Imperial Palace, National Capital

• State:
• Country: Japan

  Tokyo, known as Edo until 1868, is a coastal city with an intricate history. In 1457, Edo Castle was constructed and in 1603 it became the seat of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Under the Tokugawas, the city was constructed in order to profit from the natural waterways that serve as transportation canals. By the early 1700's, the population of Tokyo was already estimated at 1.2 million, while the population of London and Paris was 650,000 and 500,000 respectively. In 1868, with the overthrow of the Tokugawas and the beginning of the Meiji era, Edo became capital of Japan under a new name, Tokyo, which means "Capital of the East" . Tokyo's main sections lie either on or within the Japan Railways (JR) Yamanote line, a metro system that circles central Tokyo. At the center of this maze is the Imperial Palace, which is west of the exclusive Ginza and the commercial Marunouchi sectors. To the west of the Imperial Palace, you will find Akasaka then south of this area is Roppongi. To the western edge of Tokyo center is the bustling Shinjuku area. Ikebukuro is in the northwest, and the cultural center of the city, Ueno and Asakusa, is northeast of the Imperial Palace. Population:12,002,369, Metro 31,224,700