Tokyo

Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital and most populous city of Japan. It has over 14 million people living in the city.

The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and nearby areas, has 41 million people. It is the biggest city area in the world.

Tokyo is on the coast of Tokyo Bay, in the Kantō region on the island of Honshu. It is Japan’s economic center and where the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan are located. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government takes care of the city’s central 23 special wards and nearby towns.

Tokyo was originally called Edo. It became important in 1603 and grew from a small village into a big city. After 1868, it became the capital and was renamed Tokyo, meaning 'Eastern Capital'.

Tokyo faced big challenges, including a major earthquake in 1923 and damage during World War II. After the war, the city rebuilt quickly and became a leader in growth and technology.

Tokyo was the first city in Asia to host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 1964, and again in 2021. It is a center for learning with several major universities, such as the University of Tokyo. Tokyo Station is the main point for the Shinkansen, Japan’s fast trains, and Shinjuku Station is the busiest train station in the world. Tokyo Skytree is the tallest tower in the world.

Etymology

Tokyo used to be called Edo. This name means "estuary" and refers to where the Sumida River meets Tokyo Bay.

In 1868, during a big change called the Meiji Restoration, the city's name was changed to Tokyo. This name means "eastern capital", showing that it had become the new capital of Japan.

History

Main article: History of Tokyo

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Tokyo.

Pre-Tokugawa period

Mitsukoshi stores in Nihonbashi, by Hiroshige, c. 1836

Tokyo has been home to people for thousands of years. Ancient sites from long ago can be found there. During a time when the sea level rose, the coastline of what is now Tokyo moved inland. Old shells mark where the shore used to be. Later, farming spread across the land.

In 534, a big fight happened in the area. A place called Senso-ji was built in 645. For a long time, most of Tokyo was part of an area called Musashi Province. After a big battle, many people moved there. In the late 1200s, a fort was built called Edo Castle. Later, different leaders took control of the area.

1590–1868: Tokugawa period

Main article: Edo

After a big battle, a leader named Tokugawa Ieyasu moved to the area and became a very important ruler. The city grew during a time of peace. When he died, the city was still safe and calm for a long time. Many buildings went up, and the city became very big.

Then, a ship captain named Matthew C. Perry arrived and opened up the city to trade with other countries. This caused big changes and some people were unhappy. Finally, the old rulers were overthrown and the city was renamed Tokyo, meaning "Eastern Capital."

1868–1941

Tokyo became Japan’s capital. New schools, train lines, and important buildings were built. In 1923, a big earthquake caused a lot of damage, but the city rebuilt.

Later, Japan got ready for World War II. In 1940, big celebrations happened, and then Japan joined the war in 1941 after attacking a place called Pearl Harbor.

1942–1945

Shinjuku's development as a business district started in the 1970s.

Main article: Bombing of Tokyo

During the war, Tokyo was changed into a special area. Many people were sent away, and the city was attacked from the air. One night in 1945, many bombs were dropped and a large part of the city burned. Many buildings and people were lost.

1945–1972

After the war, Tokyo started to rebuild. The city grew fast with new trains and tall buildings. The 1964 Olympics showed how modern Tokyo had become.

1973–present

Even after a big change in the economy, Tokyo stayed important. New areas were built, and the city kept growing. In 2021, Tokyo hosted the Olympic Games again after they were delayed due to health concerns.

Administration

Tokyo is Japan's busy capital city. Many people live there—over 6,000 in every square kilometer! Tokyo is split into different parts, like smaller towns and cities all working together. There are 23 special areas called wards, plus 26 cities, five towns, and eight villages. All these places have their own leaders and rules, but they are all part of bigger Tokyo.

Tokyo's leaders are chosen by the people. The leader, called the governor, is picked every four years. Right now, the governor is Yuriko Koike. There is also a group of people called the Metropolitan Assembly who help make important decisions for Tokyo. They meet and vote on things like money and new rules.

Tokyo also has many green spaces and trees. Leaders have worked hard to plant more trees and create parks. This helps keep the city cool and beautiful. One big park, called Kasai Marine Park, is special because it helps protect wildlife.

Tokyo is also where Japan's important government offices are located. This includes places where leaders make laws, run the country, and make big decisions. Many government workers have offices in an area called Kasumigaseki.

