A Brief History

Before 1868, Tokyo was known as Edo. Previously a small castle town, Edo became Japan's political center in 1603 when Tokugawa Ieyasu established his feudal government there. A few decades later, Edo had grown into one of the world's largest cities. During the Meiji Restoration of 1868 the emperor and capital moved from the old capital of Kyoto to Edo, renaming it as Tokyo (Eastern Capital). The majority of Japan's population live in the 23 wards that make up Tokyo, estimating 37 million people in 2024. Tokyo is constantly reinventing itself while simutaneously preserving buildings as old as Sensoji Temple which was first opened in 645 AD.