Tokyo

This article is about the Japanese capital and metropolis. For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation).

Tokyo 東京都
Metropolis
Tokyo Metropolis
Clockwise from top: Nishi-Shinjuku and Mount Fuji Tokyo Tower National Diet Building Tokyo Station Tokyo Imperial Palace Shibuya Crossing Tokyo Skytree Rainbow Bridge
Flag Seal Emblem
Nicknames:  The Big Mikan, New York of Eastern Asia
Anthem: "Tokyo Metropolitan Song" (東京都歌, Tōkyō-to Ka)
Interactive map outlining Tokyo
Location within Japan
Coordinates: 35°41′23″N 139°41′32″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Island	Honshu
Capital	Tokyo (de facto; de jure: Shinjuku)
Divisions	23 special wards, 26 cities, 1 district, and 4 subprefectures
Government
• Body	Tokyo Metropolitan Government
• Governor	Yuriko Koike (Indp.)
• Representatives	42
• Councilors	11
Area
• Total	2,194 km2 (847 sq mi)
• Metro	13,452 km2 (5,194 sq mi)
• Rank	45th in Japan
Highest elevation	2,017 m (6,617 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2023)
• Total	14,094,034
• Rank	1st in Japan
• Density	6,363/km2 (16,480/sq mi)
• Urban	39,105,000
• Metro	40,800,000
• Metro density	3,000/km2 (7,900/sq mi)
• Dialects	Tokyo Tama Northern Izu Islands
Demonym	Tokyoite
GDP
• Total	JP¥109.692 trillion US$1.027 trillion (2020)
• Metro	JP¥222.129 trillion US$2.084 trillion (2020)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (Japan Standard Time)
ISO 3166-2	JP-13
Flower	Yoshino cherry
Tree	Ginkgo
Bird	Black-headed gull
Website	tokyotokyo.jp www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp

Tokyo (/ˈtoʊkioʊ/; Japanese: 東京, Tōkyō, [toːkʲoː] ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis (東京都, Tōkyō-to), is the capital city of Japan and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of over 14 million residents as of 2023. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighbouring prefectures, is the most-populous metropolitan area in the world, with 40.8 million residents as of 2023.

Located at the head of Tokyo Bay, Tokyo is part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Japan's economic center and the seat of both the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers Tokyo's central 23 special wards (which formerly made up Tokyo City), various commuter towns and suburbs in its western area, and two outlying island chains known as the Tokyo Islands. Despite most of the world recognising Tokyo as a city, since 1943 its governing structure has been more akin to a prefecture, with an accompanying Governor and Assembly taking precedence over the smaller municipal governments which make up the metropolis. Notable special wards in Tokyo include Chiyoda, the site of the National Diet Building and the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Shinjuku, the city's administrative center, and Shibuya, a commercial, cultural, and business hub in the city.

Before the 17th century, Tokyo, then known as Edo, was mainly a fishing village. It gained political prominence in 1603 when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, Edo was among the world's largest cities, with over a million residents. Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to Edo, and the city was renamed Tokyo (lit. 'Eastern Capital'). In 1923, Tokyo was damaged substantially by the Great Kantō earthquake, and the city was later badly damaged by allied bombing raids during World War II. Beginning in the late 1940s, Tokyo underwent rapid reconstruction and expansion that contributed to the era's so-called Japanese economic miracle in which Japan's economy propelled to the second-largest in the world at the time behind that of the United States. As of 2023, the city is home to 29 of the world's largest 500 companies listed in the annual Fortune Global 500.

In 20th and 21st centuries, Tokyo has hosted several major international events,becoming the first city on Asia to host the Summer Olympics (in 1964 and 2021 and the first city in history to host the Summer Paralympics also in 1964 and 2021, and three G7 summits in 1979, 1986, and 1993. Tokyo is an international research and development hub and an academic center with several major universities, including the University of Tokyo, the top-ranking university in the country. Tokyo Station is the central hub for the Shinkansen, Japan's high-speed railway network, and Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is the world's busiest train station. The city is home to the world's tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree. The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, which opened in 1927, is the oldest underground metro line in Asia–Pacific.

Tokyo's nominal gross domestic output was 113.7 trillion yen or US$1.04 trillion in FY2021 and accounted for 20.7% of the country's total economic output, which converts to 8.07 million yen or US$73,820 per capita. Including the Greater Tokyo Area, Tokyo is the second-largest metropolitan economy in the world after New York, with a 2022 gross metropolitan product estimated at US$2.08 trillion. Although Tokyo's status as a leading global financial hub has diminished with the Lost Decades since the 1990s, when the Tokyo Stock Exchange was the world's largest, with a market capitalisation about 1.5 times that of the NYSE, the city is still a large financial hub, and the TSE remains among the world's top five major stock exchanges. Tokyo is categorized as an Alpha+ city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The city is also recognized as one of the world's most livable ones; it was ranked fourth in the world in Global Livability Ranking, published in 2021.

Etymology

Tokyo
Tōkyō in kanji
Japanese name
Hiragana	とうきょう
Katakana	トウキョウ
Kyūjitai	東亰
Shinjitai	東京
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Tōkyō Kunrei-shiki Tôkyô

Tokyo was originally known as Edo (江戸), a kanji compound of 江 (e, "cove, inlet") and 戸 (to, "entrance, gate, door"). The name, which can be translated as "estuary", is a reference to the original settlement's location at the meeting of the Sumida River and Tokyo Bay. During the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the name of the city was changed to Tokyo (東京, from 東 tō "east", and 京 kyō "capital"), when it became the new imperial capital, in line with the East Asian tradition of including the word capital (京) in the name of the capital city (for example, Kyoto (京都), Keijō (京城), Beijing (北京), Nanjing (南京), and Xijing (西京)). During the early Meiji period, the city was sometimes called "Tōkei", an alternative pronunciation for the same characters representing "Tokyo", making it a kanji homograph. Some surviving official English documents use the spelling "Tokei"; however, this pronunciation is now obsolete.

History

Main article: History of Tokyo

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Tokyo.

Pre-1869 (Edo period)

Main article: Edo

See also: Perry Expedition and Bakumatsu

Edo Castle in the 17th century, just after it became the seat of the shogunate

Tokyo was originally a village called Edo, part of the old Musashi Province. Edo was first fortified by the Edo clan in the late twelfth century. In 1457, Ōta Dōkan built Edo Castle to defend the region from the Chiba clan. After Dōkan was assassinated in 1486, the castle and the area came to be possessed by several feudal lords. In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu was granted the Kantō region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and moved there from his ancestral land of Mikawa Province. He greatly expanded the castle, which was said to have been abandoned and in tatters when he moved there, and ruled the region from there. When he became shōgun, the de facto ruler of the country, in 1603, the whole country came to be ruled from Edo. While the Tokugawa shogunate ruled the country in practice, the Imperial House of Japan was still the de jure ruler, and the title of shōgun was granted by the Emperor as a formality. The Imperial House was based in Kyoto from 794 to 1868, so Edo was still not the capital of Japan.

Mitsukoshi stores on Suruga Street with Mt. Fuji in the background by Hiroshige, c. 1850.

During the Edo period, the city enjoyed a prolonged period of peace known as the Pax Tokugawa, and in the presence of such peace, the shogunate adopted a stringent policy of seclusion, which helped to perpetuate the lack of any serious military threat to the city. The absence of war-inflicted devastation allowed Edo to devote the majority of its resources to rebuilding in the wake of the consistent fires, earthquakes, and other devastating natural disasters that plagued the city. Edo grew into one of the largest cities in the world with a population reaching one million by the 18th century.