Geography

The mainland part of Tokyo lies to the northwest of Tokyo Bay. It stretches about 90 kilometers from east to west and 25 kilometers from north to south. The average height above sea level in Tokyo is 40 meters. Chiba Prefecture is to the east, Yamanashi to the west, Kanagawa to the south, and Saitama to the north.

Tokyo also includes two groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean: the Izu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands, which are far from the mainland.

Climate

Tokyo has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and cool winters. August is the warmest month, and January is the coolest.

Rainfall is highest in the summer, and snow is rare but can happen. Tokyo experiences typhoons each year, though most are not very strong.

Natural disasters

Tokyo is located near the meeting point of three large pieces of Earth's crust, called plates. This makes the area active for smaller earthquakes. While these quakes are frequent, they are usually small and cause little damage.

In the past, powerful earthquakes have affected Tokyo.

Mount Fuji, about 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, has a low risk of eruption.

Tokyo has many rivers and is built on a flat plain. Heavy rains and typhoons can sometimes cause flooding. The city has built large dams and levees to help manage floodwaters.

Architecture

Tokyo’s buildings reflect many different styles due to its history.

Older buildings from the 1400s still exist, like Shofukuji temple. After Japan modernized in the late 1800s, many new buildings were built.

Today, Tokyo is famous for its skyscrapers. Since the 1960s, many tall buildings have been constructed. Notable modern buildings include Yoyogi National Gymnasium and Tokyo Skytree, the tallest tower in the world.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Tokyo

As of October 2012, Tokyo had about 13.5 million people living in its main area. During the day, the city’s population grows by over 2.5 million because many people come in to work or study. Some central parts of Tokyo see even bigger changes.

In April 2024, some of the biggest areas in Tokyo were Setagaya, Nerima, and Ota. Smaller places, like the remote islands of Aogashima, Mikurajima, and Toshima, have very few residents.

In 2021, the average age of people in Tokyo was 45.5 years. About 16.8% of people were younger than 15, and 34.6% were older than 65.

Tokyo has many people from other countries living there. By January 2024, over 647,000 foreign nationals were registered as residents. China, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Nepal, Taiwan, and the United States each had more than 20,000 people living in Tokyo.

Japanese is the main language spoken in Tokyo, but there are some different ways people speak.

Some smaller islands near Tokyo have their own special ways of speaking. For example, the Hachijō dialect is spoken on Hachijōjima and Aogashima, and Bonin English is spoken on the Ogasawara Islands. Both of these are quite rare today, with very few people still using them.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1872	859,345	—
1880	1,084,745	+26.2%
1890	1,385,700	+27.7%
1900	1,947,300	+40.5%
1910	2,706,800	+39.0%
1920	3,699,428	+36.7%
1930	5,408,678	+46.2%
1940	7,354,971	+36.0%
1945	3,488,284	−52.6%
1950	6,277,500	+80.0%
1955	8,037,084	+28.0%
1960	9,683,802	+20.5%
1965	10,869,244	+12.2%
1970	11,408,071	+5.0%
1975	11,673,554	+2.3%
1980	11,618,281	−0.5%
1985	11,829,363	+1.8%
1990	11,855,563	+0.2%
1995	11,773,605	−0.7%
2000	12,064,101	+2.5%
2005	12,576,601	+4.2%
2010	13,159,388	+4.6%
2015	13,515,271	+2.7%
2020	13,982,112	+3.5%
Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Economy

Tokyo made a lot of money in 2022—about 120.2 trillion yen or US$887.9 billion. That was 21.2% of all the money made in Japan that year! This means each person in Tokyo made around 8.43 million yen or US$62,291.

Shopping and selling things was the biggest money-maker, bringing in 21.5% of the total. Next came building homes (13.5%), fancy jobs like science and tech (12.2%), and phone and internet services (11.7%). Banking and insurance added 7.6%, while making cars and machines added 7.0%. Helping people, like doctors and nurses, added 6.7%. Only a tiny bit, less than 0.1%, came from growing food, cutting trees, or fishing.

Tokyo is one of the world’s biggest money centers, just after New York City. Many big companies pick Tokyo to set up their main offices, especially in areas like Marunouchi. In 2025, 26 of the world’s 500 biggest companies were based there. Tokyo used to be the most expensive city for years, but now it’s about the same cost as cities like New York, Beijing, and Manchester.

Finance

Tokyo is a big spot for money and banking. It’s home to some of the world’s biggest banks and insurance companies. After World War II, many big companies moved their offices to Tokyo to be closer to the government.

