capital and largest city of Japan, located on the eastern coast of the main island of Honshu, at the head of Tokyo Bay. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with an estimated population of over 37 million people. The city itself comprises 23 special wards that function as individual cities.
Geography and Physical Features
Tokyo sits on the Kanto Plain, the largest plain in Japan, and is bordered by mountains to the west. The city spans a complex of river deltas, reclaimed land, and bay shoreline. It includes a number of small islands extending hundreds of kilometers south into the Pacific, including the Izu and Ogasawara archipelagos.
Significance
Originally a small fishing village called Edo, Tokyo became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 and was renamed Tokyo in 1868 when the Meiji Emperor moved his capital there from Kyoto. Today, it is a global center for finance, technology, fashion, and culture, and is home to the world's largest urban economy.
Notable Facts
Tokyo has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1964 and 2020, and is served by the world's busiest commuter rail system. The city contains the world's busiest pedestrian crossing at Shibuya. Tokyo Skytree, completed in 2012, stands at 634 meters and is the tallest tower in the world.