This prolonged period of seclusion however came to an end with the arrival of American Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853. Commodore Perry forced the opening of the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate, leading to an increase in the demand for new foreign goods and subsequently a severe rise in inflation. Social unrest mounted in the wake of these higher prices and culminated in widespread rebellions and demonstrations, especially in the form of the "smashing" of rice establishments. Meanwhile, supporters of the Emperor leveraged the disruption caused by widespread rebellious demonstrations to further consolidate power, which resulted in the overthrow of the last Tokugawa shōgun, Yoshinobu, in 1867. After 265 years, the Pax Tokugawa came to an end. In May 1868, Edo castle was handed to the Emperor-supporting forces after negotiation (the Fall of Edo). Some forces loyal to the shogunate kept fighting, but with their loss in the Battle of Ueno on 4 July 1868, the entire city came under the control of the new government.

Edo, 1865 or 1866. Photochrom print. Five albumen prints joined to form a panorama. Photographer: Felice Beato.

1869–1941

Main articles: Tokyo City and Tokyo Prefecture (1868–1943)

The first Imperial visit to Tokyo in September 1868

After the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate, for the first time in a few centuries, the Emperor ceased to be a mere figurehead and became both the de facto and de jure ruler of the country. Hisoka Maejima advocated for the relocation of the capital functions to Tokyo, recognising the advantages of the existing infrastructure and the vastness of the Kanto Plain compared to the relatively small Kyoto basin. After being handed over to the Meiji government, Edo was renamed Tokyo (Eastern Capital) on 3 September 1868. The Emperor Meiji visited the city once at the end of that year and eventually moved there in 1869. Tokyo had already been the nation's political center for nearly three centuries, and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well, with the former Edo Castle becoming the Imperial Palace.

Brick buildings in Tokyo, c.1910

Government ministries such as the Ministry of Finance were also relocated to Tokyo by 1871, and the first railway line in the country was opened on 14 October 1872, connecting Shimbashi (Shiodome) and Yokohama (Sakuragicho), which is now part of the Tokaido line. The 1870s saw the establishment of other institutions and facilities that now symbolise Tokyo, such as Ueno Park (1873), the University of Tokyo (1877) and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (1878). The rapid modernisation of the country was driven from Tokyo, with its business districts such as Marunouchi filled with modern brick buildings and the railway network serving as a means to help the large influx of labour force needed to keep the development of the economy. The City of Tokyo was officially established on May 1, 1889. The Imperial Diet, the national legislature of the country, was established in Tokyo in 1889, and it has ever since been operating in the city.

Nihombashi after the Great Earthquake

On 1 September 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck the city, and the earthquake and subsequent fire killed an estimated 105,000 citizens. The loss amounted to 37 per cent of the country's economic output. On the other hand, the destruction provided an opportunity to reconsider the planning of the city, which had changed its shape hastily after the Meiji Restoration. The high survival rate of concrete buildings promoted the transition from timber and brick architecture to modern, earthquake-proof construction. The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line portion between Ueno and Asakusa, the first underground railway line built outside Europe and the American continents, was completed on December 30, 1927.

The Special Naval Fleet Review of 1940 in Tokyo Bay

Although Tokyo recovered robustly from the earthquake and new cultural and liberal political movements, such as Taishō Democracy, spread, the 1930s saw an economic downturn caused by the Great Depression and major political turmoil. Two attempted military coups d'état happened in Tokyo, the May 15 incident in 1932 and the February 26 incident in 1936. This turmoil eventually allowed the military wings of the government to take control of the country, leading to Japan joining the Second World War as an Axis power. Due to the country's political isolation on the international stage caused by its military aggression in China and the increasingly unstable geopolitical situations in Europe, Tokyo had to give up hosting the 1940 Summer Olympics in 1938. Rationing started in June 1940 as the nation braced itself for another world war, while the 26th Centenary of the Enthronement of Emperor Jimmu celebrations took place on a grand scale to boost morale and increase the sense of national identity in the same year. On 8 December 1941, Japan attacked the American bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, entering the Second World War against the Allied Powers. The wartime regime greatly affected life in the city.

1942–1945

Main article: Bombing of Tokyo

In 1943, the city of Tokyo merged with the prefecture of Tokyo to form the "Metropolitan Prefecture" of Tokyo. Since then, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government served as both the prefecture government for Tokyo, as well as administering the special wards of Tokyo, for what had previously been Tokyo City. World War II wrought widespread destruction of most of the city due to the persistent Allied air raids on Japan and the use of incendiary bombs. The bombing of Tokyo in 1944 and 1945 is estimated to have killed between 75,000 and 200,000 civilians and left more than half of the city destroyed.

The deadliest night of the war came on March 9–10, 1945, the night of the American "Operation Meetinghouse" raid; as nearly 700,000 incendiary bombs rained on the eastern half of the city, mainly in heavily residential wards. Two-fifths of the city were completely burned, more than 276,000 buildings were demolished, 100,000 civilians were killed, and 110,000 more were injured. Between 1940 and 1945, the population of Japan's capital city dwindled from 6,700,000 to less than 2,800,000, with the majority of those who lost their homes living in "ramshackle, makeshift huts".

• Gallery
• 
  The bombing of Tokyo in 1945
• 
  The aftermath of the bombing of Tokyo, March 1945
• 
  Nihonbashi in 1946

1945–present

After the war, Tokyo became the base from which the United States under Douglas MacArthur administered Japan for six years. Tokyo struggled to rebuild as occupation authorities stepped in and drastically cut back on Japanese government rebuilding programs, focusing instead on simply improving roads and transportation. Tokyo did not experience fast economic growth until the 1950s.

After the occupation of Japan ended in 1952, Tokyo was completely rebuilt and was showcased to the world during the 1964 Summer Olympics. Present in Tokyo then were the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and the 0 Series Shinkansen, the first bullet train of its class in the world. The 1970s and the 1980s brought new high-rise developments. In 1978, Sunshine 60 – the tallest skyscraper in Asia until 1985, and in Japan until 1991 – and Narita International Airport were constructed, and the population increased to about 11 million in the metropolitan area. The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum has historic Japanese buildings that existed in the urban landscape of pre-war Tokyo.

Tokyo's subway and commuter rail network became one of the busiest in the world as more and more people moved to the area. In the 1980s, real estate prices skyrocketed during a real estate and debt bubble. The bubble burst in the early 1990s, and many companies, banks, and individuals were caught with mortgage-backed debts while real estate was 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, Tennōzu Isle, Shiodome, Roppongi Hills, Shinagawa (Shinagawa Station, a major hub for Shinkansen), and the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station. Buildings of significance have been 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. Various plans have been proposed for transferring national government functions from Tokyo to secondary capitals in other regions of Japan, 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.

The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that devastated much of the northeastern coast of Honshu was felt in Tokyo. However, due to Tokyo's earthquake-resistant infrastructure, damage in Tokyo was very minor compared to areas directly hit by the tsunami, although activity in the city was largely halted. The subsequent nuclear crisis caused by the tsunami has also largely left Tokyo unaffected, despite occasional spikes in radiation levels.

On September 7, 2013, the IOC selected Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. Thus, Tokyo became the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games twice. However, the 2020 Olympic Games were postponed from July 23 to August 8, 2021, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also unclear how the city will deal with an increasing number of issues, urging scholars to offer possible alternative approaches to tackle the most urgent problems. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has impeded the growth of many industries, the real estate market in Japan is yet to be negatively impacted.

In April 2022, Japanese real estate has become one of the safest investments for foreign investors around the world.

• Gallery
• 
  Tokyo Tower, built in 1958
• 
  Yoyogi National Gymnasium, built for the 1964 Summer Olympics
• 
  Sunshine 60, at 239.7 m (786 ft), the tallest building in Asia until 1985, and in Japan until 1991
• 
  Landscape of Tokyo seen from top floors of Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower
• 
  Minato City at night

Geography and government

Main article: Tokyo Metropolitan Government

A satellite photo of Tokyo in 2018 taken by ESA Sentinel-2

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

The mainland portion of Tokyo lies northwest of Tokyo Bay and measures about 90 km (56 mi) east to west and 25 km (16 mi) north to south. The average elevation in Tokyo is 40 m (131 ft). Chiba Prefecture borders it to the east, Yamanashi to the west, Kanagawa to the south, and Saitama to the north. Mainland Tokyo is further subdivided into the special wards (occupying the eastern half) and the Tama area (多摩地域) stretching westwards. Tokyo has a latitude of 35.65 (near the 36th parallel north), which makes it more southern than Rome (41.90), Madrid (40.41), New York City (40.71) and Beijing (39.91).

