Tokyo
東京都 |
|---|
| Metropolis |
Tokyo Metropolis
|
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Clockwise from top: Nishi-Shinjuku, Rainbow Bridge,National Diet Building, Shibuya, Tokyo Skytree |
|
|
| Anthem: Tokyo Metropolitan Song (東京都歌Tokyo Toka?)[1] |
Location of Tokyo in Japan |
Satellite photo of Tokyo's 23 Special wards taken byNASA's Landsat 7 |
|
Location of Tokyo in Japan
|
Coordinates:  35°41′22.22″N 139°41′30.12″E |
| Country |  Japan |
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| Region | Kantō |
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| Island | Honshu |
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| Divisions | 23 special wards, 26 cities, 1 district, & 4 subprefectures |
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| Government |
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| • Type | Metropolis |
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| • Governor | Yōichi Masuzoe (I) |
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| • Capital | Tokyo[2] |
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| Area |
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| • Metropolis | 2,187.66 km2 (844.66 sq mi) |
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| • Metro | 13,572 km2 (5,240 sq mi) |
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| Area rank | 45th |
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| Population (August 1, 2011)[3][4] |
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| • Metropolis | 13,185,502 |
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| • Density | 6,000/km2 (16,000/sq mi) |
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| • Metro | 35,682,460 |
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| • Metro density | 2,629/km2 (6,810/sq mi) |
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| • 23 Wards | 8,967,665 |
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| (2011 per prefectural government) |
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| Demonym | Tokyoite |
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| Time zone | Japan Standard Time(UTC+9) |
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| ISO 3166-2 | JP-13 |
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| Flower | Somei-Yoshino cherry blossom |
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| Tree | Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) |
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| Bird | Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) |
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| Website | www.metro.tokyo.jp |
|---|
Tokyo is often referred to and thought of as a city, but is officially known and governed as a "metropolitan prefecture", which differs from and combines elements of both a city and a prefecture; a characteristic unique to Tokyo. The Tokyo metropolitan government administers the
23 Special Wards of Tokyo (each governed as an individual city), which cover the area that was formerly the City of Tokyo before it merged and became the subsequent metropolitan prefecture in 1943. The metropolitan government also administers 39
municipalities in the western part of the prefecture and the two outlying island chains. The population of the special wards is over 9 million people, with the total population of the prefecture exceeding 13 million. The prefecture is part of the
world's most populous metropolitan area with upwards of 37.8 million people and the
world's largest urban agglomeration economy. The city hosts 51 of the
Fortune Global 500 companies, the highest number of any city.
[9] The city is also home of various television networks like
Fuji TV and the
Tokyo Broadcasting System.
The city is considered an
alpha+ world city—as listed by the
GaWC's 2008 inventory
[10]—and in 2014, Tokyo was ranked first in the "Best overall experience" category of
TripAdvisor's World City Survey (the city also ranked first in the following categories: "Helpfulness of locals", "Nightlife", "Shopping", "Local public transportation" and "Cleanliness of streets").
[11] In 2013, Tokyo was named the third
most expensive city for expatriates, according to the
Mercer consulting firm,
[12] and the world's most expensive city, according to the
Economist Intelligence Unit's cost-of-living survey.
[13] In 2009 Tokyo was named the third Most Liveable City by the magazine
Monocle.
[14] The
Michelin Guide has awarded Tokyo by far the most Michelin stars of any city in the world.
[15][16]
Etymology]
Tokyo was originally known as
Edo, which means "estuary".
[17] Its name was changed to Tokyo (
Tōkyō:
tō "east" and
kyō"capital") when it became the imperial capital in 1868,
[18] in line with the East Asian tradition of including the word capital ('京') in the name of the capital city.
[17] During the early
Meiji period, the city was also called "Tōkei", an alternative pronunciation for the same Chinese characters representing "Tokyo". Some surviving official English documents use the spelling "Tokei".
[19] However, this pronunciation is now obsolete.
[20]
History[edit]
Tokyo was originally a small fishing village named Edo,
[8] in what was formerly part of the old
Musashi Province.
