The bulk of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Shinjuku
Tokyo can be broadly divided into the "23 special wards", "Tama region" and "Islands". This article is about the 23 special wards of Tokyo, which corresponds to what many think of as the "city of Tokyo". For information on Tokyo as a prefecture, Tama region and Islands, see Tokyo Metropolis.
Tokyo is a huge city with several district articles that contain information about specific sights, restaurants, and accommodation.
Tokyo (東京 Tōkyō) is the enormous and wealthy capital of Japan, and its main city, overflowing with culture, commerce, and most of all, people. As the most populated urban area in the world, Tokyo is a fascinating and dynamic metropolis that mixes foreign influences, consumer culture and global business along with remnants of the capital of old Japan. From modern electronics and gleaming skyscrapers to cherry blossoms and the Imperial Palace, this city represents the entire sweep of Japanese history and culture. Tokyo truly has something for every treller.
Districts[edit]The capital of Japan is not a city, but is actually Tokyo Metropolis (東京都 Tōkyō-to), which apart from the name is indistinguishable from a prefecture: it's equal in status with the other 46 prefectures, and is about as big (containing large suburban and even rural areas to the west, as well as islands as far as 1,000 km (620 mi) south). Even more strangely, there is no such thing as the "city of Tokyo". What most people, both foreigners and Japanese, are thinking of when they hear "Tokyo" is the special wards of Tokyo (特別区 tokubetsu-ku), sometimes just called the 23 wards (23区 nijūsan-ku). They're somewhat like the boroughs of London or New York, except there's no "city government" banding them together. The wards refer to themselves as "cities" in English (since they behe as such, each hing its own mayor and council), but to oid confusion, most people prefer to call them "wards".
This article is about the 23 special wards, while the western suburbs and the islands are covered in Tokyo Metropolis.
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 oldtown (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. Together, the entire metropolitan area has a population of over 40 million, making it the most populated urban area in the world.
Central Tokyo[edit]
'"`UNIQ--maplink-00000002-QINU`"'Districts of Central Tokyo (Static map) and Old Tokyo (Static map), which is located northeast of Central.