Within the administrative boundaries of Tokyo Metropolis are two island chains in the Pacific Ocean directly south: the Izu Islands, and the Ogasawara Islands, which stretch more than 1,000 km (620 mi) away from the mainland. Because of these islands and the mountainous regions to the west, Tokyo's overall population density figures far under-represent the real figures for the urban and suburban regions of Tokyo.

Under Japanese law, the prefecture of Tokyo is designated as a to (都), translated as metropolis. Tokyo Prefecture is the most populous prefecture and the densest, with 6,100 inhabitants per square kilometer (16,000/sq mi); by geographic area it is the third-smallest, above only Osaka and Kagawa. Its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other prefectures. The 23 special wards (特別区, tokubetsu-ku), which until 1943 constituted the city of Tokyo, are self-governing municipalities, each having a mayor, a council, and the status of a city.

In addition to these 23 special wards, Tokyo also includes 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 administers the whole metropolis including the 23 special wards and the cities and towns that constitute the prefecture. It is headed by a publicly elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its headquarters is in Shinjuku Ward.

Municipalities

See also: List of cities in Tokyo Metropolis by population

A map with Nishi-Tama District in green

A map of the Izu Islands with black labels

A map of the Ogasawara Islands with black labels

Since 2001, Tokyo consists of 62 municipalities: 23 special wards, 26 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages. Any municipality of Japan has a directly elected mayor and a directly elected assembly, each elected on independent four-year cycles. 23 of Tokyo's municipalities cover the area that had been Tokyo City until WWII, 30 remain today in the Tama area (former North Tama, West Tama and South Tama districts), 9 on Tokyo's outlying islands.

• The special wards (特別区, tokubetsu-ku) of Tokyo comprise the area formerly incorporated as Tokyo City. The special wards use the word "city" in their official English name (e.g. Chiyoda City). The wards differ from other cities in having a unique administrative relationship with the prefectural government. Certain municipal functions, such as waterworks, sewerage, and fire-fighting, are handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. To pay for the added administrative costs, the prefecture collects municipal taxes, which would usually be levied by the city. The "three central wards" of Tokyo – Chiyoda, Chūō and Minato – are the business core of the city, with a daytime population more than seven times higher than their nighttime population. Chiyoda Ward is unique in that it is in the very heart of the former Tokyo City, yet is one of the least populated wards. It is occupied by many major Japanese companies and is also the seat of the national government, and the Japanese emperor. It is often called the "political center" of the country. Akihabara, known for being an otaku cultural center and a shopping district for computer goods, is also in Chiyoda.
• To the west of the special wards, Tokyo Metropolis consists of cities, towns, and villages that enjoy the same legal status as those elsewhere in Japan. While serving as "bed towns" for those working in central Tokyo, some of them also have a local commercial and industrial base, such as Tachikawa. Collectively, these are often known as the Tama area or Western Tokyo. The far west of the Tama area is occupied by the district (gun) of Nishi-Tama. Much of this area is mountainous and unsuitable for urbanization. The highest mountain in Tokyo, Mount Kumotori, is 2,017 m (6,617 ft) high; other mountains in Tokyo include Takanosu (1,737 m (5,699 ft)), Odake (1,266 m (4,154 ft)), and Mitake (929 m (3,048 ft)). Lake Okutama, on the Tama River near Yamanashi Prefecture, is Tokyo's largest lake. The district is composed of three towns (Hinode, Mizuho and Okutama) and one village (Hinohara). The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has designated Hachiōji, Tachikawa, Machida, Ōme and Tama New Town as regional centers of the Tama area, as part of its plans to relocate urban functions away from central Tokyo.
• Tokyo has numerous outlying islands, which extend as far as 1,850 km (1,150 mi) from central Tokyo. Because of the islands' distance from the administrative headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in Shinjuku, local subprefectural branch offices administer them. 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 Izu Ōshima, Toshima, Nii-jima, Shikine-jima, Kōzu-shima, Miyake-jima, Mikurajima, Hachijō-jima, and Aogashima. The Izu Islands are grouped into three subprefectures. Izu Ōshima and Hachijojima are towns. The remaining islands are six villages, with Niijima and Shikinejima forming one village. The Ogasawara Islands include, 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 (1,150 mi) the most distant island from central Tokyo, and Okinotorishima, the southernmost point in Japan. Japan's claim on an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) surrounding Okinotorishima is contested by China and South Korea as they regard Okinotorishima as uninhabitable rocks which have no EEZ. The Iwo chain and the outlying islands have no permanent population, but hosts Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel. Local populations are only found on Chichi-Jima and Haha-Jima. The islands form both Ogasawara Subprefecture and the village of Ogasawara, Tokyo.

