A brief history of Tokyo: from a fishing village to the largest metropolis in the world. Where is Tokyo located? Sights of Tokyo with a photo Tokyo is the capital of which country

The capital of Japan, surprisingly, is one of the youngest cities in the country - its foundation dates back to 1457. The completion of the small Edo Castle gave rise to the city, which in a few hundred years turned into Tokyo - a pulsating, like a vein, and never sleeping capital of the state. And, despite the fact that the city survived the strongest Kanto earthquake in 1923 with huge losses and World War II with almost the same losses, it survived, rebuilt and is now the largest capital in the world in terms of economic indicators. This is one of the fastest growing cities, while combining the features of antiquity and modernity. In the shadow of huge skyscrapers, you can see tiny houses miraculously preserved after destruction, and small narrow streets that do not even have names.

Today, Tokyo is a center of knowledge-intensive and high-tech enterprises, where most of Japan's electronic equipment is produced, and where many foreign organizations have offices. It is worth noting that the capital of Japan is one of the three world financial centers along with New York and London - one of the world's largest stock exchanges is located here.

Transport Tokyo

The Japanese capital is the country's largest transportation hub - several high-speed highways and three high-speed rail lines converge here, there is a subway network and ground electric trains, as well as two international airports and a seaport.

The Tokyo subway system is the busiest in the world with about 3.174 billion people using its services every year. The Tokyo Metro has 13 lines and 274 stations. The minimum fare is approximately 160-170 yen, that is, about 65-70 rubles.

By the way, you can find out something interesting about the Tokyo subway here:

Attractions Tokyo

In a huge metropolis, where high technologies reign around the clock, and the dizzying rhythm of life does not let you take a breath, local residents sacredly honor national traditions and peculiarities. Tokyo is simultaneously famous for ancient monuments of oriental architecture and modern sights, unique creations of technical thought. For example, recently a new Tokyo Sky Tree TV tower was opened in the city - this poetic name means “Tokyo Sky Tree”. The 634 meter tall structure is the largest telecommunications tower in the world.

The most interesting of the "traditional" sights of Tokyo is, perhaps, the Imperial Palace - a whole complex of buildings and structures, the first buildings of which were laid back in the 16th century. This is the official residence of the rulers of Japan. Today, the apartments of the current emperor of the country Akihito and his relatives are located here.

Parks are a favorite vacation spot for Tokyo residents, among which Ueno Park, a kind of cultural Mecca of the Japanese capital, occupies a special place. Several major museums are located on the territory of the park complex, including the Tokyo National Museum, a concert hall, the largest city zoo and the main building of the Tokyo University of the Arts. By the way, the National Museum has collected about 90 thousand exhibits, including amazing examples of Japanese art, valuable archaeological finds, household items of the ancient inhabitants of Japan, and much more.

A popular place for walking and shopping among locals and tourists is Ginza Street, like a giant shop window stretching for 1200 meters. Here are the most famous shops, shopping centers and popular restaurants. However, it is worth noting that shopping on Ginza is far from cheap.

It is located in the southeastern part of the Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, on the Kanto plain, at the confluence of the Edogawa, Arakawa, Sumida, and Tama rivers into Tokyo Bay. Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture (Greater Tokyo) is a highly urbanized area with a total area of ​​2,187 sq. km. Its administrative boundaries include Tokyo proper (615.8 sq. km, 23 administrative districts), 26 other cities, 24 urban or rural-type settlements (located including on the islands of Izu and Ogasawara). The metropolitan prefecture and the adjacent prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama form the so-called Tokyo metropolitan area, or the Metropolitan area (Syutoken). Together with Yokohama, it forms the world's largest metropolitan area, Tokyo-Yokohama.

transport hubs. Airports.

Tokyo is the main transport hub of the country. High-speed railway lines and high-speed highways converge to it, for which overpasses with complex multi-level interchanges are laid through densely built-up quarters. The port of Tokyo is one of the most important centers of maritime transportation (in terms of trade turnover, it is the second in Japan after Yokohama). Tokyo has two airports, but they are among the largest and most modern in the world. Narita Airport is located 80 km northeast of Tokyo and receives international flights. Haneda Airport is located on the coast of Tokyo Bay, 14 km from the city center, and specializes in domestic transportation. Both airports are connected by rail to the Main Station in central Tokyo. Shinkansen high-speed trains and express trains running along the Tokaido line (Nagoya, Kyoto, Kobe, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyushu) come to this station. Trains on the Tohoku Line (Sendai and Morioka) arrive at Ueno Station just north of Tokyo Main Station. Trains from Niigata also arrive here. Trains to the Japanese Alps (Matsumoto) depart from Shinjuku Station. Rail communication also plays an important role in connecting various parts of the Tokyo metropolis, penetrated by an extensive network of subway lines, ground electric trains and a monorail. More than 25 million people use the transport system every day. The trains of each line of the railway in Tokyo have a different color. The Yamanote Line (green or silver with green stripes) is a 35 km ring around the central part of the city. The train makes a circle in an hour, passing 29 stops, including important transport hubs of the city (Yurakucho, Shinbashi, Shinagawa, Hibiya, Shinjuku, Ueno). The Chuo Line - orange - runs from east to west of Tokyo to the suburb of Takao. During the day, trains run through the city center almost non-stop. The city center is served by the Sobu Line (yellow). The Keihin Tohoku Line (blue) runs from the north (Omiya District in Saitama Prefecture) to the south (Ofuna District in Kanagawa Prefecture).

