Tokyo (/ˈtoʊkioʊ/; Japanese: 東京, Tōkyō, [toːkʲoː](listen)) is the capital and most populous city in Japan. Officially, central Tokyo is included in the Tokyo Metropolis (東京都, Tōkyō-to). Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area (including neighboring prefectures, 13,452 square kilometers or 5,194 square miles) is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468million residents; the city proper has a population of 13.99million people. Located at the head of Tokyo Bay, the prefecture forms part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Japan's economic center and is the seat of both the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan.
Originally a fishing village named Edo, the city became politically prominent in 1603, when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, Edo was one of the most populous cities in the world with a population of over onemillion people. Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to Edo, which was renamed "Tokyo" (lit.'Eastern Capital'). Tokyo was devastated by the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, and again by Allied bombing raids during World War II. Beginning in the 1950s, the city underwent rapid reconstruction and expansion efforts, going on to lead the Japanese economic miracle. Since 1943, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has administered the prefecture's 23 special wards (formerly Tokyo City), various commuter towns and suburbs in its western area, and two outlying island chains known as the Tokyo Islands.
Tokyo is the most populated of Japan's 47prefectures. In Tokyo, there are 53buildings and structures that stand taller than 187 metres (614 feet). The tallest structure in the prefecture is Tokyo Skytree, a lattice tower that rises 634 metres (2,080 feet), which was completed in 2012. It also stands as the tallest structure in Japan, the tallest tower in the world and the third-tallest freestanding structure in the world. The tallest building and third-tallest overall structure in Tokyo is the 256-metre-tall (838ft) Toranomon Hills, which was completed in 2014. The prefecture's second tallest building is Midtown Tower, which rises 54stories and 248 metres (814 feet) in height. Overall, of the 25tallest buildings and structures in Japan, 17are in Tokyo.
Skyscrapers are a relatively recent phenomenon in Japan. Due to aesthetic and engineering concerns, Japan's Building Standard Law set an absolute height limit of 31metres until 1963, when the limit was abolished in favor of a Floor Area Ratio limit. Following these changes in building regulations, the Kasumigaseki Building was constructed and completed in 1968. Double the height of Japan's previous tallest building—the 17-story Hotel New Otani Tokyo—the Kasumigaseki Building is regarded as Japan's first modern high-rise building, rising 36stories and 156 metres (512 feet) in height. A booming post-war Japanese economy and the hosting of the 1964 Summer Olympics helped lead to a building boom in Tokyo during the 1960s and 1970s. Construction continued through the 1980s and 1990s as the Japanese asset price bubble rose and fell. Mainland Tokyo is divided into two sections: Western Tokyo and the special wards of Tokyo. All of the prefecture's tallest buildings are within the 23special wards, which comprise the area formerly incorporated as Tokyo City. Nishi-Shinjuku, a district within Shinjuku, was the prefecture's first major skyscraper development area. Starting with the construction of the Keio Plaza Hotel in the 1971, the district is now home to 13 of Tokyo's 46tallest skyscrapers. (Full article...)
You are invited to participate in the Tokyo task force, a task force dedicated to developing and improving articles about the Tokyo metropolis, including the Special wards of Tokyo, West Tokyo, and the islands.
General images
The following are images from various Tokyo-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 16The Tokyo Tower was built in 1958 and was constructed of steel, a third of which was scrap metal taken from US tanks damaged in the Korean War. (from History of Tokyo)
Image 27The governing structures of Tokyo City and Tokyo Prefecture versus Tokyo Metropolis. (from History of Tokyo)
Did you know (auto-generated) -
... that Allen Ravenstine, who used a synthesizer to emulate the sound of an airplane's engine on "30 Seconds Over Tokyo", later became an airline pilot?
... that pianist Fujita Haruko, one of the first 19 female students enrolled at the University of Tokyo, was taught by Leo Sirota, who was once called the "god of piano"?
.svg.png.webp){kind=logo}
.svg.png.webp){kind=logo}
_symbol.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
_symbol.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
_symbol.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
_symbol.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
_symbol.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