Flag, name w/o suffix	Full name			District or Subprefecture	Population	LPE code (w/o checksum)
	Japanese	Transcription	Translation
Adachi	足立区	Adachi-ku	Adachi Ward	—	674,067	13121
Arakawa	荒川区	Arakawa-ku	Arakawa Ward		213,648	13118
Bunkyō	文京区	Bunkyō-ku	Bunkyō Ward		223,389	13105
Chiyoda	千代田区	Chiyoda-ku	Chiyoda Ward		59,441	13101
Chūō	中央区	Chūō-ku	Chūō Ward (Central Ward)		147,620	13102
Edogawa	江戸川区	Edogawa-ku	Edogawa Ward (Edo River Ward)		685,899	13123
Itabashi	板橋区	Itabashi-ku	Itabashi Ward		569,225	13119
Katsushika	葛飾区	Katsushika-ku	Katsushika Ward (after Katsushika District)		447,140	13122
Kita	北区	Kita-ku	Kita Ward (North Ward)		345,063	13117
Kōtō	江東区	Kōtō-ku	Kōtō Ward		502,579	13108
Meguro	目黒区	Meguro-ku	Meguro Ward		280,283	13110
Minato	港区	Minato-ku	Minato Ward (Harbor/Port District)		248,071	13103
Nakano	中野区	Nakano-ku	Nakano Ward		332,902	13114
Nerima	練馬区	Nerima-ku	Nerima Ward		726,748	13120
Ōta	大田区	Ōta-ku	Ōta Ward		722,608	13111
Setagaya	世田谷区	Setagaya-ku	Setagaya Ward		910,868	13112
Shibuya	渋谷区	Shibuya-ku	Shibuya Ward		227,850	13113
Shinagawa	品川区	Shinagawa-ku	Shinagawa Ward		392,492	13109
Shinjuku	新宿区	Shinjuku-ku	Shinjuku Ward		339,211	13104
Suginami	杉並区	Suginami-ku	Suginami Ward		570,483	13115
Sumida	墨田区	Sumida-ku	Sumida Ward		260,358	13107
Taitō	台東区	Taitō-ku	Taitō Ward		200,486	13106
Toshima	豊島区	Toshima-ku	Toshima Ward (after Toshima District)		294,673	13116
Akiruno	あきる野市	Akiruno-shi	Akiruno City		80,464	13228
Akishima	昭島市	Akishima-shi	Akishima City		111,449	13207
Chōfu	調布市	Chōfu-shi	Chōfu City		240,668	13208
Fuchū	府中市	Fuchū-shi	Fuchū City (provincial capital city)		260,891	13206
Fussa	福生市	Fussa-shi	Fussa City		58,393	13218
Hachiōji	八王子市	Hachiōji-shi	Hachiōji City		579,330	13201
Hamura	羽村市	Hamura-shi	Hamura City		55,596	13227
Higashikurume	東久留米市	Higashi-Kurume-shi	Higashi-Kurume City East Kurume City (as opposed to Kurume City, Western Japan)		116,869	13222
Higashimurayama	東村山市	Higashi-Murayama-shi	Higashi-Murayama City East Murayama City (after Murayama Region)		150,984	13213
Higashiyamato	東大和市	Higashi-Yamato-shi	Higashi-Yamato City (here: Tokyo's Yamato City) (as opposed to Kanagawa's Yamato City)		85,229	13220
Hino	日野市	Hino-shi	Hino City		185,133	13212
Inagi	稲城市	Inagi-shi	Inagi City		87,927	13225
Kiyose	清瀬市	Kiyose-shi	Kiyose City		74,495	13221
Kodaira	小平市	Kodaira-shi	Kodaira City		194,757	13211
Koganei	小金井市	Koganei-shi	Koganei City		121,516	13210
Kokubunji	国分寺市	Kokubunji-shi	Kokubunji City (provincial temple city)		122,787	13214
Komae	狛江市	Komae-shi	Komae City		81,671	13219
Kunitachi	国立市	Kunitachi-shi	Kunitachi City		75,867	13215
Machida	町田市	Machida-shi	Machida City		429,040	13209
Mitaka	三鷹市	Mitaka-shi	Mitaka City		189,168	13204
Musashimurayama	武蔵村山市	Musashi-Murayama-shi	Musashi-Murayama City (as opposed to Murayama City, Dewa Province)		70,649	13223
Musashino	武蔵野市	Musashino-shi	Musashino City (after Musashino Region)		143,686	13203
Nishitokyo	西東京市	Nishi-Tōkyō-shi	Nishi-Tokyo City (Western Tokyo City)		200,102	13229
Ōme	青梅市	Ōme-shi	Ōme City		136,071	13205
Tachikawa	立川市	Tachikawa-shi	Tachikawa City		184,183	13202
Tama	多摩市	Tama-shi	Tama City (after Tama district/area/river)		147,953	13224
Hinode	日の出町	Hinode-machi	Hinode Town	Nishi-Tama (Western Tama)	17,141	13305
Hinohara	檜原村	Hinohara-mura	Hinohara Village		2,194	13307
Mizuho	瑞穂町	Mizuho-machi	Mizuho Town		33,117	13303
Okutama	奥多摩町	Okutama-machi	Okutama Town (Rear/Outer Tama Town)		5,177	13308
Hachijō	八丈町	Hachijō-machi	Hachijō Town (on Hachijō Island)	Hachijō	7,516	13401
Aogashima	青ヶ島村	Aogashima-mura	Aogashima Village (on Aogashima)		169	13402
Miyake	三宅村	Miyake-mura	Miyake Village (on Miyake Island)	Miyake	2,451	13381
Mikurajima	御蔵島村	Mikurajima-mura	Mikurajima Village (Mikura Island Village)		328	13382
Ōshima	大島町	Ōshima-machi	Ōshima Town ([Izu] Grand Island Town)	Ōshima	7,762	13361
To-shima	利島村	Toshima-mura	To-shima Village (on homonymous island)		309	13362
Niijima	新島村	Niijima-mura	Niijima Village (on homonymous island)		2,697	13363
Kōzushima	神津島村	Kōzushima-mura	Kōzushima Village (on homonymous island)		1,856	13364
Ogasawara	小笠原村	Ogasawara-mura	Ogasawara Village (on homonymous islands)	Ogasawara	3,029	13421
Tokyo	東京都	Tōkyō-to	Tokyo "Metropolis" functionally: ~ Prefecture literally/etymologically: ~ Capital	–	13,960,236	13000 ISO: JP-13

• 
  Tama
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  Hachioji
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  Musashino

Municipal mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Tokyo

When Tokyo reached its current extent except for smaller border changes in 1893, it consisted of over 170 municipalities, 1 (by definition: district-independent) city, nine districts with their towns and villages, plus the island communities that had never part of ritsuryō districts. By 1953, the number of municipalities had dropped to 97. The current total of 62 was reached in 2001.

National parks

Ogasawara National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site

As of March 31, 2008, 36% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks (second only to Shiga Prefecture), namely the Chichibu Tama Kai, Fuji-Hakone-Izu, and Ogasawara National Parks (the last a UNESCO World Heritage Site); Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park; and Akikawa Kyūryō, Hamura Kusabana Kyūryō, Sayama, Takao Jinba, Takiyama, and Tama Kyūryō Prefectural Natural Parks.

A number of museums are located in Ueno Park: Tokyo National Museum, National Museum of Nature and Science, Shitamachi Museum and National Museum for Western Art, among others. There are also artworks and statues at several places in the park. There is also a zoo in the park, and the park is a popular destination to view cherry blossoms.

Earthquakes

Minor quakes

A bilingual sign in Shibuya with instructions (in Japanese and English) in case of an earthquake

Tokyo is near the boundary of three plates, making it an extremely active region for smaller quakes and slippage which frequently affect the urban area with swaying as if in a boat, although epicenters within mainland Tokyo (excluding Tokyo's 2,000 km (1,243 mi)–long island jurisdiction) are quite rare. It is not uncommon in the metro area to have hundreds of these minor quakes (magnitudes 4–6) that can be felt in a single year, something local residents merely brush off but can be a source of anxiety not only for foreign visitors but for Japanese from elsewhere as well. They rarely cause much damage (sometimes a few injuries) as they are either too small or far away as quakes tend to dance around the region. Particularly active are offshore regions and to a lesser extent Chiba and Ibaraki.

Infrequent powerful quakes

Tokyo has been hit by powerful megathrust earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855, 1923, and much more indirectly (with some liquefaction in landfill zones) in 2011; the frequency of direct and large quakes is a relative rarity. The 1923 earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 8.3, killed 142,000 people, the last time the urban area was directly hit.

Volcanic eruptions

Mount Fuji is about 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Tokyo. There is a low risk of eruption. The last recorded was the Hōei eruption which started on December 16, 1707, and ended about January 1, 1708 (16 days). During the Hōei eruption, the ash amount was 4 cm in southern Tokyo (bay area) and 2 cm to 0.5 cm in central Tokyo. Kanagawa had 16 cm to 8 cm ash and Saitama 0.5 to 0 cm. If the wind blows north-east it could send volcanic ash to Tokyo metropolis. According to the government, less than a millimeter of the volcanic ash from a Mount Fuji eruption could cause power grid problems such as blackouts and stop trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area. A mixture of ash with rain could stick to cellphone antennas, power lines and cause temporary power outages. The affected areas would need to be evacuated.

Water management

The MAOUDC is the world's largest underground floodwater diversion facility.

Tokyo is located on the Kantō Plain with five river systems and dozens of rivers that expand during each season. Important rivers are Edogawa, Nakagawa, Arakawa, Kandagawa, Megurogawa and Tamagawa. In 1947, Typhoon Kathleen struck Tokyo, destroying 31,000 homes and killing 1,100 people. In 1958, Typhoon Ida dropped 400 mm (16 in) of rain in a single week, causing streets to flood. In the 1950s and 1960s, the government invested 6–7% of the national budget on disaster and risk reduction. A huge system of dams, levees and tunnels was constructed. The purpose is to manage heavy rain, typhonic rain, and river floods.

Tokyo has currently the world's largest underground floodwater diversion facility called the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (MAOUDC). It took 13 years to build and was completed in 2006. The MAOUDC is a 6.3 km (3.9 mi) long system of tunnels, 22 meters (72 ft) underground, with 70-meter (230 ft) tall cylindrical tanks, each tank being large enough to fit a space shuttle or the Statue of Liberty. During floods, excess water is collected from rivers and drained to the Edo River. Low-lying areas of Kōtō, Edogawa, Sumida, Katsushika, Taitō and Arakawa near the Arakawa River are most at risk of flooding.

Climate

The former city of Tokyo and the majority of Tokyo prefecture lie in the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen climate classification: Cfa), with hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters with occasional cold spells. The region, like much of Japan, experiences a one-month seasonal lag. The warmest month is August, which averages 26.9 °C (80.4 °F). The coolest month is January, averaging 5.4 °C (41.7 °F). The record low temperature was −9.2 °C (15.4 °F) on January 13, 1876. The record high was 39.5 °C (103.1 °F) on July 20, 2004. The record highest low temperature is 30.3 °C (86.5 °F), on August 12, 2013, making Tokyo one of only seven observation sites in Japan that have recorded a low temperature over 30 °C (86.0 °F).