[21] Edo was first fortified by the
Edo clan, in the late twelfth century. In 1457,
Ōta Dōkan built
Edo Castle. In 1590,
Tokugawa Ieyasu made Edo his base and when he became
shogun in 1603, the town became the center of his nationwide military government. During the subsequent
Edo period, Edo grew into one of the largest cities in the world with a population topping one million by the 18th century.
[22] Tokyo became the
de facto capital of Japan[23] even while the emperor lived in
Kyoto, the imperial capital. After about 263 years, the shogunate was overthrown under the banner of
restoring imperial rule.
1869–1943]
In 1869, the 17-year-old
Emperor Meiji moved to Edo. Tokyo was already the nation's political and cultural center,
[24] and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well, with the former Edo Castle becoming the
Imperial Palace. The
city of Tokyo was established.
Central Tokyo, like
Osaka, has been designed since about 1900 to be centered on major railway stations in a high-density fashion, so suburban railways were built relatively cheaply at street level and with their own
right-of-way. This differs from many cities in the
United States that are low-density and automobile-centric. Though
expressways have been built in Tokyo, the basic design has not changed.
1943–present[edit]
In 1943, the city of
Tokyo merged with the "Metropolitan Prefecture" of Tokyo.
The
bombing of Tokyo in 1944 and 1945 killed 75,000 to 200,000 and left half of the city destroyed.
[26]
After the war, Tokyo was completely rebuilt, and was showcased to the world during the
1964 Summer Olympics. The 1970s brought new high-rise developments such as
Sunshine 60, a new and controversial
[27] airport at
Narita in 1978 (some distance outside city limits), and a population increase to about 11 million (in the metropolitan area).
Tokyo's subway and commuter rail network became one of the busiest in the world
[28] 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"
[29] from which it is now slowly recovering.
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
[30] for transferring national government functions from Tokyo to secondary capitals in other regions of Japan, in order to slow down rapid development in Tokyo and revitalize economically lagging areas of the country. These plans have been controversial
[31] 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,
[32] although activity in the city was largely halted.
[33] The subsequent
nuclear crisis caused by the tsunami has also largely left Tokyo unaffected, despite occasional spikes in
radiation levels.
[34][35]
On September 7, 2013, the
IOC selected Tokyo to host the
2020 Summer Olympics. Tokyo will be the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games twice.
[36]
Geography and administrative divisions[edit]
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).
[37] 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.
Also 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 mountainous regions to the west, Tokyo's overall population density figures far underrepresent the real figures for urban and suburban regions of Tokyo.
Under
Japanese law, Tokyo is designated as a
to (
都), translated as
metropolis.
[38] Its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other
prefectures. Within Tokyo lie dozens of smaller entities, including many cities, the 23 special wards, districts, towns, villages, a quasi-national park, and a national park. The
23 special wards (
特別区 -ku), which until 1943 constituted the
city of Tokyo, are now separate, 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 is headed by a publicly elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its
headquarters are in the ward of
Shinjuku. They govern all of Tokyo, including lakes, rivers, dams, farms, remote islands, and
national parks in addition to its neon jungles, skyscrapers and crowded underground.
Special wards[edit]
A map of Tokyo's 23 Special wards
The
special wards (
特別区 tokubetsu-ku?) of Tokyo comprise the area formerly incorporated as Tokyo City. On July 1, 1943, Tokyo City was merged with Tokyo Prefecture (
東京府 Tōkyō-fu?) forming the current "metropolitan prefecture". As a result, unlike other
city wards in Japan, these wards are not conterminous with a larger incorporated city. While falling under the jurisdiction of Tokyo Metropolitan Government, each ward is also a
borough with its own elected leader and council, like other cities of Japan. 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.
[39]
The special wards of Tokyo are:
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.
[40]
Tama Area (Western Tokyo)[edit]
A map of cities in western part of Tokyo. They border on the three westernmost special wards in the map above.
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 these also have a local commercial and industrial base. Collectively, these are often known as the Tama Area or
Western Tokyo.
Twenty-six cities lie within the western part of Tokyo:
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has designated Hachiōji, Tachikawa, Machida, Ōme and Tama New Town as regional centers of the Tama area,
[41] as part of its plans to disperse urban functions away from central Tokyo.
Islands[edit]
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 metropolitan government in Shinjuku, local offices administer them.
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. The last island is contested by the
People's Republic of China as being only uninhabited rocks. The Iwo chain and the outlying islands have no permanent population, but host
Japanese 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.
National parks[edit]
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.
[42]
Seismicity[edit]
A sign with instructions in case of an earthquake (Shibuya)
Climate[edit]
The former city of Tokyo and the majority of mainland Tokyo lie in the
humid subtropical climate zone (
Köppen climate classificationCfa),
[45] with hot humid summers and generally mild winters with cool spells. The region, like much of Japan, experiences a one-month
seasonal lag, with the warmest month being August, which averages 27.5 °C (81.5 °F), and the coolest month being January, averaging 6.0 °C (42.8 °F). The record low temperature is −9.2 °C (15.4 °F), and the record high is 39.5 °C (103.1 °F), though there was once an unofficial reading of 42.7 °C (108.9 °F) at the Primary School Station.
[46] Annual rainfall averages nearly 1,530 millimetres (60.2 in), with a wetter summer and a drier winter. Snowfall is sporadic, but does occur almost annually.
[47] Tokyo also often sees typhoons each year, though few are strong. The last one to hit was
Fitow in 2007,
[48][dubious – discuss] while the wettest month since records began in 1876 has been October 2004 with 780 millimetres (30 in)
[49] including 270.5 millimetres (10.6 in) on the ninth of that month.
[50]
| [hide]Climate data for Tokyo (Ōtemachi, Chiyoda ward,[51] 1981–2010) |
|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Record high °C (°F) | 18
(64) | 22
(72) | 22
(72) | 27
(81) | 28
(82) | 32
(90) | 35
(95) | 36
(97) | 37
(99) | 31
(88) | 26
(79) | 22
(72) | 37
(99) |
|---|
| Average high °C (°F) | 9.9
(49.8) | 10.4
(50.7) | 13.3
(55.9) | 18.8
(65.8) | 22.8
(73) | 25.5
(77.9) | 29.4
(84.9) | 31.1
(88) | 27.2
(81) | 21.8
(71.2) | 16.9
(62.4) | 12.4
(54.3) | 20.0
(67.9) |
|---|
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.1
(43) | 6.5
(43.7) | 9.4
(48.9) | 14.6
(58.3) | 18.9
(66) | 22.1
(71.8) | 25.8
(78.4) | 27.4
(81.3) | 23.8
(74.8) | 18.5
(65.3) | 13.3
(55.9) | 8.7
(47.7) | 16.3
(61.3) |
|---|
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.5
(36.5) | 2.9
(37.2) | 5.6
(42.1) | 10.7
(51.3) | 15.4
(59.7) | 19.1
(66.4) | 23.0
(73.4) | 24.5
(76.1) | 21.1
(70) | 15.4
(59.7) | 9.9
(49.8) | 5.1
(41.2) | 13.0
(55.3) |
|---|
| Record low °C (°F) | −3
(27) | −5
(23) | −3
(27) | — | 7
(45) | 12
(54) | 12
(54) | 17
(63) | 12
(54) | 6
(43) | — | −2
(28) | −5
(23) |
|---|
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 52.3
(2.059) | 56.1
(2.209) | 117.5
(4.626) | 124.5
(4.902) | 137.8
(5.425) | 167.7
(6.602) | 153.5
(6.043) | 168.2
(6.622) | 209.9
(8.264) | 197.8
(7.787) | 92.5
(3.642) | 51.0
(2.008) | 1,528.8
(60.189) |
|---|
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 5
(2) | 5
(2) | 1
(0.4) | 0
(0) | 0
(0) | 0
(0) | 0
(0) | 0
(0) | 0
(0) | 0
(0) | 0
(0) | 0
(0) | 11
(4.3) |
|---|
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 4.5 | 5.5 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 10.3 | 11.4 | 10.3 | 7.7 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 6.8 | 4.2 | 101.3 |
|---|
| Avg. snowy days | 2.8 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 9.7 |
|---|
| % humidity | 49 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 65 | 72 | 73 | 71 | 71 | 66 | 59 | 52 | 62 |
|---|
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 187.9 | 167.3 | 163.1 | 175.4 | 172.5 | 123.2 | 143.9 | 175.3 | 117.8 | 133.4 | 146.6 | 175.0 | 1,881.3 |
|---|
| Source #1: Japan Meteorological Agency [52] |
| Source #2: World Meteorological Organisation (rainy days)[53] |
Western areas of mainland Tokyo also lie in the humid subtropical climate (Köppen classification Cfa).