Story.

The city owes its original name to the fishing village of Edo (Japanese - "entrance to the bay"). In 1457, Ota Dokan, the ruler of the Kanto region, built Edo Castle here. In 1590 it was taken over by Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the powerful shogun dynasty. Although Kyoto remained the capital of the empire, Edo became the residence of the Tokugawa, and in the 18th century. one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. After the Meiji Restoration ("revolution"), Emperor Matsuhito moved his capital here (1868), giving the city its current name - Tokyo - "Eastern Capital". In the second half of the 19th century. the silk, lacquer, earthenware and enamel industries actively developed here, and from the end of the 19th century. - mechanical engineering and shipbuilding. The Tokyo-Yokohama railway was built in 1872, and the Kobe-Osaka-Tokyo railway in 1877. September 1, 1923 Tokyo experienced a terrible earthquake (7.9 on the Richter scale), which wiped out half the city from the face of the earth. More than 90 thousand people became its victims. A reconstruction plan was soon adopted. The city began to rise from the ruins. But during the Second World War, it was again subjected to catastrophic destruction. In the middle of the 20th century the country's economy began to rapidly revive ("economic miracle"), in 1966 came to the second (after the American) place in the world. In 1964, the city successfully hosted the Summer Olympic Games. The strong influx of labor from rural areas (1970s) created one of the most important prerequisites for growth. In the 80s, Tokyo was one of the most dynamically developing cities in the world.

Industry.

Until the 1960s, many manufacturing enterprises were concentrated in Tokyo. At present, most of them have been moved outside the city limits. In the economic life of the city, an ever-increasing role is played by managerial, trade and distribution, scientific and information areas. In Tokyo, there are head offices of the largest financial and industrial companies (Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumimoto, etc.), other private, semi-state and state groups, major banks (Japanese Bank, Development Bank, Import-Export Bank, Central Bank of Japan, etc.) , as well as representative offices of foreign monopolies. Most of the administrative institutions are located in the areas of Marunouchi, Otemachi, Nihonbashi. Tokyo is one of the most important financial centers in the world. In terms of financial transactions, the Tokyo Stock Exchange is comparable to the famous stock exchanges of New York and London. Greater Tokyo remains the center of one of the largest industrialized urban areas (Keihin), which accounts for 22% of the country's industrial output. A significant part of Japan's mechanical engineering is concentrated here. Mechanical engineering and metalworking specialize in the manufacture of complex and precise machines, instruments, electrical and electronic equipment and apparatus, opto-mechanical products, automotive and aircraft building, shipbuilding, the production of railway equipment and rolling stock, machine tool building, road engineering and other types of mechanical engineering. Developed metallurgy. The chemical industry is dominated by branches of fine chemical technology: the production of medicines, cosmetics, photochemicals, varnishes and paints, in particular printing; oil refining and petrochemistry (chemistry of fibers, plastics, etc.). Diverse food industry (brewing, flour-grinding, fish-canning, and many other branches), processing mainly imported raw materials. Numerous branches of light industry (textile, clothing, leather, ceramics, furniture, jewelry, souvenirs, etc.). Most industrial enterprises are small and medium-sized with up to 300 employees. Industrial enterprises are located mostly along the banks of the river. Arakawa - in the areas of Koto, Johoku, Zenan, Kita, etc. In the territory of Tokyo proper, there is almost no new industrial construction, mainly due to high land prices and the high cost of the necessary measures to combat environmental pollution.

Metropolitan.

The history of the Tokyo subway dates back to December 30, 1927: on this day, a private company, then called "Tokyo chika tetsudo" ("Tokyo Underground Railway"), opened the first subway line between the metropolitan stations "Ueno" and "Asakusa" with a length of only 2.2 km. Today, Tokyo has 12 subway lines with a total length of more than 230 km. These branched lines cover the map of the capital in an intricate grid. Each line has its own color. Signposts in two languages ​​at the entrance to the station and trains are marked with the color of their line. The subway in Tokyo is built and operated by private companies and city governments; therefore, both private and municipal lines exist here; often on sufficiently large segments the lines run almost parallel to each other. Stations are equipped with multiple exits (there may be 15–20 at large stations) and crossings. The metro is quite tightly integrated into the general transport network of the capital. Within one station, by switching to another platform, you can transfer to a city train or even a long-distance train.

Scientific institutions.

More than 50 state, municipal and private universities and colleges are located in Tokyo, incl. such prestigious ones as the state University of Tokyo (“Tokyo daigaku”, or abbreviated as “Todai”) or the private universities of Waseda and Keio. There are also the Japanese Academy of Sciences, the Japanese Academy of Arts, over 100 research institutes, laboratories and centers at universities, about 40 at ministries and departments, including the National Aerospace Laboratory, the National Cancer Center, the National Research Center for Disaster Protection , research institutes of health care, hygiene, natural resources, population problems, etc. The largest libraries: the National Parliamentary Library, university libraries.

Culture.

There are 400 art galleries in the city, as well as several dozen state, municipal and other museums, among which the Tokyo National Museum, the Edo-Tokyo History Museum, the Okura Shukokan Museum, the Nezu Museum, the National Museum of Science, the National Museum of Western Art, the National Museum of Modern Museum of Art, Bridgestone Museum, Museum of Folk Crafts, Museum of Calligraphy, Ota Museum with an exhibition of Japanese ukiyo-e prints, Sword Museum, Fuji Museum, Sumida River Museum. Among the small, sometimes unusual museums are the Eyewear Museum, the Lighter Museum, the Bag Museum, the Bicycle Museum, and the Water Pipe Museum. Theatres: Noh National Theatre; National Theatre; New National Theatre; Theater "Kabukidza"; Enge Hall. Concert halls: "Ueno bunka kaikan", "Nichigakijo" (for variety performances), "Kokusai gekijo", "Koseinenkin kaikan", "Toyoko horu"; the huge hall of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), famous for classical music concerts.

Architecture.

Experienced in the 20th century gigantic destruction and the "economic miracle" made Tokyo a testing ground for architectural experiments, determined its current futuristic appearance. It is formed by dozens of skyscrapers (administrative buildings and hotels), in the shadow of which narrow streets without names and miraculously preserved tiny houses are hidden. City blocks are united not by traditional axes, but by bulky multi-level overpasses that pierce Tokyo in all directions. A rare example of an ancient architectural ensemble is the Asakusa quarter with its Sensoji temple complex, the main hall and pagoda of which are only copies of buildings destroyed in 1945 as a result of the American bombing. The historical center is the Nihonbashi area, where the imperial palace surrounded by a park is located (built around 1600, rebuilt in the 19th and 20th centuries). In the style of most public buildings of the late 19th - early 20th century. imitation of Western models prevails (Akasaka Palace, 1909, architect O. Katayama; Parliament, 1915–1936, architect T. Ohama, etc.); however, since the 1910s, early examples of creative processing of local architectural traditions in the spirit of modern architecture have also appeared (post office, 1934, architects T. Yoshida, M. Yamada). Preparations for the 1964 Olympic Games gave a powerful impetus to urban planning. Modern highways were laid in residential areas, numerous high-speed roads were built on overpasses. In the 1960s and 1970s, new urban centers (Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Tama) developed rapidly, where intensive high-rise and underground construction was carried out. The implementation of large-scale plans for the reconstruction and development of Tokyo has not changed the general chaos of its architectural appearance. Among the notable buildings of the second half of the 20th century. - red 333-meter Tokyo TV tower (1958); Metropolitan Festival Hall in Ueno Park (1960–1961, architect K. Maekawa); the Olympic Sports Complex (1963-1964), St. Mary's Cathedral (1964) and, finally, the tallest building in Tokyo - the 354-meter complex of the City Hall (1991, architect K. Tange).

Entertainment and shopping complexes.

The favorite vacation spot for Tokyo residents are parks and squares, but their area is only about 5 thousand hectares. The most famous are the parks in the area of ​​the Imperial Palace, as well as the Hibiya, Meiji, and Ueno parks. Asakusa Park and surrounding streets form the largest entertainment district in Tokyo. There are many restaurants, theaters, souvenir shops. Ginza is the "showcase" of Tokyo and all of Japan, a traditional shopping and cultural center with many department stores, cafes, restaurants, cinemas and other leisure activities. Shinjuku is a historically developed entertainment district. It is currently built up with skyscrapers, in which many nightclubs are located. Two stops from the main station is the quarter of computer pleasure - Akihabara; shops selling household electrical appliances and electronics are concentrated here (goods are delivered to the shelves directly from factory conveyors, bypassing intermediaries). In 1983, Disneyland (48 hectares, 7 thematic zones) was opened 10 km from the city center, which is very popular.

Tourism.

Tokyo has first-class museums and entertainment complexes, a developed hotel industry, a modern transport system and offers its guests a service that meets the highest international standards. However, Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world. This circumstance, as well as the language barrier, remain the main obstacles to the development of mass tourism. Although the number of foreign tourists visiting Tokyo is constantly increasing, its ratio to the number of local residents far lags behind those of the main tourist meccas.

Population.