Annual rainfall averages nearly 1,600 millimeters (63.0 in), with a wetter summer and a drier winter. The growing season in Tokyo lasts for about 322 days from around mid-February to early January. Snowfall is sporadic, and occurs almost annually. Tokyo often sees typhoons every year, though few are strong. The wettest month since records began in 1876 was October 2004, with 780 millimeters (30 in) of rain, including 270.5 mm (10.65 in) on the ninth of that month. The most recent of four months on record to observe no precipitation is December 1995. Annual precipitation has ranged from 879.5 mm (34.63 in) in 1984 to 2,229.6 mm (87.78 in) in 1938.

Climate data for Kitanomaru Park, Chiyoda, Tokyo (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1875–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	22.6 (72.7)	24.9 (76.8)	28.1 (82.6)	29.2 (84.6)	32.6 (90.7)	36.4 (97.5)	39.5 (103.1)	39.1 (102.4)	38.1 (100.6)	32.6 (90.7)	27.5 (81.5)	24.8 (76.6)	39.5 (103.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	9.8 (49.6)	10.9 (51.6)	14.2 (57.6)	19.4 (66.9)	23.6 (74.5)	26.1 (79.0)	29.9 (85.8)	31.3 (88.3)	27.5 (81.5)	22.0 (71.6)	16.7 (62.1)	12.0 (53.6)	20.3 (68.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)	5.4 (41.7)	6.1 (43.0)	9.4 (48.9)	14.3 (57.7)	18.8 (65.8)	21.9 (71.4)	25.7 (78.3)	26.9 (80.4)	23.3 (73.9)	18.0 (64.4)	12.5 (54.5)	7.7 (45.9)	15.8 (60.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.2 (34.2)	2.1 (35.8)	5.0 (41.0)	9.8 (49.6)	14.6 (58.3)	18.5 (65.3)	22.4 (72.3)	23.5 (74.3)	20.3 (68.5)	14.8 (58.6)	8.8 (47.8)	3.8 (38.8)	12.1 (53.8)
Record low °C (°F)	−9.2 (15.4)	−7.9 (17.8)	−5.6 (21.9)	−3.1 (26.4)	2.2 (36.0)	8.5 (47.3)	13.0 (55.4)	15.4 (59.7)	10.5 (50.9)	−0.5 (31.1)	−3.1 (26.4)	−6.8 (19.8)	−9.2 (15.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	59.7 (2.35)	56.5 (2.22)	116.0 (4.57)	133.7 (5.26)	139.7 (5.50)	167.8 (6.61)	156.2 (6.15)	154.7 (6.09)	224.9 (8.85)	234.8 (9.24)	96.3 (3.79)	57.9 (2.28)	1,598.2 (62.92)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	4 (1.6)	4 (1.6)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	8 (3.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.5 mm)	5.3	6.1	10.3	10.9	11.1	12.8	12.0	9.4	12.3	11.8	8.2	5.8	116.0
Average relative humidity (%)	51	52	57	62	68	75	76	74	75	71	64	56	65
Average dew point °C (°F)	−5 (23)	−4 (25)	1 (34)	8 (46)	13 (55)	18 (64)	22 (72)	23 (73)	19 (66)	12 (54)	6 (43)	−1 (30)	9 (49)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	192.6	170.4	175.3	178.8	179.6	124.2	151.4	174.2	126.7	129.4	149.8	174.4	1,926.7
Percent possible sunshine	61	56	47	45	41	30	34	42	34	37	48	57	44
Average ultraviolet index	2	3	5	7	9	10	10	9	7	5	3	2	6
Source 1: Japan Meteorological Agency
Source 2: Weather Atlas (UV), Time and Date (dewpoints, 1985–2015)

See or edit raw graph data.

Tokyo's climate has warmed significantly since temperature records began in 1876.

Climate data for Tokyo, 1876–1905 normals
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8.3 (46.9)	8.7 (47.7)	11.9 (53.4)	17.2 (63.0)	21.1 (70.0)	24.5 (76.1)	28.1 (82.6)	29.8 (85.6)	26.1 (79.0)	20.5 (68.9)	15.5 (59.9)	11.0 (51.8)	18.6 (65.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)	2.9 (37.2)	3.6 (38.5)	6.9 (44.4)	12.4 (54.3)	16.6 (61.9)	20.5 (68.9)	24.1 (75.4)	25.5 (77.9)	22.1 (71.8)	15.9 (60.6)	10.2 (50.4)	5.3 (41.5)	13.8 (56.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−1.7 (28.9)	−0.9 (30.4)	2.0 (35.6)	7.6 (45.7)	12.0 (53.6)	16.8 (62.2)	20.8 (69.4)	21.9 (71.4)	18.6 (65.5)	11.9 (53.4)	5.4 (41.7)	0.4 (32.7)	9.6 (49.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	55.2 (2.17)	72.4 (2.85)	111.0 (4.37)	129.1 (5.08)	151.9 (5.98)	166.3 (6.55)	139.7 (5.50)	114.7 (4.52)	203.3 (8.00)	184.1 (7.25)	104.7 (4.12)	58.7 (2.31)	1,491.1 (58.7)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	186.7	178.5	174.1	183.1	204.8	158.5	183.9	207.0	142.8	144.0	167.4	190.8	2,121.6
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency

The western mountainous area of mainland Tokyo, Okutama also lies in the humid subtropical climate (Köppen classification: Cfa).

Climate data for Ogouchi, Okutama, Tokyo, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1875–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	17.8 (64.0)	20.9 (69.6)	22.9 (73.2)	30.6 (87.1)	33.0 (91.4)	34.3 (93.7)	36.3 (97.3)	36.4 (97.5)	35.0 (95.0)	30.2 (86.4)	23.8 (74.8)	22.8 (73.0)	36.4 (97.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	6.8 (44.2)	7.6 (45.7)	10.9 (51.6)	16.5 (61.7)	21.1 (70.0)	23.4 (74.1)	27.4 (81.3)	28.5 (83.3)	24.3 (75.7)	18.8 (65.8)	14.0 (57.2)	9.3 (48.7)	17.4 (63.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	1.5 (34.7)	2.2 (36.0)	5.5 (41.9)	10.8 (51.4)	15.6 (60.1)	18.9 (66.0)	22.6 (72.7)	23.5 (74.3)	19.8 (67.6)	14.3 (57.7)	8.8 (47.8)	3.9 (39.0)	12.3 (54.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−2.4 (27.7)	−1.9 (28.6)	1.0 (33.8)	5.8 (42.4)	10.9 (51.6)	15.3 (59.5)	19.3 (66.7)	20.1 (68.2)	16.6 (61.9)	10.9 (51.6)	5.0 (41.0)	0.1 (32.2)	8.4 (47.1)
Record low °C (°F)	−9.3 (15.3)	−11.6 (11.1)	−8.1 (17.4)	−3.8 (25.2)	0.7 (33.3)	7.5 (45.5)	12.4 (54.3)	13.2 (55.8)	6.2 (43.2)	1.0 (33.8)	−2.1 (28.2)	−6.9 (19.6)	−11.6 (11.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	49.5 (1.95)	45.9 (1.81)	88.5 (3.48)	106.3 (4.19)	118.7 (4.67)	163.2 (6.43)	205.6 (8.09)	217.4 (8.56)	270.2 (10.64)	215.4 (8.48)	68.9 (2.71)	43.7 (1.72)	1,608 (63.31)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	206.5	187.7	173.0	178.4	172.2	104.2	124.8	144.6	104.5	128.7	164.5	186.5	1,874.6
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency

The climates of Tokyo's offshore territories vary significantly from those of the city. The climate of Chichijima in Ogasawara village is on the boundary between the tropical savanna climate (Köppen classification: Aw) and the tropical rainforest climate (Köppen classification: Af). It is approximately 1,000 km (621 mi) south of the Greater Tokyo Area, resulting in much different climatic conditions.