| [hide]Climate data for Tokyo (Ogouchi, Okutama town, 1981–2010) |
|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Average high °C (°F) | 6.7
(44.1) | 7.1
(44.8) | 10.3
(50.5) | 16.3
(61.3) | 20.5
(68.9) | 23.0
(73.4) | 26.8
(80.2) | 28.2
(82.8) | 23.9
(75) | 18.4
(65.1) | 13.8
(56.8) | 9.3
(48.7) | 17.1
(62.8) |
|---|
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.3
(34.3) | 1.8
(35.2) | 5.0
(41) | 10.6
(51.1) | 15.1
(59.2) | 18.5
(65.3) | 22.0
(71.6) | 23.2
(73.8) | 19.5
(67.1) | 13.8
(56.8) | 8.5
(47.3) | 3.8
(38.8) | 11.9
(53.4) |
|---|
| Average low °C (°F) | −2.7
(27.1) | −2.3
(27.9) | 0.6
(33.1) | 5.6
(42.1) | 10.5
(50.9) | 14.8
(58.6) | 18.7
(65.7) | 19.7
(67.5) | 16.3
(61.3) | 10.3
(50.5) | 4.6
(40.3) | −0.1
(31.8) | 8.1
(46.6) |
|---|
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 44.1
(1.736) | 50.0
(1.969) | 92.5
(3.642) | 109.6
(4.315) | 120.3
(4.736) | 155.7
(6.13) | 195.4
(7.693) | 280.6
(11.047) | 271.3
(10.681) | 172.4
(6.787) | 76.7
(3.02) | 39.9
(1.571) | 1,623.5
(63.917) |
|---|
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 147.1 | 127.7 | 132.2 | 161.8 | 154.9 | 109.8 | 127.6 | 148.3 | 99.1 | 94.5 | 122.1 | 145.6 | 1,570.7 |
|---|
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency [54] |
Environment[edit]
Tokyo has enacted a measure to cut greenhouse gases. Governor
Shintaro Ishihara created Japan's first
emissions cap system, aiming to reduce
greenhouse gasemission by a total of 25% by 2020 from the 2000 level.
[56] Tokyo is an example of an
urban heat island, and the phenomenon is especially serious in its special wards.
[48][57] According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government,
[58] 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."
[59]
In 2006, Tokyo enacted the "10 Year Project for Green Tokyo" to be realised by 2016. It set a goal of increasing roadside trees in Tokyo to 1 million (from 480,000), and adding 1,000 ha of green space 88 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.
[60] From 2007 to 2010 436 ha of the planned 1,000 ha of green space was created and 220,000 trees were planted bringing the total to 700,000. By 2014 road side trees in Tokyo will increase to 950,000 and a further 300 ha of green space will be added.
[61]
Demographics[edit]
| Registered foreign nationals[62] |
| Nationality | Population (2012) |
|---|
 China | 161,169 |
 North Korea and  South Korea | 99,880 |
 Philippines | 27,929 |
 United States | 15,901 |
 India | 8,313 |
 Nepal | 8,669 |
 Thailand | 6,906 |
 United Kingdom | 5,522 |
 Myanmar | 4,781 |
 France | 4,635 |
As of October 2007, the official
intercensal estimate showed 12.79 million people in Tokyo with 8.653 million living within Tokyo's 23 wards.
[3] 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.