Tokyo grew into a major money center in the 1960s and is now one of the top three places for money in the world, along with New York City and London. Big banks like Mitsubishi UFJ, Sumitomo-Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Mizuho Financial Group have their main offices in Tokyo.

Media and communications

Tokyo is Japan’s big center for news, TV, and movies. Most of Japan’s national TV stations and big newspapers have their main offices in Tokyo. Big companies that make ads, like Dentsu and Hakuhodo, are also based there. The three biggest phone companies in Japan—NTT, KDDI, and SoftBank—are in Tokyo too. Tokyo is also famous for making anime, with studios like Studio Ghibli and MAPPA located there.

Tourism

In 2019, lots of visitors came to Tokyo—about 15 million from other countries. They spent a lot of money, about 1.26 trillion yen. Some of the most popular places to visit include Shibuya Crossing, Shinjuku, Ginza for shopping, Asakusa with Sensō-ji Temple, Akihabara for electronics and anime, and Ueno with its zoo and museums.

Agriculture, fishery, and forestry

Tokyo’s biggest market for fish and seafood is the Toyosu Market, which opened in 2018. It’s the largest market of its kind in the world, busy with buyers, sellers, and shoppers every day. Tokyo also has some farms, mostly in the western areas, growing vegetables, fruits, and flowers. The city has lots of forests with tall trees like cryptomeria and Japanese cypress, especially in the mountains. Though, making and selling wood has become harder because of costs and fewer people working in forestry. Tokyo used to get a lot of fish from Tokyo Bay, but now most comes from islands farther away, like Izu Ōshima and Hachijō-Jima. Popular fish include skipjack tuna, nori (seaweed), and aji (a type of small fish).

Transportation

Main article: Transport in Greater Tokyo

Tokyo is Japan’s biggest place for trains and other ways to travel. The city has many clean and efficient trains and subways. There are many train lines and stations. Shibuya Crossing is one of the busiest crossings in the world, with many people crossing at once.

JR East runs many trains in Tokyo, including the Yamanote Line that goes around central Tokyo. The Shinkansen, Japan’s fast train, links Tokyo with cities around the country. Tokyo has many roads, but people there like to use public transport. The city has two main airports: Haneda Airport and Narita International Airport. Water travel is important too, with the Port of Tokyo handling many ships and ferries.

Rail

JR East runs many trains in Tokyo.

The Shinkansen links big cities to Tokyo.

Rail is the main way to travel in Tokyo, with many train lines. JR East runs many trains, including the Yamanote Line that circles central Tokyo. JR East also runs the Shinkansen fast trains to cities in Japan (Joetsu Shinkansen, Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen). The Tokaido Shinkansen links Tokyo and Osaka via Nagoya and Kyoto, and is run by JR Central. The Chuo Shinkansen is a new fast train being built. Both JR companies started in 1987 from Japan National Railways. JR Freight runs freight trains on the JR network. Tokyo's underground trains are run by Tokyo Metro and the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. Other train companies in Tokyo include Odakyu, Tokyu, Keio, Seibu, Tobu, and Keisei.

Tokyo once had many trams, but now only one line, the Arakawa line, remains.

Roads

Tokyo has fewer cars than other parts of Japan. Each road in Tokyo is either private, municipal, metropolitan, or an expressway. The roads cover a large area. Expressways in Tokyo are managed by NEXCO East and the Metropolitan Expressway Company. Tolls are collected based on distance travelled. The Shuto Expressway is 337.8 km long, with speed limits to reduce noise.

Aviation

Tokyo is served by two international airports: Haneda Airport in Ōta and Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture. Haneda has been Tokyo’s main airport since 1931. Later, Narita was built to handle more flights. In 2010, a new runway opened at Haneda, and international flights returned there. Haneda is closer to central Tokyo.

Hachijō-jima (Hachijojima Airport), Kōzu-shima (Kōzushima Airport), Miyakejima (Miyakejima Airport), Nii-jima (Niijima Airport), and Izu Ōshima (Oshima Airport), on the Izu Islands, have services to Haneda and the Chōfu Airport.