Climate data for Chichijima, Ogasawara, Tokyo, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	26.1 (79.0)	25.4 (77.7)	26.7 (80.1)	28.4 (83.1)	30.1 (86.2)	33.0 (91.4)	34.1 (93.4)	33.7 (92.7)	33.1 (91.6)	32.1 (89.8)	30.2 (86.4)	27.5 (81.5)	34.1 (93.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	20.7 (69.3)	20.5 (68.9)	21.7 (71.1)	23.4 (74.1)	25.6 (78.1)	28.5 (83.3)	30.4 (86.7)	30.3 (86.5)	29.9 (85.8)	28.6 (83.5)	25.9 (78.6)	22.7 (72.9)	25.7 (78.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	18.5 (65.3)	18.1 (64.6)	19.3 (66.7)	21.1 (70.0)	23.4 (74.1)	26.2 (79.2)	27.7 (81.9)	28.0 (82.4)	27.7 (81.9)	26.4 (79.5)	23.8 (74.8)	20.6 (69.1)	23.4 (74.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	15.8 (60.4)	15.4 (59.7)	16.8 (62.2)	18.8 (65.8)	21.4 (70.5)	24.4 (75.9)	25.6 (78.1)	26.1 (79.0)	25.7 (78.3)	24.4 (75.9)	21.6 (70.9)	18.2 (64.8)	21.2 (70.2)
Record low °C (°F)	8.9 (48.0)	7.8 (46.0)	9.2 (48.6)	10.7 (51.3)	13.9 (57.0)	17.7 (63.9)	20.8 (69.4)	22.2 (72.0)	19.6 (67.3)	17.2 (63.0)	13.2 (55.8)	10.8 (51.4)	7.8 (46.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	63.6 (2.50)	51.6 (2.03)	75.8 (2.98)	113.3 (4.46)	151.9 (5.98)	111.8 (4.40)	79.5 (3.13)	123.3 (4.85)	144.2 (5.68)	141.7 (5.58)	136.1 (5.36)	103.3 (4.07)	1,296.1 (51.02)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.5 mm)	11.0	8.5	9.8	10.0	11.8	8.8	8.6	11.3	13.4	13.7	12.0	11.2	130.1
Average relative humidity (%)	66	68	72	79	84	86	82	82	82	81	76	70	77
Mean monthly sunshine hours	131.3	138.3	159.2	148.3	151.8	205.6	246.8	213.7	197.7	173.2	139.1	125.3	2,030.3
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency

Tokyo's easternmost territory, the island of Minamitorishima in Ogasawara village, is in the tropical savanna climate zone (Köppen classification: Aw). Tokyo's Izu and Ogasawara islands are affected by an average of 5.4 typhoons a year, compared to 3.1 in mainland Kantō.

Cityscape

Architecture in Tokyo has largely been shaped by Tokyo's history. Twice in recent history has the metropolis been left in ruins: first in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and later after extensive firebombing in World War II. Because of this, Tokyo's urban landscape consists mainly of modern and contemporary architecture, and older buildings are scarce. Tokyo features many internationally famous forms of modern architecture including Tokyo International Forum, Asahi Beer Hall, Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building and Rainbow Bridge. Tokyo features two distinctive towers: Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree, the latter of which is the tallest tower in both Japan and the world, and the second tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Mori Building Co started work on Tokyo's new tallest building which was set to be finished in March 2023. The project will cost 580 billion yen ($5.5 billion).

Tokyo contains numerous parks and gardens. There are four national parks in Tokyo Prefecture, including the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, which includes all of the Izu Islands.

A panoramic view of Tokyo from the Tokyo Skytree

Environment

Tokyo has enacted a measure to cut greenhouse gases. Governor Shintaro Ishihara created Japan's first emissions cap system, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emission by a total of 25% by 2020 from the 2000 level. Tokyo is an example of an urban heat island, and the phenomenon is especially serious in its special wards. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the annual mean temperature has increased by about 3 °C (5.4 °F) over the past 100 years. Tokyo has been cited as a "convincing example of the relationship between urban growth and climate".

In 2006, Tokyo enacted the "10 Year Project for Green Tokyo" to be realized by 2016. It set a goal of increasing roadside trees in Tokyo to 1 million (from 480,000), and adding 1,000 ha (2,500 acres) of green space, 88 ha (220 acres) of which will be a new park named "Umi no Mori" (Sea Forest) which will be on a reclaimed island in Tokyo Bay which used to be a landfill. From 2007 to 2010, 436 ha (1,080 acres) of the planned 1,000 ha of green space was created and 220,000 trees were planted, bringing the total to 700,000. As of 2014, roadside trees in Tokyo have increased to 950,000, and a further 300 ha (740 acres) of green space has been added.

Demographics

Tokyo prefecture population pyramid in 2020

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1870	590,268	—
1880	712,259	+20.7%
1890	1,389,684	+95.1%
1900	1,580,124	+13.7%
1910	2,202,079	+39.4%
1920	3,699,428	+68.0%
1925	4,485,144	+21.2%
1930	5,408,678	+20.6%
1935	6,369,919	+17.8%
1940	7,354,971	+15.5%
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%

As of October 2012, the official intercensal estimate showed 13.506 million people in Tokyo, with 9.214 million living within Tokyo's 23 wards. 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, Chūō, and Minato, whose collective population as of the 2005 National Census was 326,000 at night, but 2.4 million during the day.

In 1889, the Home Ministry recorded 1,375,937 people in Tokyo City and a total of 1,694,292 people in Tokyo-fu. In the same year, a total of 779 foreign nationals were recorded as residing in Tokyo. The most common nationality was English (209 residents), followed by American (182) and Chinese nationals (137).

Tokyo historical population since 1920

Registered foreign nationals Nationality Population (2024) China 257,198 South Korea 87,955 Vietnam 44,087 Philippines 35,634 Nepal 35,310 Taiwan 21,771 United States 20,217 Myanmar 19,868 India 17,537 Indonesia 9,719 Others 98,120

This chart is growth rate of municipalities of Tokyo, Japan. It is estimated by census carried out in 2005 and 2010. Increase   10.0% and over   7.5–9.9%   5.0–7.4%   2.5–4.9%   0.0–2.4% Decrease   0.0–2.4%   2.5–4.9%   5.0–7.4%   7.5–9.9%   10.0% and over

Population of Tokyo By area1 Tokyo Special wards Tama Area Islands 12.79 million 8.653 million 4.109 million 28,000 By age2 Juveniles (age 0–14) Working (age 15–64) Retired (age 65+) 1.461 million (11.8%) 8.546 million (69.3%) 2.332 million (18.9%) By hours3 Day Night 14.978 million 12.416 million By nationality4 Foreign residents 647,416 (4.6% of total) 1 Estimates as of October 1, 2007. 2 as of January 1, 2007. 3 as of 2005 National Census. 4 as of January 1, 2024.

Economy

Tokyo Skytree, at 634 m (2,080 ft), the tallest tower in the world

Tokyo Stock Exchange

Ginza is a popular upscale shopping area in Tokyo.

Bank of Japan headquarters in Chūō, Tokyo

Marunouchi in Chiyoda, Tokyo

Tokyo Tower at night

Shibuya Crossing in Shibuya, also known as "the Times Square of the Orient", attracts many tourists.

Tokyo has the second-largest metropolitan economy in the world, after New York City, with a gross metropolitan product estimated at US$2 trillion.

Tokyo is a major international finance center; it houses the headquarters of several of the world's largest investment banks and insurance companies, and serves as a hub for Japan's transportation, publishing, electronics 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, when it was replaced by Oslo, and later Paris.