The population of the Tokyo agglomeration (Tokyo, Chiba, Funabashi, Kawasaki and Yokohama) reached 33 million people in 2003, incl. Greater Tokyo (metropolitan prefecture) - 12.4 million people (10% of the population of Japan), of which the population of Tokyo proper is 8.35 million people. Age structure of the population: 11.9% - children under 14 years old (inclusive); 70.9% - from 15 to 64 years; 17.1% - from 65 years and older. There is a steady upward trend in the proportion of older people. The average population density of Tokyo is 800-1000 people per 1 sq. km. km. According to this indicator, the Japanese capital is one of the five most densely populated cities in the world. The number of foreigners registered in Tokyo also reached its all-time high of 355,000, with the Chinese leading the way, followed by Koreans and Filipinos.

The Russian population of Tokyo is insignificant and does not play a special role in his life.

The city of Tokyo is located on the territory of the state (country) Japan, which in turn is located on the territory of the continent Asia.

The population of the city of Tokyo.

The population of the city of Tokyo is 13,370,198.

What time zone is Tokyo in?

The city of Tokyo is located in the administrative time zone: UTC+9. Thus, you can determine the time difference in the city of Tokyo, relative to the time zone in your city.

Tokyo area code

Tokyo area code: +81-3. In order to call the city of Tokyo from a mobile phone, you need to dial the code: +81-3 and then directly the subscriber's number.

Official website of the city of Tokyo.

Website of the city of Tokyo, official website of the city of Tokyo or as it is also called "Official website of the city of Tokyo": http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ .

Tokyo city flag.

The flag of the city of Tokyo is the official symbol of the city and is represented on the page as an image.

Coat of arms of the city of Tokyo.

In the description of the city of Tokyo, the coat of arms of the city of Tokyo is presented, which is the hallmark of the city.

Subway in the city of Tokyo.

The subway in the city of Tokyo is called the Tokyo Subway and is a means of public transportation.

The passenger traffic of the Tokyo City Subway (Tokyo Subway occupancy) is 3,217.00 million per year.

The number of subway lines in the city of Tokyo is 13 lines. The total number of subway stations in Tokyo is 290. The length of subway lines or subway tracks is: 310.30 km.

Tokyo is the city that everyone who comes to Japan wants to see first of all anyway. A huge metropolis, with a population of 12 million people, it is one of the youngest among all major Japanese cities.

View of downtown Tokyo and Tokyo Bay

Archaeological excavations show that the place where the capital of Japan is now located was inhabited by ancient tribes back in the Stone Age. The early inhabitants of the Jomon period (10,000 BC) were fishermen, hunters, farmers. This valley of abundance has now been swallowed up by a huge city on the shores of Tokyo Bay.

By 300, Japan was already more or less a single nation. The main life was concentrated in the Kansai region, where the cities of Kyoto, Nara, Osaka are currently located. The eastern region of Kanto remained a distant backwater, forgotten by gods and men. Only in the 12th century, a small village of Edo was built on this site. The people who lived in these places were mainly engaged in fishing, lived in fact subsistence farming.

Bridge over the outer moat of the imperial residence

In 1457, in the place where the Eastern Garden of the Imperial Palace is now located, Ota Dokan began the construction of a castle on the site of an old fort near the small bay of Hibiya. Ten years later, the devastating Ōnin War raged on the streets of the capital city of Kyoto. Many aristocrats left the capital and took refuge in the far eastern domain of Dokan. Even then, all the prerequisites were created for turning the poor village of Edo into a city, but Ota Dokan was killed, and his contribution to the development of the region was wasted.

In 1543, Portuguese missionaries and merchants set foot on Japanese soil for the first time. By that time, the feudal lords (daimyo) had turned the country into a patchwork of independent provinces. One of the most powerful daimyo, Oda Nobunaga of Chubu Province, where Nagoya is now located, quickly realized that the Portuguese could serve his ambitious plans in the struggle for power. A new religion, Christianity, could be used in the fight against the power of Buddhist monks, in addition, Nobunaga found widespread use of firearms, which the Portuguese brought with them. In 1581, Oda was killed, but by that time he had managed to unite most of central Japan under his influence.

Marunouchi Central District

The case of Nobunaga was continued by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but he did not look so favorably on the spread of Christianity, organizing the persecution of its representatives.

The power of Toyotomi tried to challenge Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was the son of a daimyo who served the Oda clan, however, after an unsuccessful attempt, he concluded a truce with Toyotomi, for which he received eight provinces in the eastern region, including the entire Kanto region with the town of Edo. Toyotomi tried in this way to weaken the influence of Tokugawa by excommunicating him from his native lands of the province of Chubu, but Tokugawa took this gift as an opportunity to strengthen his power and decided to turn Edo into a real city.

Watchtower of the imperial residence

After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1598, power passed to his son, Toyotomi Hideyori. Tokugawa, having overthrown the heir and his followers in the legendary battle of Sekigahara in 1600, seized real power. In 1603, the emperor awarded him the title of shogun (military ruler). The Tokugawa chose Edo as their capital, beginning the 250-year history of the Tokugawa clan, known in Japanese history as the "Edo Period" (1603-1868).

