Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is one of the 47 prefectures of the country. The mainland portion of Tokyo positions on the northwest of Tokyo Bay and stands girdled by the Chiba Prefecture borders to the east, Yamanashi to the west, Kanagawa to the south and Saitama to the north. One of the most developed areas in Japan; the tapestry of Tokyo laces itself with soaring skyscrapers, cosmopolitan industries, outsized shopping arcades and extravagant bars and lounges. Nevertheless, amid its modern flourishes, the city also espouses its time-honored tradition, in the form of its shrines, ryokans (guesthouses) and many museums. To know more about Tokyo, read on.
Fun & Interesting Facts about Tokyo
- Tokyo is the seat of the Japanese government, home of the Emperor of Japan and is the capital of the country.
- Earlier, Tokyo was a small fishing village named ‘Edo’, meaning estuary. Later, when it became the imperial capital of Japan, in 1868, its name was changed to Tokyo.
- The name ‘Tokyo’ literally translates to ‘Eastern Capital’.
- The 23 wards of Tokyo collectively constitute the ‘City of Tokyo’, which is one of the largest cities in the world.
- Tokyo is one of the three world finance ‘command centers’, apart from New York and London.
- The Greater Tokyo Area that includes Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama, is the most densely populated metropolitan area in the world.
- There are many remote islands in Tokyo, which extend as far as 1850 km from central Tokyo.
- Tokyo has the largest metropolitan gross domestic product (GDP) in the whole world, for a city.
- Tokyo is home to many of the world's most developed investment banks and insurance companies.
- Tokyo serves as the nucleus of Japan's transportation, broadcasting and publishing industries.
- Railways in Tokyo have the most extensive urban railway network in the whole world.
- Tokyo was stuck by many historical tragedies, including the 1923 Kanto Earthquake, widespread devastation during World War II, the economic ‘bubble burst’ of 1989 and the 1995 nerve gas attack.
- The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Tokyo as the most costly city in the whole world, for a period of 14 yrs, until 2006.
- Popular Hollywood flicks like ‘The Fast and the Furious’, ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘Lost in Translation’ have been filmed in Tokyo.