Tokyo emerged as a leading international financial center (IFC) in the 1960s and has been described as one of the three "command centers" for the world economy, along with New York City and London. In the 2020 Global Financial Centers Index, Tokyo was ranked as having the fourth most competitive financial center in the world (alongside cities such as New York City, London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, San Francisco, Shenzhen and Zürich in the top 10), and second most competitive in Asia (after Shanghai). The Japanese financial market opened up slowly in 1984 and accelerated its internationalization with the "Japanese Big Bang" in 1998. Despite the emergence of Singapore and Hong Kong as competing financial centers, the Tokyo IFC manages to keep a prominent position in Asia. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is Japan's largest stock exchange, and third largest in the world by market capitalization and fourth largest by share turnover. In 1990 at the end of the Japanese asset price bubble, it accounted for more than 60% of the world stock market value. Tokyo had 8,460 hectares (20,900 acres) of agricultural land as of 2003, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, placing it last among the nation's prefectures. The farmland is concentrated in Western Tokyo. Perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers can be conveniently shipped to the markets in the eastern part of the prefecture. Komatsuna and spinach are the most important vegetables; as of 2000, Tokyo supplied 32.5% of the komatsuna sold at its central produce market. Farms in Tokyo are more environmentally friendly than in other areas of Japan, due to a different culture and consumer expectations.

With 36% of its area covered by forest, Tokyo has extensive growths of cryptomeria and Japanese cypress, especially in the mountainous western communities of Akiruno, Ōme, Okutama, Hachiōji, Hinode, and Hinohara. Decreases in the price of timber, increases in the cost of production, and advancing old age among the forestry population have resulted in a decline in Tokyo's output. In addition, pollen, especially from cryptomeria, is a major allergen for the nearby population centers. Tokyo Bay was once a major source of fish. Most of Tokyo's fish production comes from the outer islands, such as Izu Ōshima and Hachijō-Jima. Skipjack tuna, nori, and aji are among the ocean products.

Tourism in Tokyo is also a large contributor to its economy. In 2006, 4.81 million foreigners and 420 million Japanese visits to Tokyo were made; the economic value of these visits totaled 9.4 trillion yen according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Many tourists visit the various downtowns, stores, and entertainment districts throughout the neighborhoods of the special wards of Tokyo. Cultural offerings include both omnipresent Japanese pop culture and associated districts such as Shibuya and Harajuku, subcultural attractions such as Studio Ghibli anime center, as well as museums like the Tokyo National Museum, which houses 37% of the country's artwork national treasures (87/233).

The Toyosu Market in Tokyo is the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world since it opened on October 11, 2018. It is also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. It is located in the Toyosu area of Kōtō ward. The Toyosu Market holds strong to the traditions of its predecessor, the Tsukiji Fish Market and Nihonbashi fish market, and serves some 50,000 buyers and sellers every day. Retailers, whole-sellers, auctioneers, and public citizens alike frequent the market, creating a unique microcosm of organized chaos that still continues to fuel the city and its food supply after over four centuries.

Transportation

Main article: Transport in Greater Tokyo

Tokyo Station is the main intercity rail terminal in Tokyo.

Haneda Airport

Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway are two main subway operators in Tokyo.

Hamazakibashi JCT in Shuto Expressway

Tokyo, which is the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, is Japan's largest domestic and international hub for rail and ground transportation. Public transportation within Tokyo is dominated by an extensive network of "clean and efficient" trains and subways run by a variety of operators, with buses, monorails and trams playing a secondary feeder role. There are up to 62 electric train lines and more than 900 train stations in Tokyo. Shibuya Crossing is the "world's busiest pedestrian crossing", with around 3,000 people crossing at a time.

Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture is the major gateway for international travelers to Japan. Japan's flag carrier Japan Airlines, as well as All Nippon Airways, have a hub at this airport. Haneda Airport on the reclaimed land at Ōta, offers domestic and international flights.

Various islands governed by Tokyo have their own airports. Hachijō-jima (Hachijojima Airport), Miyakejima (Miyakejima Airport), and Izu Ōshima (Oshima Airport) have services to Tokyo International and other airports.

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. It operates rail lines in the entire metropolitan area of Tokyo and in the rest of the northeastern part of Honshu. JR East is also responsible for Shinkansen high-speed rail lines.

Two different organizations operate the subway network: the private Tokyo Metro and the governmental Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. The Metropolitan Government and private carriers operate bus routes and one tram route. Local, regional, and national services are available, with major terminals at the giant railroad stations, including Tokyo, Shinagawa, and Shinjuku.

Expressways link the capital to other points in the Greater Tokyo Area, the Kantō region, and the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. To build them quickly before the 1964 Summer Olympics, most were constructed above existing roads. Other transportation includes taxis operating in the special wards and the cities and towns. Also, long-distance ferries serve the islands of Tokyo and carry passengers and cargo to domestic and foreign ports.

Education

Main article: Education in Tokyo

See also: List of universities in Tokyo

Yasuda Auditorium, University of Tokyo, Bunkyō

Tokyo is the educational, academic and cultural hub of the country. From primary to tertiary levels, a number of educational institutions that cater to the needs of various pupils operate in the city.

Most notably, Tokyo is the heartland of tertiary education in the country, home to 143 authorised universities in 2020. This number includes the nation's most prestigious and selective universities, such as, University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Hitotsubashi University, Waseda University, and Keio University. Apart from those aforementioned top-ranking universities, other notable universities in Tokyo include:

• Gakushuin University
• Meiji University
• National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
• Nihon University
• Sophia University
• Tokyo Medical and Dental University
• Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• Tokyo University of Science
• Tokyo University of the Arts

Hibiya High School, Chiyoda

The United Nations University, which is the academic arm of the United Nations, is headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo.

At the secondary level, 429 senior high schools are located in Tokyo, six of which are national, 186 are public, and 237 are private. Some senior high schools, often prestigious national or private ones, run jointly with their affiliated junior high schools, providing six-year educational programmes (Chūkō Ikkan Kyōiku). The Kaisei Academy, Komaba Junior & Senior High School, University of Tsukuba, Azabu High School, and Oin Junior and Senior High School, the largest sources of successful applicants to the nation's top university, the University of Tokyo, are some examples of such.

Bancho Elementary School (public), Chiyoda

At the primary level, there are 1332 elementary schools in Tokyo. Six of them are national, 1261 are public, and 53 are private.

Early-modern-established academies such as Gakushuin and Keio provide all-through educational programmes from primary schools to universities, originally to cater to the needs of traditionally affluent and powerful families.

There are international and ethnic schools that abide by the national curricula of their respective countries or international curricula rather than the Japanese one as well, such as the British School in Tokyo, Tokyo Chinese School, the American School in Japan, and the Tokyo International School.

Culture

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, also known as "Miraikan"

Takeshita Street in Harajuku

Tokyo has many museums: In Ueno Park, there is the Tokyo National Museum, the country's largest museum and specializing in traditional Japanese art; the National Museum of Western Art and Ueno Zoo. Other museums include the Artizon Museum in Chūō; the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Odaiba; the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Sumida, across the Sumida River from the center of Tokyo; the Nezu Museum in Aoyama; and the National Diet Library, National Archives, and the National Museum of Modern Art, which are near the Imperial Palace.

Tokyo has many theaters for performing arts. These include national and private theaters for traditional forms of Japanese drama. Noteworthy are the National Noh Theatre for noh and the Kabuki-za for Kabuki. Symphony orchestras and other musical organizations perform modern and traditional music. The New National Theater Tokyo in Shibuya is the national center for the performing arts, including opera, ballet, contemporary dance and drama. Tokyo also hosts modern Japanese and international pop, and rock music at venues ranging in size from intimate clubs to internationally known areas such as the Nippon Budokan.

The Sanja Festival in Asakusa

Many different festivals occur throughout Tokyo. Major events include the Sannō at Hie Shrine, the Sanja at Asakusa Shrine, and the biennial Kanda Festivals. The last features a parade with elaborately decorated floats and thousands of people. Annually on the last Saturday of July, an enormous fireworks display over the Sumida River attracts over a million viewers. Once cherry blossoms bloom in spring, many residents gather in Ueno Park, Inokashira Park, and the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden for picnics under the blossoms.