Under the Tokugawa shoguns, Edo developed at an unprecedented pace. Completed in 1637, Edo-jo Castle became the largest castle in the world during Ieyasu's lifetime. Tokugawa seized power in the country seriously and for a long time. However, they wanted to be completely sure that not a single daimyo (as the rich feudal princes of that time were called) in a remote province would be able to strengthen and get rich enough to usurp power. After all, Tokugawa Ieyasu himself did so at one time. The sankin kotai system was established, according to which each daimyo was ordered to live in Edo for a certain number of months a year "in front of" the shogun. Further more. When the feudal lord left for his province to put his personal affairs in order, he was obliged to leave his family in the capital, in fact, as hostages.

Cherry blossoms in Asakusa...

In the 17th century, there were 270 daimyōs in Japan, each keeping several houses in Edo for family members and retinues, rich houses complemented by elaborate and extraordinarily expensive landscape gardens. Naturally, spending a huge amount of time and money on travel back and forth, maintaining luxurious residences both in the provinces and in Edo, it was difficult for the daimyo to plot something against the shogun.

To meet the needs of this entire crowd of princes, samurai, their servants, headed by the shogun, merchants and artisans from all over Japan rushed to the new capital. In order to settle them all, hills were torn down and swampy areas were covered with this earth, forming what is now called Ginza, Shimbashi, and Nihombashi. By 1787, the population had grown to 1.3 million and Edo had become one of the largest cities in the world.

Akihabara Electronics District

The government of the shogunate considered it dangerous to spread "free" ideas coming from the West, and in the first place - Christianity. In addition, international trade was able to enrich some daimyo out of control. In 1633, the Tokugawa shogunate adopted a policy of complete isolation, shutting the country's doors to the outside world for more than 200 years. Foreigners were forbidden to enter the country, and the Japanese were forbidden to leave it. Those who violated this decree were subject to the death penalty. The only exceptions were a colony of tightly controlled Chinese merchants in Nagasaki, and a handful of Dutch who were given a small trading post on a tiny island in Nagasaki.

Complex system of railroad tracks

The Edo period (1603-1867) was characterized by political stability, the country was completely controlled by the shogunate. Japanese society was divided into four classes: samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants. The manner of dressing, quarters for living and even turns of speech were strictly regulated, and transitions from class to class were prohibited.

The city was divided into two parts: the Upper City (Yamanote) and the Lower City (Shitamachi). Yamanote, which means "hand of the mountains", was inhabited by wealthy daimyo and their samurai, while the lower strata of society, which included merchants and artisans, settled in the "lower city" of Shitamachi.
Residents of Shitamachi and neighboring neighborhoods lived in dirty, impoverished, tightly packed plywood buildings with dirt floors. Since Edo was mostly made of wood, needless to say, the fires, which the locals called Edo-no-hana (Edo flowers) with bitter irony, were a constant threat. In fact, it was hard to find a person who did not lose their home several times during their lives. During the period 1603-1867, almost 100 major fires passed through the city, not counting countless local fires. One of the most tragic fires occurred in 1657 after three months of heat without a single rain. Caught up in a strong wind, the flames engulfed one by one wooden buildings with thatched roofs. The fire raged for three days and destroyed three quarters of the city. More than 100,000 people died then.

View of modern Tokyo from an old park

Despite their unenviable social position, the wealth of merchants grew steadily. They were forbidden to flaunt their wealth, to partake of the joys of life, accessible only to samurai. In particular, they did not have the right to use the services of geishas. However, the money had to be spent somewhere. New types of luxury goods and new entertainments began to appear. Kabuki theater quickly gained extraordinary popularity, a new type of painting on wooden boards, Ukiyo-e prints, expensive porcelain dishes, silk brocade for luxurious kimonos, lacquerware - all this was raised to the level of sublime art.

Narrow streets with small restaurants reminiscent of old Edo

One of the distinguishing features of that time was the entertainment quarters, where samurai could find wine and women forbidden in Yamanote. The most legendary area was the Yoshiwara quarter, northeast of the current Asakusa area. Here the rich spent time with beautiful courtesans. During the Edo period, prostitution was legalized and, like everything else in feudal Japan, strictly controlled by the Tokugawa shogunate. Red-light districts sprang up in various parts of Edo, but none could compete with Yoshiwara. Opened in 1657 in the middle of rice fields, far beyond the city gates, Yoshiwara was a real "entertainment factory" with about 3,000 courtesans working here. They are said to have been so skillful that the men stayed with them for several days and, having lost their heads, often left fortunes here.

In Asakusa: Nakamise Shopping Mall and Sensoji Temple

Many of these women, such as the famous courtesan named Tayu, were beautiful in their sumptuous robes, which weighed about 20 kg, including a huge "obi" (sash) tied in front. Of course, not all of them voluntarily embarked on this path in the hope of enriching themselves: many were sold into brothels at an early age. To prevent the escape of these unfortunates, the area was surrounded by a moat, and one could enter or leave from there only through guarded gates. The courtesans were allowed to leave the area only once a year during the autumn festival. These "prisoners" were released only in 1900. The Yoshiwara area itself ceased to exist in 1957, when prostitution was banned in the country.

