Tokyo
From OSWIKI
Name: Tokyo
JapaneseName: 東京都; Tōkyō-to
Region: Kanto
Island: Honshu
TotalArea: 2,187.08
Population: 12,527,115 (8,444,531 in 23 special wards)
Density:5655
Flower: Somei-Yoshino Sakura (cherry blossom)
Tree: Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba)
Bird: Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
Website: www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/
Governor: Shintaro Ishihara
Contents |
Outline
Within Tokyo are 23 municipalities or special wards. Also in Tokyo is the Japanese government, and the Kokyo Imperial Palace, home of the Imperial Household of Japan or the Japanese Imperial Family.
About 12 million people (10 percent of Japan's population) live in Tokyo. It is the center region of the Largest Metropolitan Area that is the world's most highly populated metropolitan area. It is considered one of the world's major global city|global cities, a megacity.
History
The general public is allowed to cross this bridge on two days of the year: New Year's and the Emperor's birthday on Dec. 23 to greet the Imperial family appearing on a balcony.
Tokyo's rise to importance can be largely attributed to two men: Tokugawa Ieyasu and Emperor Meiji. In 1603, after unifying the warring states of Japan, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made Edo (now Tokyo) his base. As a result, the city developed rapidly and grew to become one of the largest cities in the world with a population topping one million by the 18th century. It became the de facto capital of Japan even while the emperor lived in Kyoto, the imperial capital.
After 263 years, the shogunate was overthrown under the banner of the Meiji Restoration. In 1869, the figurehead 17-year-old Emperor Meiji moved to Edo, which was renamed "Tokyo" ("Eastern Capital"). Tokyo was already the nation's political, economic, and cultural center, 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, and continued to be the capital until it was abolished as a municipality in 1943.
Tokyo, like Osaka has been designed since about the turn of the century (1900) to be rail-centric, that is centered around major train stations in a high density fashion, so suburban railways were built relatively cheaply at street level. This differs from other world cities such as Los Angeles that are low density automobile centric, and though expressways have been built, the basic design hasn't changed to this day.
Tokyo went on to suffer two major catastrophes and has recovered remarkably from both. One was the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, and the other was World War II. The Bombing of Tokyo in World War II (firebombings in 1945) were almost as devastating as the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Large areas of the city were flattened.
After the war, Tokyo was completely rebuilt, and showcased to the world during the city's 1964 Summer Olympics. Tokyo became the largest city in the world in 1965 (taking the lead from New York). The 1970s brought new high-rise developments such as Sunshine 60 and a population increase to about 11 million (in the metropolitan area). In 1978 a new and controversial Narita International Airport was built.
Tokyo's subway and commuter rail network became the busiest in the world as more and more people moved to the area. In the 1980s, real estate prices skyrocketed during an economic Japanese asset price bubble: many got rich quick, but the bubble burst in the early 1990s and many companies, banks, and individuals were caught with real estate 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, Tennozu Isle, Shiodome, Roppongi Hills, Shinagawa (now also a Shinkansen station), and Tokyo Station (Marunouchi side). Buildings of significance are 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.
Tokyo was hit by powerful earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855 and 1923. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, had an estimated magnitude of 8.3, and killed 142,000 people.
There have been various plans proposed 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 within Japan and have yet to be realized.
Due to evolution in the method in which Japanese letters are transliteration into their Romaji (roman representation), older texts may refer to the city as "Tokio."
Geography and administrative divisions
Tokyo Prefecture consists of three major parts, the 23 special wards (which constitute the former Tokyo City), Tama, and the islands.
The mainland portion of Tokyo lies northwest of Tokyo Bay, and measures about 90 km east to west and 25 km north to south. It borders Chiba Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the west, Kanagawa Prefecture to the south, and Saitama Prefecture to the north. Mainland Tokyo is further subdivided into the 23 Special Wards, which occupy the eastern half, and Tama.
Tokyo Prefecture also includes two island chains in the Pacific Ocean directly south — the Izu Islands which are almost parallel to the Izu Peninsula, and the Ogasawara Islands which stretch more than 1,000 km away from mainland Japan.