Water transport

A Mitsui O.S.K. Lines ship at the Port of Tokyo

A Jetfoil by the Tōkai Kisen serves the Izu Islands

Water travel is important for moving goods and linking the Tokyo Islands to the mainland. The Port of Tokyo is a big port. The Greater Tokyo Area also has other big ports like the Port of Yokohama and the Port of Chiba. Takeshiba Pier in Minato is used by Tōkai Kisen for islands such as Izu Ōshima, Miyakejima, Hachijojima, Kozushima, and Ogasawara Kaiun for the Ogasawara Islands. Many of these islands can only be reached by ship or helicopter. There are also ferry routes within Tokyo, like the Tokyo Cruise Ship and the Tokyo Mizube Line that go between places such as Asakusa, Hamarikyu, Odaiba, and Shinagawa Aquarium. The Symphony Cruise has big restaurant ships that can be hired for parties.

Education

Main article: Education in Tokyo

Tokyo is an important place for learning and culture in Japan. It has many schools for children and students of all ages.

Tertiary education

Primary and secondary education

Tokyo has many schools for younger students. There are high schools and elementary schools. Some schools start from primary school and go all the way to university. There are also international schools that follow curricula from other countries, such as the British School in Tokyo, Tokyo Chinese School, the American School in Japan, and the Tokyo International School.

Learned societies

Almost all of Japan's major learned societies are in Tokyo. These include the Japan Academy, the country's academy of sciences, the Japan Art Academy, and the Science Council of Japan. These academies are located in Ueno Park and Roppongi, Minato.

Culture

Museums, art galleries, libraries, and zoos

Tokyo has many museums, art galleries, and libraries for different interests. Ueno Park has the Tokyo National Museum, Japan’s biggest museum for traditional art. The National Museum of Western Art in the park was designed by the famous architect Le Corbusier and is a world heritage site. Ueno Zoo in the same park is famous and is one of only three zoos in Japan with giant pandas.

Other important museums are the Artizon Museum in Chūō, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Odaiba, and the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Sumida, which shows Tokyo’s history and culture. The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum has real buildings from different times in Tokyo’s past.

Leisure and entertainment

Tokyo has many places for fun and entertainment. The city has theatres for traditional Japanese plays like Noh at the National Noh Theatre and Kabuki at Kabuki-za. The New National Theatre Tokyo in Shibuya has opera, ballet, and other shows. Big concert halls like Nippon Budokan and Tokyo Dome host popular music performances.

Tokyo’s nightlife is lively, especially in areas like Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Roppongi, with many bars, clubs, and music spots. The city has colorful festivals such as the Sannō Matsuri and the Kanda Matsuri. Harajuku is famous for its fashion, while Akihabara is a place for technology fans with shops for anime and games. Upscale shopping can be found in Ginza, and Odaiba has attractions like the teamLab Planets art museum and Joypolis amusement park. Families love the Tokyo Disney Resort with Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.

Food

Tokyo is famous for its wonderful restaurants. In 2007, a guide called Michelin gave out many top ratings to Tokyo restaurants, more than any other city at the time.

Recreation

Tokyo has many beautiful green spaces for outdoor fun. Okutama and Mount Takao are great for hiking. Ueno Park is famous for its cherry blossoms and has museums and a zoo. Other parks like Inokashira Park and Yoyogi Park are perfect for picnics. The city also has many lovely traditional gardens.

In popular culture

Tokyo is a favorite setting for stories. Japanese writers like Natsume Sōseki and Mori Ōgai wrote about life in Tokyo. Later authors such as Yasunari Kawabata, Kenzaburō Ōe, and Haruki Murakami also set their books in Tokyo. Western authors, including Ian Fleming and David Mitchell, have also used Tokyo in their stories. The city appears in films, anime, manga, and video games, with real and imaginary parts of Tokyo as settings for many different kinds of stories.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Tokyo

Tokyo is a great city for sports! It has many teams and events that people enjoy watching. The city has two famous baseball teams, the Yomiuri Giants who play at the Tokyo Dome, and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Meiji-Jingu Stadium. Tokyo is also home to sumo wrestling, with big tournaments held every year at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan.

There are soccer teams like FC Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy, and rugby teams such as Black Rams Tokyo, Tokyo Sungoliath, and Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo. Basketball fans can cheer for teams like the Hitachi SunRockers, Toyota Alvark Tokyo, and Tokyo Excellence.

Tokyo has hosted big international events, including the 1964 Summer Olympics and the 2020 Summer Olympics. The city has many top sports venues and often holds events like basketball games, volleyball matches, tennis tournaments, swim meets, marathons, rugby games, soccer exhibitions, judo, and karate. The Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Shibuya is a large sports complex with swimming pools and an indoor arena.