Tokyo is the de facto capital of Japan. Its name in English means “eastern capital” and if this wasn’t enough to become the capital, the fact that the Japanese Imperial Family chose this city as their residence and as the seat of the Japanese government made it clear.
Tokyo is also the largest city of the country and it is the most populous city of the world. The city’s population alone is 12.7 million, but the Greater Tokyo Area, counting another three cities in Tokyo’s proximity has an estimated population of over 35 million. This is almost double the population of the New York City metropolitan area, but its area is only more than two thirds of the NYC metro area.
The city of Tokyo is composed of twenty-three wards and twenty-six cities. The many “districts” of the city work together in an unseen synch, which is indispensable to keep a metropolitan area this big in motion. Several islands are also parts of the city, like the Izu Islands. This group is composed by more than a dozen islands, but only nine of them are inhabited. In 2006, the governance of the city tried to add the archipelago of Ogasawara to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Despite the high population density in Tokyo, you can find several large parks. The largest one is the Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park. Since its 1967 designation as a national park, it became a highly popular tourist destination and in the last few years over two million people visited it each year.
As the number of residents grew, the need for new parks and gardens got bigger. This is the reason why today there are more than two dozen urban parks in Tokyo. Many of these are small green areas in the heart of the true urban jungle, like Hamarikyu Gardens and Hibiya Park. There are also several, which cover larger areas and feature pounds too, just like the Inokashira Park, complete with a museum and a small temple. There are also parks located on the edge of the city, where larger areas are available.
The city has a humid subtropical climate. This means that summers are hot, with temperatures often exceeding 28 °C, and wet, while winters are mild, but cool spells are characteristic. Even during the winter months, the temperature doesn’t drop below zero.
This Japanese city has the most modern architectural style among other capitals. Some sad action caused this. In 1923, a devastating earthquake destroyed thousands of homes and many more had to be demolished because they became unstable. During the World War II Tokyo and other important Japanese cities were the main targets of firebombing. This was the second time Tokyo had to be rebuilt. With the sore memories of the earthquake in mind, Tokyo was built to withstand an earthquake.
The city was very attractive among investors. Not only national companies found Tokyo a perfect place to invest, but international companies too. Over the last decade, many multinational companies moved their headquarters in this city. Tokyo is also a command center of the world, just like New York and London.
As anything in Tokyo, the cultural life of the city is a diverse one. The city has many museums, theaters and other performing art venues. A cultural center of the city is the Ueno Park. This large park houses four national museums and a zoo. Maybe the most attended museum is the Tokyo National Museum. This is the largest museum and has a large collection of traditional Japanese arts. Another museum specialized in local art is the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art. Of course, foreign arts are also represented in this city; the best examples of this are the National Museum of Western Arts and of Science.
Those who are looking for less scientific content, the Ueno Zoo is the perfect place. Since the 1882, opening this was the largest zoo in Japan. Today it is home to over 400 species. Some endangered species are also living here: the western lowland gorilla and the giant panda. In the spring of 2008, the giant panda of the zoo, named Ling Ling, died of heart failure. Following this, China agreed to transfer a male panda. The zoo also has a Sumatran tiger, which is a critically endangered subspecies of tigers with a wild population just over 400.
Those who are looking for a place to spend their nights are in the best place. When work is finished the huge tower buildings empty and the streets become crowded. Many bars and clubs open their doors at 5 pm. You can think that, because of this they close around midnight, but luckily this never happens in Tokyo. Many clubs stay open until 5 am. You will be looking in vain for a center of nightlife. There are many clubs and lounges spread throughout Tokyo. Of course, there are some that are more popular than others are, but you should try a new one every night. Three areas are very crowded in the night: Kabuki-cho, Ginza, and Roppongi. While in this Japan city, you can get to know two styles of bars that are not so popular in other countries. The first one is the geisha bar, which is a trademark of Japan. However, these bars have a selected clientele and it’s really hard to get in. Similar to these are the hostess bars. These are open for everybody and offer something new comparable to traditional western bars. The so-called drinking establishments are very popular among locals and tourists too. The bars and watering holes representing both the Western and Japanese cultures are included in this category. These can be clubs offering food, as well as live music and dancing venues.
Being a world city with a population of a smaller country, Tokyo will surely have a strong effect on you. Here you can find everything like century old temples and traditional Japanese-styled buildings, as well as ultra-modern shopping malls. The numerous museums are perfect places to visit during the day, while the finest clubs become filled with party-goers as the sun sets.
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