TOKYO
G'day folks,
Ever been to Tokyo? Tokyo, officially Tokyo Metropolis, is one of the 47
prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the centre of the Greater
Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area in the world. Here are some
things you may not know about the nation’s capital. And, if a few items are incorrect, then I'm sure a few of the expats who live in Japan and have appeared on this blog will tell me.
1.
Tokyo began life as a
village known as Edo.
The city that would become
one of the world’s largest metropolises started out as a small fishing village,
first settled around 3,000 B.C. Known as Edo, or “estuary” it was first
fortified in the 12th century and became home to Edo Castle (now the site of
the Imperial Palace) in the 1450s. Edo’s influence and growing importance in
Japanese society was due to its role as the base of power for the Tokugawa
shogunate, which ruled the country for more than 250 years until its overthrow
in 1868. During this era, known as the Edo period, the city underwent
unprecedented cultural and economic growth and by the 1720s the population had
boomed to more than 1.1 million, making it one of the largest cities in the world.
The city’s name was formally changed to Tokyo, meaning eastern capital, in
1868, when the nearly 700-year shogunate period came to an end, and the new
emperor, Meiji, moved his residence there. Although Tokyo has remained the de
facto capital ever since, there are no rules on the books making it Japan’s
“official” capital, leaving some in the former imperial city of Kyoto to insist
that it is the rightful owner of the title.
2. A massive earthquake destroyed nearly half of Tokyo in
1923.
Just before noon on
September 1, 1923, a massive earthquake, measuring between 7.9 and 8.4 on the
Richter scale, erupted just 30 miles south of Tokyo, unleashing a massive burst
of energy that wreaked unprecedented damage on both Tokyo and the nearby city
of Yokohama, Japan’s largest port. The Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed more
than 45 percent of Tokyo and killed more than 140,000, making it the deadliest
natural disaster in Japanese history and the country’s second most powerful
earthquake, surpassed only by the 9.0 magnitude Tohoku earthquake that
triggered a massive tsunami in 2011. One of the largest losses of life occurred
near the Sumida River, as more than 44,000 Tokyo residents took shelter there
from encroaching flames. Late that afternoon, a 300-foot-tall ball of fire
engulfed the area, killing all but 300 of those gathered. As
authorities–hampered by the near total destruction of the city’s water
mains–struggled to contain the fires, rumors spread throughout the city of
widespread looting and vandalism by Korean immigrants, angered by Japan’s 1910
annexation of Korea. The rumors were unfounded, but that did little to stop a
massive wave of reprisal killings—upwards of 5,000 Koreans were massacred in
the days following the earthquake.
3. The Allied bombing of Tokyo was just as destructive as that
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
World War II-era bombing
of Japan began just months after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, when
aviator James Doolittle led his famed raid of 16 B-25 bombers on targets in
Tokyo and Yokohama. Aerial attacks intensified in late 1944 following the
Allied capture of Pacific islands that put them (and the new, highly advanced
B-29 bomber) in striking distance of Tokyo. In the following months, the Allies
began a devastating series of nighttime firebombing raids, culminating in
Operation Meetinghouse, when more than 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs were
dropped over Tokyo in just 48 hours, destroying 16 square miles around the city
and killing between 80,000 and 130,000. It remains the single most destructive
bombing raid in history.
4. Tokyo has the world’s busiest metro system.
First opened in 1927 and
greatly expanded in preparation for the 1963 Summer Olympics, Tokyo’s mass
transit system, only part of which runs underground, is the busiest in the
world, ferrying more than 8.7 million commuters a day–and more than 3.2 billion
annually–along its 200 miles of tracks. Congestion in the system is so great
that metro officials have long employed a fleet of oshiya, or “pushers,” whose
job it is to safely cram as many people as possible into overcrowded subway
cars. In March 1995, Tokyo’s subway system was the target of domestic terrorism
attack when members of the Aum Shinri Kyo doomsday cult carried out a sarin gas
attack in several stations, killing 13 people and injuring more than 1,000.
5. Japan is home to the oldest monarchy in the world.
Dating from approximately
660 B.C., the Imperial House of Japan has seen 125 monarchs placed on what is
often known as the Chrysanthemum Throne, making it the longest lasting
continuous monarchy in the world. With just a few exceptions (including a few
early 19th century reigning empresses) the throne has been held exclusively by
men. In 2005, a judicial panel recommended doing away with laws restricting the
monarchy to males, but no changes have been made official. The reigning
emperor, Akihito, assumed the throne in 1989. Unlike nearly all of his imperial
predecessors, Akihito never served in the Japanese military, instead attending
the prestigious Gakushuin University, where his classmates included musician
and artist Yoko Ono.
6. Tokyo is home to more people than any other metropolitan
area.
Today, the larger metropolitan Tokyo area is home to more than 35 million
people, with more than 13 million residing in the city center itself. It is the
largest metropolitan area in the world by population. As the city has continued
its sprawl over more than 5,200 square miles, it has been sub-divided into
numerous smaller, often self-governing entities, including 23 “special wards”
that form the core of the city, three dozen smaller cities, villages and towns,
and a series of often far-flung islands, including Minami-Tori-shima (Marcus
Island) and the Okinotorishima atoll, both more than 1,000 miles away from
central Tokyo. And though it has earned well-deserved recognition as one of the
most densely populated cities in the world, many might be surprised to learn
that more than one-third of the larger metro area has actually been designated
as natural parkland, under the protection of Japan’s government.
Clancy's comment: Tokyo is an interesting city. The people are great and it has some of the cutest kids you'll ever see. The food is pretty awesome as well.
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