Under Japanese law, Tokyo is designated as a to (都|都], often translated "metropolis". Its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other Prefectures of Japan. Within Tokyo lie dozens of smaller entities, most of them conventionally referred to as cities. It includes the 23 special wards (特別-ku) which until 1943 comprised the city of Tokyo but are now separate, self-governing municipalities, each with a mayor and a council, and having the status of a city. In addition to these 23 municipalities, Tokyo also encompasses 26 cities (市|市 -shi), five towns (町|町 -chō or machi), and eight villages (村|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 famous neon jungle, skyscrapers and crowded subways.
Economy
Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world: its nominal GDP of around US$1.315 trillion is greater than the eighth-largest national economy in the world. It is a major international finance center, is site of the headquarters of several of the world's largest investment banks and insurance companies, and serves as a hub for Japan's transportation, publishing, 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.The Tokyo Stock Exchange is the second largest in the world currently by market capitalization of listed shares, at more than $4 trillion. Only the New York Stock Exchange is larger. However, its prominence has fallen significantly since early 1990's asset bubble peak, when it accounted for more than 60 percent of the entire world's stock market values.
Demographics
As one of the major cities of the world, Tokyo has over eight million people living within its 23 wards, and 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, Chuo, and Minato, whose collective population is less than 300,000 at night, but over two million during the day. This is the age and nationality of Tokyo's population: By area (as of Oct. 1, 2003)
- All of Tokyo Prefecture: 12.36 million
- 23 special wards: 8.34 million
- Tama: 4 million
- Islands: 27,000
By age (As of Jan. 1, 2003):
- Juveniles (0-14): 1.433 million (12%)
- Working population (15-64): 8.507 million (71.4%)
- Aged population (65+): 2.057 million (16.6%)
By time (As of 2000)
- Nighttime: 12.017 million
- Daytime: 14.667 million
By nationality
- Foreign residents: 353,826 (as of Jan. 1, 2005)
- Top 5 Nationalities of Foreign Residents: Chinese (120,331), Korean (103,191), Philippine (31,505), American (18,043), British (7,585)
Transportation
Main Article Transportation in Greater Tokyo
Tokyo 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, if often very crowded trains and subways run by a variety of operators, with buses, monorails and trams playing a secondary role. Railway stations are not only transport, but the center of Tokyo and Japanese urban life, as everything is judged in relation to it, taking on the significance of highways in the United States and elsewhere.
Within Tokyo, Tokyo International Airport ("Haneda") offers mainly domestic flights. Outside Tokyo, Narita International Airport, in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, is the major gateway for international travelers.
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. Tokyo Metro and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation operate the subway network. The metropolitan government and private carriers operate bus routes. Local, regional, and national services are available, with major terminals at the giant railroad stations, including Tokyo and Shinjuku.
Taxis operate in the 23 Special Wards and the cities and towns. Long-distance ferries serve the islands of Tokyo and carry passengers and cargo to domestic and foreign ports.
Education
Being the nation's center of education, Tokyo has many universities, junior colleges, and vocational schools. Many of Japan's most prestigious universities are in Tokyo. The most prestigious is the University of Tokyo. Other schools include Keio University, Hitotsubashi University, and Waseda University.
Universities
Tokyo also has a few universities well-known for classes instructed in English. They include nternational Christian University, Sophia University, and Temple University Japan. Tokyo has an array of Japanese universities. National universities include Tokyo Medical and Dental University, University of Electro-Communications, and Tokyo Institute of Technology. There is only one public university, the Tokyo Metropolitan University. Private Universities include, Asia University, Tokyo University of Science, Toyo University and Seijo University. For an extensive list of universities in Tokyo, see List of universities in Tokyo.
Primary and Secondary Schools
Publicly run kindergartens, elementary schools (years 1 through 6), and junior high schools (7 through 9) are operated by local wards or municipal offices. Public high schools in Tokyo are run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education and are called "Metropolitan High Schools". Tokyo also has a great number of privately run schools from kindergarten through high school.
Tourism in Tokyo
Tokyo has many tourist sightseeing, cultural and sport attractions. These include famous temples, shrines, annual festivals and events, parks, scenic views, popular shopping and nightlife districts. Cultural highlights of Tokyo include museums, concert halls, and theaters.
External links
WikiSatellite view of Tokyo at WikiMapia
Official Tokyo Metropolitan Government homepage
Festivals around Tokyo The Japan Times
Interactive satellite view of the area
Tokyo Diary Tokyo business/professional events calendar
Tokyo Metro Subway lines
Tokyo Past and Present Web Japan
