Tōkyō (東京) is the capital of Japan. At over 13 million people in the official metropolitan area alone, Tokyo is the core of the most populated urban area in the world, Tokyo Metropolis (which has a population of over 37 million people). This huge, wealthy and fascinating metropolis brings high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of old Japan, and has something for everyone.
Districts
Huge and varied in its geography, with over 2,000km² (770 square miles) to explore, Tokyo Metropolis (東京都 Tōkyō-to) spans not just the city, but rugged mountains to the west and subtropical islands to the south. This article concentrates on the 23 central wards (区 ku) near the bay, while the western cities and the islands are covered in a separate article.
The geography of central Tokyo is defined by the JR Yamanote Line (see Get around). The center of Tokyo — the former area reserved for the Shogun and his samurai — lies within the loop, while the Edo-era downtown (下町 shitamachi) is to the north and east. Sprawling around in all directions and blending in seamlessly are Yokohama, Kawasaki and Chiba, Tokyo’s suburbs.
AloJapan.com