Another feature of Edo that left its mark on today's Tokyo was the division of the big city into "machi" districts according to occupation. Even today it is possible to stumble upon small enclaves that have a certain specialization. The most famous of them are Jimbocho, a quarter of bookstores; Kappabashi, which sells kitchen utensils; and Akihabara, which now sells electronics and manga comics, was previously a small-scale retailer and shipping hub.

By the middle of the 19th century, it became clear that the feudal system had outlived itself. Economic power by that time was concentrated in the hands of merchants, gradually money was more and more in circulation, along with rice. Many samurai clans were ruined and were dissatisfied with the policies of the shogunate.

Historic Tokyo Station Building

A push from outside was needed to transform Edo from a medieval city to a world-class capital. This push came in 1854 with the American "black squadron" commanded by Matthew Perry. This military expedition arrived in Edo-wan (Tokyo Bay) on behalf of the President of the United States demanding that Japan be opened to international trade after centuries of isolation. Other Western countries soon followed the Americans. Western influence was used by forces dissatisfied with the regime of the Tokugawa dynasty. In 1868, the 15th shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty was forced to abdicate in favor of Emperor Mutsuhito (Meiji). The new Meiji government moved the capital from Kyoto to Edo Castle, renaming the city to Tokyo (Eastern Capital).

This event was called the Meiji Restoration, since power again passed from the military to the emperor, and the country again received a single capital. Emperor Mutsuhito completely changed the policy of the state, welcoming the export of ideas and technologies from the West.

Wedding at Meiji Shinto Shrine

The Meiji Restoration cannot be called a peaceful transfer of power. In Edo, about 2,000 adherents of the Tokugawa regime tried to resist the forces of the imperial guard in the short battle of Ueno. The battle took place in the vicinity of the picturesque Kanei-ji temple, which, along with Zojo-ji, was one of two Tokugawa family temples.

The word Meiji means "enlightenment", and the new rulers of Japan set a course for the industrialization and militarization of society. In a relatively short time, known as the Meiji period (1868-1911), the country quickly stepped from a feudal society of samurai and peasants into an industrial state. Samurai lost their power and privileges, they were no longer allowed to carry swords. A government cabinet headed by a prime minister was created, a new constitution was drafted (1889), and a parliament (Diet) was elected. The first railroads were built (1872). At the invitation of the government, more than 10,000 specialists from England, the USA, Germany, and France came to Tokyo to transform the country into a modern society.

Shibuya: the busiest intersection in the world

A modernization boom began in Tokyo. Everything changed: fashion, architecture, food, shops. For a while, everything Japanese was completely forgotten and pushed aside.

In record time, Japan won its first military victories over China (1894-95) and Russia (1904-05) and entered the path of Western empires with the annexation of Taiwan (1895), Korea (1910) and Micronesia (1914).

By embarking on the path of nationalism, Japan turned Shinto into a chauvinistic state religion. Buddhism was persecuted by the state at that time, many priceless artifacts and temples were destroyed.

A corner of traditional Japan in a modern metropolis

During the Meiji period and the subsequent Taisho period, the changes that took place throughout the country were most noticeable in the new capital. Tokyo's rapid industrialization, uniting around the nascent huge industrial-commercial conglomerate (zaibatsu), attracted job seekers from all over Japan, leading to rapid population growth. Electricity arrived in Tokyo in the 1880s. Former dirty quarters were turned into fashionable areas, such as Ginza, where new brick buildings were being built for the country. In 1904, Mitsukoshi, Japan's first Western-style department store, appeared, and the department store building in the Nihonbashi area (1914) was called the most grandiose building east of the Suez Canal.

However, although the Meiji Restoration sounded the death knell for the former Edo, there were two more events ahead that obliterated the remaining traces of the old city. In the first half of the 20th century, Tokyo was almost completely destroyed twice: in 1923, a powerful earthquake (about 8 on the Richter scale), known as the Great Kanto Earthquake, hit the city. Even more terrible than the tremors themselves was the fire that followed the earthquake, which lasted 40 hours and devastated the city, destroying about 300,000 houses. The element left behind 142,000 victims. Grim reminders of this event can be seen at the Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum.

Sky Tree Tower and Asahi Beer Company Office

The rebuilding of the city began almost immediately, following the wisdom that any business that has not resumed activity within three days of the collapse has no future.

The second time a terrible disaster befell Tokyo at the end of World War II: Allied bombs wiped out half the city from the face of the earth, killing another 100,000 people.

Since the beginning of the reign of Emperor Hirohito (Showa tennō) in 1926, Japanese society has been characterized by a rising tide of nationalist fervor. In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria, and in 1937 embarked on the path of open confrontation with China. In 1940, a tripartite agreement was signed with Germany and Italy and a new order for the Asian region was formulated: the Great East Asian Sphere of Mutual Prosperity. The project was based on the desire to create "a bloc of Asian peoples, led by Japan, and free from Western powers." On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, thereby declaring war on the United States, their principal enemy in the Asia-Pacific region.

