Prior to 1868, Tokyo was known as Edo. A small castle town in the 16th century, Edo became Japan's political center in 1603 when Tokugawa leyasu established his feudal government there.
A few decades later, Edo had grown into one of the world's most populous cities. With the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the emperor and capital were moved from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo ("Eastern Capital"). Large parts of Tokyo were destroyed in theGreat kanto Earthquake of 1923 and in the air raids of 1945.
Since the 1900's the rail-centric city of Tokyo had also become Japan 's lifeline making it the economic as well as the educational capital. Most of the country's prestigious Universities are based in Tokyo and also many international companies have headquarters in Tokyo . Japan 's chunk of wealth comes from Tokyo 's booming real-estate business . Tokyo was first connected with the world through air by the Narita International Airport , which was built in the 1970's at some distance from Tokyo city. Tokyo International Airport caters to the demands of domestic flying and is located within the city limits.
| Facts About Tokyo |
| Country | Japan |
| Latitude and Longitude | 35.6833° N, 139.7667° E |
| Population | 13,216,221 (Census 2012) |
| Area | 844.7 sq miles (2,188 sq km) |
| Languages | Japanese, English |
| Time Zone | (UTC+9) |
| Area Code | +81 (Japan) - 3 (Tokyo) |
| Airport Names | Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport), Narita International Airport, Hachijojima Airport, Miyakejima Airport, Oshima Airport |
| Ethnicity | Japanese |
| Points of Interest | Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Imperial Palace, Tokyo Disney Sea, Roppongi Hills, Sensō-ji, Kabukicho, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo National Museum, Meiji Shrine, Yasukuni Shrine, Edo-Tokyo Museum, Sumida River, Takeshita Street, Shinjuku Gyoen, Nakagin Capsule Tower, National Museum of Nature and Science, The National Art Center, National Olympic Stadium, Kabuki-za, Tokyo Opera City Tower, Shinjuku Park Tower, Hanazono Shrine, National Museum of Western Art, Shinjuku Sumitomo Building, Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, National Noh Theatre, Shinjuku Central Park, Meiji Jingu Stadium, Museum of Maritime Science, Setagaya Art Museum, Kanda River, Yūtenji, Hatoyama Hall, Shakujii River, Sompo Japan Building, Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Okura Museum of Art |
| Demonym | Tokyoites, Edokko |