[3]
The entire prefecture had 12,790,000 residents in October 2007 (8,653,000 in 23 wards), with an increase of over 3 million in the day. Tokyo is at its highest population ever, while that of the 23 wards peak official count was 8,893,094 in the 1965 Census, with the count dipping below 8 million in the 1995 Census.
[citation needed] People continue to move back into the core city as land prices have fallen dramatically.
[citation needed]
As of 2005, the most common foreign nationalities found in Tokyo are Chinese (123,661), Korean (106,697), Filipino (31,077), American (18,848), British (7,696), Brazilian (5,300) and French (3,000).
In 1889, the Ministry of Home Affairs recorded 1,375,937 people in
Tokyo City and a total of 1,694,292 people in
Tokyo-fu.
[63] In the same year, a total of 779 foreign nationals were recorded as residing in Tokyo. The most common nationality was British (209 residents), followed by United States nationals (182) and nationals of the
Qing dynasty (137).
[64]
Population of Tokyo[3]
| 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 nationality |
Foreign residents
|
364,6534 (2.9% 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, 2006.
|
|
|
This chart is growth rate of municipalities of Tokyo, Japan. It is estimated by census carried out in 2005 and 2010.
Increase
10.0 % 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 below
|
|
Economy[edit]
Tokyo is a major international finance center,
[66] 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 centralised 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 has been described as one of the three "command centers" for the
world economy, along with
New York City and
London.
[68] 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.
[69] Tokyo had 8,460 ha (20,900 acres) of agricultural land as of 2003,
[70] 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.
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.
[citation needed] Currently, most of Tokyo's fish production comes from the outer islands, such as Izu Ōshima and Hachijōjima.
Skipjack tuna,
nori, and
aji are among the ocean products.
[citation needed]
Tourism in Tokyo is also a contributor to the 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 government of Tokyo. Many tourists visit the various downtowns, stores, and entertainment districts throughout the neighbourhoods of the
special wards of Tokyo; particularly school children on class trips, a visit to
Tokyo Tower is
de rigueur. 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).
Transportation[edit]
Map of Tokyo Subway system
Tokyo, as the center of the
Greater Tokyo Area, is Japan's largest domestic and international hub for rail, ground, and air transportation. Public transportation within Tokyo is dominated by an extensive network of clean and efficient
[71] trains and subways run by a variety of operators, with buses, monorails and trams playing a secondary feeder role.
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. Two different organisations 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. In order to build them quickly before the
1964 Summer Olympics, most were constructed above existing roads.
[72] 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[edit]
There are also a few universities well known for classes conducted in English and for the teaching of the Japanese language. They include:
Culture[edit]
Tokyo has many theatres for performing arts. These include national and private theatres for traditional forms of Japanese drama. Noteworthy are the
National Noh Theatre for
noh and the
Kabuki-za for
kabuki.
[74] Symphony orchestras and other musical organisations perform modern and traditional music. Tokyo also hosts modern Japanese and international
pop and
rock music at venues ranging in size from intimate clubs to internationally known arenas such as the
Nippon Budokan.
Cuisine in Tokyo is internationally acclaimed. In November 2007,
Michelin released their guide for fine dining in Tokyo, awarding 191 stars in total, or about twice as many as Tokyo's nearest competitor,
Paris. Eight establishments were awarded the maximum of three stars (Paris has 10), 25 received two stars, and 117 earned one star. Of the eight top-rated restaurants, three offer traditional Japanese fine dining, two are
sushi houses and three serve French cuisine.
[76]
Tokyo hosted the
1964 Summer Olympics. The National Stadium, also known as the
Olympic Stadium is host to a number of international sporting events. With a number of world-class sports venues, Tokyo often hosts national and international sporting events such as tennis tournaments, swim meets, marathons, rugby union and sevens rugby games,football, American football 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 following the March 11 tsunami.
[77] Tokyo was selected to host the
2020 Summer Olympics on September 7, 2013.
In popular culture[edit]
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, and comic books (
manga). In the
kaiju(monster movie) genre, landmarks of Tokyo are routinely destroyed by giant monsters such as
Godzilla and
Gamera.
Cityscape[edit]
Tokyo also 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.
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