50 Fun Facts About Tokyo

What was Tokyo called before 1868?

The name means 'estuary', from the settlement's spot where the Sumida River meets Tokyo Bay.

The name Tokyo literally means what?

It follows the East Asian habit of putting the character for 'capital' in a capital's name, as in Kyoto, Beijing and Nanjing.

Which shogun made Edo the seat of his government in 1603?

The emperor stayed in Kyoto as the nominal ruler while the Tokugawa ran the country from Edo for 250 years of peace.

Who fortified Edo with a castle in 1457, on the site of today's Imperial Palace?

He was assassinated in 1486; the fortress passed to the Uesugi, then the Hojo, before Ieyasu inherited it after the 1590 siege of Odawara.

Which American commodore's 1853 arrival ended Japan's seclusion and set Edo on the road to Tokyo?

He forced open the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate; the resulting inflation and unrest helped topple the last shogun in 1867.

The Great Fire of Meireki in 1657 killed an estimated how many people in Edo?

A saying held that 'fire and quarrel are Edo's flowers'; the disaster prompted the city's first formal firefighting brigades.

On what date did the Great Kanto Earthquake strike?

It hit at 11:58 am with lunch fires burning; the quake and firestorm killed an estimated 105,000 in Tokyo and levelled Yokohama.

The 1923 earthquake wiped out what share of Japan's economic output?

Concrete buildings survived far better than timber and brick, which pushed the city toward earthquake-proof construction.

The Ginza Line, opened in 1927 between Ueno and Asakusa, was the first underground railway where?

It remains the oldest metro line in Asia.

In 1943 the city merged with its surrounding prefecture to form what?

That is why Tokyo is governed like a prefecture, with a governor and assembly rather than a single city mayor.

The US firebombing of 9-10 March 1945, codenamed Operation Meetinghouse, is described as what?

About 16 square miles burned and some 100,000 civilians died, more than at Dresden, Hamburg or either atomic bombing as single events.

How many special wards make up central Tokyo?

They formed Tokyo City until 1943; each now calls itself a 'city' in English but works more like a London borough.

Which special ward holds the National Diet Building and the Imperial Palace?

Shinjuku is the administrative centre where the metropolitan government sits, and Shibuya the commercial hub.

Tokyo's most distant island, Minami Torishima, lies how far from the city centre?

It is Japan's easternmost point; Okinotorishima, also Tokyo, is the southernmost.

What is the highest mountain within Tokyo's boundaries?

It rises 2,017 m in the mountainous west; Fuji itself is about 100 km southwest and belongs to other prefectures.

Tokyo's latitude of about 35.65 degrees north puts it further south than which of these cities?

It also lies south of New York and Beijing, which surprises people who picture it as a northern city.

The Greater Tokyo Area had how many residents as of 2025?

The city proper passed 14 million in 2023; the metro area is the world's third most populous.

Tokyo Skytree stands 634 metres tall; why that number?

In Japanese numeric wordplay 6 is mu, 3 is sa and 4 is shi; the height was raised from a planned 610 m to claim the record.

Tokyo Skytree was completed on which unusual date in 2012?

It opened to the public on 22 May 2012 as the tallest tower in the world.

Tokyo Tower, completed in 1958, was modelled on which Paris landmark?

At 333 m it was 9 m taller than its Parisian model, yet weighed about 3,300 tons less; it is repainted every five years.

Up to how many people can cross Shibuya Crossing during a single green light?

It is called the world's busiest pedestrian crossing, with foot traffic that barely drops even at midnight.

Shinjuku Station, the world's busiest, handled how many passengers a day in 2018?

Guinness certifies the record; the complex has more than 200 exits.

The Yamanote Line, which loops around central Tokyo, has how many stations?

All but two connect to other lines, and the 34.5 km loop takes about an hour to ride round.

The first Shinkansen line opened in 1964 between Tokyo and which city?

The 552.6 km Tokaido route opened just before the Olympics, and the network now spans nearly 3,000 km.

Tokyo Station opened in which year?

Its red-brick Marunouchi facade faces the Imperial Palace; the Yaesu side faces the other way.

Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple, is dedicated to which figure?

Legend says two fisherman brothers pulled a statue of Kannon from the Sumida River in 628.

Meiji Shrine, dedicated in 1920, honours Emperor Meiji and whom?

It sits in a 70-hectare forest in Shibuya ward, planted from trees donated across Japan.

The Tokyo Imperial Palace grounds are built on the site of what?

The 1.15 sq km site became the Imperial Residence in 1948, and its East Garden opened as a public park in 1968.

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics were the first Games staged where?

They were also the first telecast live overseas by satellite, and the first to exclude apartheid South Africa.

Why were the 1964 Olympics held in October rather than summer?

The 2020 Games ignored the lesson and were held in the July-August heat, then postponed by a pandemic.

What was unique about the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, staged in 2021?

They were also the only Olympics ever postponed rather than cancelled; skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing debuted.

Which sports made their Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020?

Baseball and softball also returned; all but karate stayed on the programme.

Tokyo Dome, home of the Yomiuri Giants, was originally nicknamed what?

It opened in March 1988 with an all-seated capacity of 42,000.

Tokyo Disneyland, opened in 1983, was the first Disney park where?

It is owned by the Oriental Land Company under licence, and technically sits in Urayasu, Chiba, not Tokyo.

Akihabara earned the nickname Electric Town for being what after World War II?

It is now the centre of otaku culture: anime, manga, video games and maid cafes.

Which Tokyo district is known internationally as the centre of Japanese youth fashion?

Takeshita Street and Cat Street are its backstreets; Ginza is the upmarket shopping district.

The famous Tsukiji fish market closed in 2018 and moved its wholesale operations where?

Toyosu Market opened on 11 October 2018 as the world's largest wholesale fish market, serving some 50,000 traders a day.

When Michelin published its first Tokyo guide in 2007, how many stars did it award?

That was about twice as many as Paris, its nearest rival.

Hachiko, whose statue stands outside Shibuya Station, was what breed of dog?

He kept returning to the station to wait for Professor Ueno for almost ten years after his master's death in 1925.

Who directed the original 1954 Godzilla, in which the monster levels Tokyo?

Eiji Tsuburaya handled the effects; the film premiered in Nagoya before its national release.

In Lost in Translation, Bill Murray's fading movie star is in Tokyo to advertise what?

Sofia Coppola wrote the film after falling for the city while staying at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, where much of it is set.

How many of the Fortune Global 500 companies were headquartered in Tokyo as of 2025?

Tokyo's economy accounted for 21.2% of Japan's output in FY2022, and its metro area is the world's second-largest economy after New York.

Which city ended Tokyo's 14-year run as the world's most expensive city in 2006?

By 2023 a weak yen had made Tokyo 31% cheaper than New York, on a par with Beijing and Manchester.

Which architect designed the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building?

Kurokawa built the Nakagin Capsule Tower and the National Art Center; Kuma designed the 2020 Olympic stadium.

As of May 2024, Ueno Zoo was one of only three zoos in Japan keeping which animal?

It had four pandas as of May 2024, next to Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park; the last two were scheduled to return to China in early 2026.

The Ogasawara Islands, part of Tokyo, were under whose control until 1968?

They include Iwo Jima; the same year Narita airport's long planning battle, the Sanrizuka Struggle, was under way.

Which economist governed Tokyo for 12 years from 1967, bringing free elderly healthcare?

Ishihara later created Japan's first emissions cap; Koike has governed since 2016.

The old name Edo, a compound of kanji for 'cove' and 'gate', is usually translated as what?

It referred to the original settlement where the Sumida River meets Tokyo Bay.

Roughly what share of Tokyo Metropolis is covered by forest?

Cryptomeria and Japanese cypress dominate the mountainous west, and cryptomeria pollen is a major allergen for the city.

Which is the sole survivor of Tokyo's once 213 km Toden tram network?

Motorisation from the 1950s made trams seem unfit to share the city's busy roads.