Despite initial successes, the war was disastrous for Japan. On April 18, 1942, the first bombs fell on Tokyo. On the night of March 9-10, 1944, the city underwent an unprecedented raid, during which 2/5 of the capital was destroyed, almost the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe "lower city" Shitamachi "turned into ruins. About 80,000 people died that night. Later, the Buddhist temple of Sensoji in Asakusa and the Shinto shrine of Meji Jingu were destroyed by bombs. On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito made a historic statement to the Japanese people about the surrender of Japan. By this time, Tokyo was practically destroyed.

Cherry blossom viewing at Ueno Park

The rebuilding of the Japanese capital from the ashes of World War II was like a miracle. True, Tokyo again, as after the Great Kanto Earthquake, did not take advantage of the opportunity for a global reconstruction of the city to make avenues and streets wider and more elegant, as happened, for example, in Nagoya, but built new houses on the site of old buildings.

During the occupation by American troops in the early post-war years, Tokyo looked like a huge cheap nightclub. Today's respectable neighborhoods such as Yurakucho were filled with so-called pan-pan girls (prostitutes), and the Ikebukuro and Ueno neighborhoods were turned into "black market" zones. A reminder of this can still be found at the Ameyoko Arcade in Ueno, where a sort of cheap bazaar is still located.

Tokyo was recovering at an unprecedented pace, especially in the central regions. Tokyo was especially proud of hosting the 1964 Summer Olympics. During the preparation period, the city was engulfed in unprecedented construction. Many Japanese see this time as a turning point in the history of the nation, when Japan fully recovered from the devastation of World War II, becoming a full member of the modern world economy.

View of Tokyo and the Rainbow Bridge from the artificial islands

Construction and modernization continued at a breakneck pace during the 70s, reaching its peak towards the end of the 1980s, with rising property prices. The cost of land in Tokyo by that time exceeded the value of all the United States, and Japanese companies, enriched by real estate speculation, began to buy many of the world's famous entertainment brands, including the famous Pebble Beach Golf Course, the Rockefeller Center (Rockefeller Center), the Columbia film studio pictures. By the early 1990s, the "soap bubble" had burst, and the Japanese economy experienced a prolonged recession for more than 15 years.

The main problem of Tokyo and all of Japan is a decrease in the birth rate and a high concentration of the population. According to a published report in 2011, the birth rate has fallen again, falling to the lowest level since World War II, and in the capital it is even lower than the national average. The difference between deaths and births has exceeded 200,000. At the same time, the percentage of the population of retirement age is steadily growing, which increases the burden of the social insurance and pension system. According to the Ministry of National Affairs of Japan, in 2011, for the first time, pensioners accounted for 23.3% of the total population of the country. There are 21 million Japanese over 70 years of age, and 8.66 million over 80 residents.

Despite the existing difficulties, Tokyo continues to develop dynamically. There are new subway lines and new mega-complexes such as Tokyo Midtown. Modern Tokyo is a huge metropolis of glass, concrete and steel, like all major cities in the world, like a huge anthill. A person who first came here is involuntarily lost in this stone labyrinth. And yet, Tokyo can be unusually cozy if you turn from the avenues crowded with cars and find yourself in one of the many gardens or parks, squeezed tightly pressed against each other houses.

They say Tokyo has no face. Or maybe this is its attractiveness: it can be different, changing at every step. History and modernity, traditions and Western innovations live here side by side, without interfering, but on the contrary, complementing each other and making this city unusually interesting and original.

Your guide in Japan,
Irina

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The city of Tokyo (Japan) is the capital of the state and one of the largest metropolitan areas on our planet. In addition, it is the main industrial, financial, political and cultural center of the entire eastern region. It would be unthinkable for any tourist to visit Japan and not visit its capital. This is not surprising, because, despite its modernity, national traditions that originate many centuries ago are revered here. In this article, we will talk in more detail about where Tokyo is located, about its history and sights.

Short story

According to historical information, they appeared at the current location of the city in the Stone Age. However, he gained his great importance much later. In the middle of the twelfth century, the current capital of Japan was a small fishing village called Edo. In 1590, a shogun named Tokugawa Ieyasu made it the capital of the shogunate and began to establish lasting institutions of government here. Since that time, the city began to actively develop, and already in the eighteenth century it became one of the largest not only in Japan, but throughout the world.

Tokyo received its current name in 1869, after Emperor Mutsuhito moved the capital of the state here from Kyoto. In the nineteenth century, industry and shipbuilding developed here at a very high pace. In 1872, the first railway was laid, connecting the Japanese capital with its suburb - Yokohama.

Throughout the history of the city, the area where Tokyo is located has suffered from disasters twice. The first time this happened was in 1923. Then, under the influence of a strong earthquake (9 points), almost half of the metropolis burned down. More than 90 thousand local residents died.

The second time the city was badly damaged as a result of its massive bombardment on March 8, 1945. She claimed the lives of 80 thousand people. Be that as it may, in both cases, Tokyo was rebuilt and continued to develop. This was not prevented by its temporary occupation after the Second World War.

Geographical position

Speaking about where Tokyo is located, first of all, it should be noted that, due to geographical specifics, the administrative city boundaries cover not only mainland areas, but also two chains of archipelagos that stretch for several hundred kilometers. The main part of the metropolis lies on the northwestern part of Tokyo Bay, on the territory of the city, to a greater extent, is the Kanto plain. As for the geographical coordinates, officially for the Japanese capital they are 35 degrees 41 minutes north latitude and 139 degrees 36 minutes east longitude.

It should be noted that all significant administrative, political, financial and cultural centers, as well as the most important transport hubs of the country, including Tokyo International Airport, are concentrated on the mainland of the city. The area of ​​the metropolis is just over 2188 square kilometers.

Climate

Tokyo is under the influence with mild winters and hot dry summers. Annually, about 1300 millimeters of precipitation falls here on average. Their greatest number is typical for the period from June to July. The average air temperature in summer ranges from 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. In winter, under the influence of the Pacific Ocean, northern winds become softer. At this time, the thermometer is usually between 3 and 5 degrees below zero.

Snowfalls here can be called a single occurrence. Along with this, as a rule, they occur every winter. It should also be noted that many scientists call this metropolis a vivid confirmation of how strongly the growth of the population of cities affects the climate.

The capital is in one of the most dangerous regions of the planet. The fact is that in the south direction from it there is a junction of four at once. All of them are in constant motion, and therefore earthquakes often occur here. The most destructive of them was discussed earlier. Typhoons are quite common, but they usually do not have such significant consequences.

Administrative device

The main city of Japan is considered one of the prefectures, or rather, the capital district, which consists of 62 administrative divisions. When it comes to Tokyo, it usually means 23 districts, which in the period from 1889 to 1943 were united. As of today, all of them are equal in status to cities (each has a mayor and a city council).

The government of the capital is headed by a governor, who is elected by the residents by popular vote. The municipal center of the city is the headquarters, which is located in Shinjuku. Among other things, the state government of Japan is located on the territory of the metropolis.

Building features

Given where Tokyo is located, its residents are forced to construct buildings that would be seismically safe. The country's construction legislation obliges companies involved in this to use modern technologies, which can minimize the effects of tremors. In this regard, such a concept as quarterly construction is absent in the Japanese capital. All buildings here are located at a certain distance from each other for security reasons. City streets are designed in such a way that in case of destruction, the houses rest on the walls of neighboring structures.

Big anthill

Tokyo is a city that is often called the "big anthill". The fact is that thousands of houses, buildings and structures were erected here along the narrow streets. Two cars can pass each other with difficulty on most of them. Quarters with large shopping centers and skyscrapers contrast strongly with them. Among other things, the metropolis is shrouded in a network of wires, rails and highways. If on its main streets there are mainly buildings erected in the European style, then on the more distant ones there are densely tuned, mostly two-story houses.

The Japanese try to make the most of every piece of land in Tokyo. The prices for it here are simply astronomical. The main reason for this is due to the acute shortage of free space. As a result, the country's government is forced to gradually fill up the sea. Thus, artificial islands are created, on which not only residential areas are being built, but even airports, factories, shopping centers, parks and other facilities. According to tentative estimates, by the end of 2015, the population in the Tokyo agglomeration will reach 29 million people.

Transport

Public transport in the Japanese capital works flawlessly. Local commuter trains and metros run until late at night and are the fastest mode of communication. Most of the people who work in the metropolis, who live in its suburbs and on the outskirts, park their cars near the nearest station and transfer to trains.

It is impossible not to mention Tokyo's Haneda Airport, whose passenger turnover averages 41 million people a year. It is the sixth largest in the world. In order to unload it, another air gate, Narita, was erected 60 kilometers from the city limits. You can get from this airport to Tokyo very quickly using the Shinkanzen high-speed train.

Among other things, the Japanese capital is also the largest shipping hub in the state. In order to provide sea ships with the opportunity to enter Tokyo, a modern port was built in its suburb of Yokohama, connected to it by a deepened water channel. The average annual turnover of goods here is about 124 million tons.

Attractions

The whole of Japan is proud of the local cultural heritage. The sights of Tokyo annually attract millions of tourists from all over the world. Local national parks (especially Meiji Grove, Ogasawara and Ueno) are also considered quite popular among travelers.

Be that as it may, one of the most significant places here is the Imperial Palace with a garden, which is located in the heart of the metropolis. Its first buildings date back to the sixteenth century. They survived even after numerous strong earthquakes. The total area of ​​buildings, including gardens, is about 7.5 square kilometers. Inside the complex is the imperial residence.

Siba Park is located