[Robert J. Fouser] Comparing Seoul and Tokyo

Seoul and Tokyo are two of the most populous capital cities in the world and often invite comparison. I took advantage of the opportunity after returning to Seoul from a recent visit to Tokyo.

Both cities are not only the capital of their respective nations, but also the most dominant cities of their respective countries in nearly all areas of human activity. Despite this basic similarity, several significant differences emerge that affect the vibe of each.

City populations vary depending on how “city” is defined. The most common definition is the “city proper,” but this leaves out suburbs and nearby cities that make up the larger urban area. By city proper, the two cities are about the same, with Seoul having 9,605,000 people and Tokyo 9,878,000 people, according to 2024 estimates. The area of each city is also similar at 605 square kilometers for Seoul and 627 square kilometers for Tokyo.

Both cities sit at the center of a large urban area containing vast suburbs and other large cities. The population of the Seoul area is 25.5 million, whereas the Tokyo area is substantially larger at 37.3 million. Tokyo became the world’s most populous urban area in 1955 and still holds the title. The Seoul area ranks fourth and contains just over 50 percent of the population of South Korea, whereas the Tokyo area has only 30 percent of the population of Japan.

Politicians and pundits in both countries have long complained about the dominance of the capital over the rest of the country. With about half of the national population, the Seoul area is far more dominant than the Tokyo area at under a third. Seoul is easily accessible from most major cities in the country, whereas Tokyo feels more remote to people living in Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa.

The different histories of the cities helps explain the difference in dominance. Seoul was founded in 1394 as the new capital for the Joseon Kingdom, which was founded by Yi Seong-gye in 1392, and it has remained the center of political power and most dominant city ever since.

Founded in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, Tokyo is some two centuries younger than Seoul. During the Edo Period (1603-1868), the Tokugawa bakufu centered on what is now Tokyo held political power, but the emperor, who had lived in Kyoto since 794, retained symbolic power. Several regions in Japan retained substantial levels of autonomy and charted their own course. It was only after the Meiji Restoration in 1868 that the emperor moved to Tokyo as power was centralized in a state modeled on European powers of the time. Tokyo’s dominance is thus more recent and has shallower historical roots than that of Seoul.

Another interesting difference is the topography. The historic center of Seoul sits between mountains, with Cheonggye Stream flowing through the center. The current city contains many mountains and hills as well as the wide Han River. This means that most neighborhoods in Seoul have slopes, some of which are quite steep. It also means the city has substantial greenery and natural landmarks that break up the concrete cityscape.

Tokyo, by contrast, sits on the southern edge of Kanto Plain, the largest expanse of flat space in Japan. The city has many hills but no mountains or other natural landmarks. Instead of natural landmarks, the city’s constructed landmarks, such as Tokyo Tower, stand out. Compared to Seoul, the city feels like an endless stretch of concrete with a few green spots dotted around. Tokyo ranks ninth among world cities for skyscrapers, defined as buildings taller than 150 meters, whereas Seoul ranks 21st. This makes the city feel larger than Seoul.

Both cities have vast subway networks, but Tokyo has a much larger network of private railways that converge on commuter hubs in the western part of the city. Seoul, by contrast, lacks commuter hubs with people changing trains as at many busy subway stations instead. The busiest stations in Seoul are mainly for intercity travel by KTX. The commuter hubs and their commercial activity also help make Tokyo feel larger than Seoul.

Despite the differences, both cities are becoming increasingly multicultural as their foreign-born populations rise. Tokyo passed the 5 percent mark recently and Seoul looks to do so this year. Crossing the 5 percent mark meets the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s definition of a multicultural society. This gives both cities the opportunity, if not the responsibility, to develop models to help other cities with the transition toward a multicultural society.

Robert J. Fouser

Robert J. Fouser, a former associate professor of Korean language education at Seoul National University, writes on Korea from Providence, Rhode Island. He can be reached at robertjfouser@gmail.com. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed.