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It’s one of the world’s biggest and most crowded
cities. So many people ride on its subway trains that the city employs “people
pushers.” These white-gloved workers push passengers into crowded subway cars
so the doors can close! This is Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
Tokyo is located on the east coast of Honshu,
the largest of Japan’s four main islands. The city spreads out on the Kanto
Plain, the biggest area of flat land in all Japan. Nearly one of every four
people in Japan lives in the Tokyo area. That’s more than 35 million people!
The World’s Largest Cities
|
|||
City
|
Country
|
2003 population*
|
|
1
|
Tokyo
|
Japan
|
35,000,000
|
2
|
Mexico
City
|
Mexico
|
18,700,000
|
3
|
São
Paulo
|
Brazil
|
17,900,000
|
4
|
New
York
|
United
States
|
18,300,000
|
5
|
Mumbai
(Bombay)
|
India
|
17,400,000
|
6
|
Los
Angeles
|
United
States
|
12,000,000
|
7
|
Kolkata
(Calcutta)
|
India
|
13,100,000
|
8
|
Shanghai
|
China
|
12,800,000
|
9
|
Dhaka
|
Bangladesh
|
11,600,000
|
10
|
Delhi
|
India
|
14,100,000
|
*Population figures are for metropolitan areas.
|
|||
Source: Population Division of the United Nations.
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THE HUB OF JAPAN
Tokyo is Japan’s leading city. The city is filled
with factories, large office buildings, banks, restaurants, religious shrines,
and shops of all sizes. It is a center for Japanese art and is home to more
than 100 colleges and universities. Located at the head of Tokyo Bay, the city
is also a major seaport.
Many people move from other parts of Japan to
attend college and then work in Tokyo. Most Japanese companies have their
headquarters in Tokyo.
At the heart of Tokyo is the Imperial Palace.
High walls, a water-filled moat, and a large park surround the palace. This is
where the emperor of Japan lives with his family. Japan’s emperors once ruled
the country, but today they have little real power.
Located near the palace are the most important
government buildings, including the National Diet Building. That’s where
Japan’s parliament meets.
GETTING AROUND IN A CROWDED CITY
The streets of Tokyo are packed with cars,
streetcars, buses, taxis, motorcycles, and bicycles. All this traffic
overwhelms the roads in and around Tokyo. Many of the city’s streets are narrow
and crooked. It’s so crowded that Tokyo residents must prove that they have an
off-street parking spot in order to own a car!
Most people in Tokyo use mass transportation.
Every day, millions of people ride Tokyo’s rail and subway lines. Fast trains,
called bullet trains, connect Tokyo with Osaka and other major Japanese cities.
EARTHQUAKES AND FIRE
Tokyo has suffered many devastating earthquakes and
fires. The most serious disaster in Tokyo’s modern history was an earthquake
and fire in 1923. The disaster killed more than 100,000 people and destroyed
much of the city. Today, there are few tall skyscrapers in Tokyo because
earthquakes are so common.
TOKYO AFTER WORLD WAR II
During World War II, the downtown area of
Tokyo was almost totally destroyed by Allied bombing. American soldiers
occupied Tokyo for seven years after the war ended in 1945.
The United States helped Tokyo rebuild, but the
greatest improvements happened after American forces left in 1952. In 1964,
Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympics. The city built new roads, a monorail, hotels,
and athletic facilities in preparation for the event.
TOKYO TODAY
Today, Tokyo is one of the world’s most modern
cities. But crowding, a lack of affordable housing, and pollution all are
serious problems. The Japanese government has encouraged people to live in
Tokyo’s many suburbs—outlying areas of the city.
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