Tokyo

Tokyo is Japan’s capital and one of the most populous urban areas on the planet, home to over 14 million people in the city and more than 41 million across the Greater Tokyo Area. Officially designated as a to (metropolis) rather than a standard prefecture since 1943, Tokyo functions as Japan’s political, economic and cultural nerve center, housing the Imperial Palace, the national government and the headquarters of dozens of the world’s largest corporations.

The city’s story stretches back centuries. Originally a small fishing settlement called Edo, it rose to national prominence in 1603 when Tokugawa Ieyasu established his feudal government there, transforming it into one of the world’s largest cities within a few decades. In 1868, following the Meiji Restoration, the imperial capital was relocated from Kyoto to Edo, which was then renamed Tokyo — meaning “Eastern Capital.” The city has endured and rebuilt from two catastrophic events: the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which killed an estimated 140,000 people, and the Allied air raids of World War II, which devastated large portions of the city in 1945. Each time, Tokyo rebuilt itself, emerging stronger and more modern.

Today, Tokyo is divided into 23 special wards, each functioning like its own city, alongside numerous towns, cities and villages to the west, as well as two remote island chains — the Izu and Ogasawara Islands — stretching over 1,000 kilometers into the Pacific Ocean. From the neon-lit crossings of Shibuya and the tech labyrinth of Akihabara to the tranquil gardens of the Imperial Palace and the ancient lanes of Asakusa, Tokyo offers something for virtually every kind of traveler.