Harajuku, a neighborhood in Shibuya, is known internationally for its youth style, fashion and cosplay.

In November 2007, Michelin released their first guide for fine dining in Tokyo, awarding 191 stars in total, or about twice as many as Tokyo's nearest competitor, Paris. As of 2017, 227 restaurants in Tokyo have been awarded (92 in Paris). Twelve establishments were awarded the maximum of three stars (Paris has 10), 54 received two stars, and 161 earned one star.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Tokyo

Japan National Stadium

Ryōgoku Kokugikan sumo wrestling arena

Tokyo, with a diverse array of sports, is home to two professional baseball clubs, the Yomiuri Giants who play at the Tokyo Dome and Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Meiji-Jingu Stadium. The Japan Sumo Association is also headquartered in Tokyo at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan sumo arena where three official sumo tournaments are held annually (in January, May, and September). Soccer clubs in Tokyo include F.C. Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy 1969, both of which play at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chōfu, and FC Machida Zelvia at Nozuta Stadium in Machida. Rugby Union is also played in Tokyo, with multiple Japan Rugby League One clubs based in the city including: Black Rams Tokyo (Setagaya), Tokyo Sungoliath (Fuchū) and Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo (Fuchū).

Basketball clubs include the Hitachi SunRockers, Toyota Alvark Tokyo, and Tokyo Excellence.

Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics, thus becoming the first Asian city to host the Summer Games. The National Stadium, also known as the Olympic Stadium, was host to a number of international sporting events. In 2016, it was to be replaced by the New National Stadium. With a number of world-class sports venues, Tokyo often hosts national and international sporting events such as basketball tournaments, women's volleyball tournaments, tennis tournaments, swim meets, marathons, rugby union and sevens rugby games, soccer exhibition games, judo, and karate. Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, in Sendagaya, Shibuya, is a large sports complex that includes swimming pools, training rooms, and a large indoor arena. According to Around the Rings, the gymnasium has played host to the October 2011 artistic gymnastics world championships, despite the International Gymnastics Federation's initial doubt in Tokyo's ability to host the championships after the triple disaster hits Japan. Tokyo was also selected to host a number of games for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and to host the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, which had to be rescheduled to the summer of 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

In popular culture

Akihabara is the most popular area for fans of anime, manga, and games.

FCG Building, home of Fuji TV headquarters

As the largest population center in Japan and the site of the country's largest broadcasters and studios, Tokyo is frequently the setting for many Japanese movies, television shows, animated series' (anime), web comics, light novels, video games, and comic books (manga). In the kaiju (monster movie) genre, landmarks of Tokyo are usually destroyed by giant monsters such as Godzilla and Gamera.

Tokyo is also a popular foreign setting for non-Japanese media. Some Hollywood directors have turned to Tokyo as a backdrop for movies set in Japan. Postwar examples include Tokyo Joe, My Geisha, Tokyo Story and the James Bond film You Only Live Twice; recent examples include Kill Bill, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Lost in Translation, Babel, Inception, The Wolverine and Avengers: Endgame.

Japanese author Haruki Murakami has based some of his novels in Tokyo (including Norwegian Wood), and David Mitchell's first two novels (number9dream and Ghostwritten) featured the city. Contemporary British painter Carl Randall spent 10 years living in Tokyo as an artist, creating a body of work depicting the city's crowded streets and public spaces.

International relations

Tokyo is the founding member of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 and is a member of the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations. Tokyo was also a founding member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

Sister cities and states

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Japan

As of 2022, Tokyo has twinning or friendship agreements with the following twelve cities and states:

• New York City, United States (since February 1960)
• Beijing, China (since March 1979)
• Paris, France (since July 1982)
• New South Wales, Australia (since May 1984)
• Seoul, South Korea (since September 1988)
• Jakarta, Indonesia (since October 1989)
• São Paulo State, Brazil (since June 1990)
• Cairo, Egypt (since October 1990)
• Moscow, Russia (since July 1991)
• Berlin, Germany (since May 1994)
• Rome, Italy (since July 1996)
• London, United Kingdom (since October 2015)

Friendship and cooperation agreements

• Tomsk Oblast, Russia (since May 2015)
• Brussels, Belgium (since October 2016)
• Mumbai, India (since November 2016)
• Los Angeles County, United States (since August 2021)

International academic and scientific research

Research and development in Japan and the Japanese space program are globally represented by several of Tokyo's medical and scientific facilities, including the University of Tokyo and other universities in Tokyo, which work in collaboration with many international institutions. Especially with the United States, including NASA and the many private spaceflight companies, Tokyo universities have working relationships with all of the Ivy League institutions (including Harvard and Yale University), along with other research universities and development laboratories, such as Stanford, MIT, and the UC campuses throughout California, as well as UNM and Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Other partners worldwide include Oxford University in the United Kingdom, the National University of Singapore in Singapore, the University of Toronto in Canada, and Tsinghua University in China.

See also

• List of cities proper by population
• List of cities with the most skyscrapers
• List of tallest structures in Tokyo
• List of development projects in Tokyo
• List of largest cities
• List of metropolitan areas in Asia
• List of most expensive cities for expatriate employees
• List of urban agglomerations in Asia
• List of urban areas by population
• Megacity
• Tokyo dialect
• Yamanote and Shitamachi

Bibliography

• Fiévé, Nicolas and Paul Waley. (2003). Japanese Capitals in Historical Perspective: Place, Power and Memory in Kyoto, Edo and Tokyo. London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 978-0-7007-1409-4; OCLC 51527561
• McClain, James, John M Merriman and Kaoru Ugawa. (1994). Edo and Paris: Urban Life and the State in the Early Modern Era. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-2987-3; OCLC 30157716
• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128
• Sorensen, Andre. (2002). The Making of Urban Japan: Cities and Planning from Edo to the Twenty First Century. London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 978-0-415-22651-6; OCLC 48517502

Further reading

Guides

• Bender, Andrew, and Timothy N. Hornyak. Tokyo (City Travel Guide) (2010)
• Mansfield, Stephen. Dk Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide: Tokyo (2013)
• Waley, Paul. Tokyo Now and Then: An Explorer's Guide. (1984). 592 pp
• Yanagihara, Wendy. Lonely Planet Tokyo Encounter

Contemporary

• Allinson, Gary D. Suburban Tokyo: A Comparative Study in Politics and Social Change. (1979). 258 pp.
• Bestor, Theodore. Neighborhood Tokyo (1989). online edition
• Bestor, Theodore. Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Centre of the World. (2004) online edition
• Fowler, Edward. San'ya Blues: Labouring Life in Contemporary Tokyo. (1996) ISBN 0-8014-8570-3.
• Friedman, Mildred, ed. Tokyo, Form and Spirit. (1986). 256 pp.
• Jinnai, Hidenobu. Tokyo: A Spatial Anthropology. (1995). 236 pp.
• Jones, Sumie et al. eds. A Tokyo Anthology: Literature from Japan's Modern Metropolis, 1850–1920 (2017); primary sources excerpt
• Perez, Louis G. Tokyo: Geography, History, and Culture (ABC-CLIO, 2019).
• Reynolds, Jonathan M. "Japan's Imperial Diet Building: Debate over Construction of a National Identity". Art Journal. 55#3 (1996) pp. 38+.
• Sassen, Saskia. The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo. (1991). 397 pp.
• Sorensen, A. Land Readjustment and Metropolitan Growth: An Examination of Suburban Land Development and Urban Sprawl in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area (2000)
• Taira, J. [re]TOKYO. (2018). San Francisco: ORO Editions. ISBN 978-1-940743-66-0
• Waley, Paul. "Tokyo-as-world-city: Reassessing the Role of Capital and the State in Urban Restructuring". Urban Studies 2007 44(8): 1465–1490. ISSN 0042-0980 Fulltext: Ebsco

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Official website (in English)
• Go Tokyo travel guide
• Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau