Tokyo, Japan - Part I

Japan........ Love in tokyo... famous bollywood song that gives a glimpse of Tokyo city. Lets learn more about Tokyo which is also one of my favorite cities around the world. Japan is known as Nippon in Japanese that means 'Land of the Rising sun'.

It is one of the three 'commanding centers' for the world economy along with New York and London.Tokyo is the capital of Japan. It is one of the most advanced international cities. Tokyo is the 4th most livable city in the world. It is also one of the largest metropolitan area of Japan with a population of more than 13million. It is also one of the most populous city of the world. The city has many distinctions to its credit:

• Second most expensive city for employees
  
• Fourth most livable city in the world and one of the world's biggest metropolitan city.

Tokyo metropolis was formed in 1943 from the merger of Tokyo prefecture and the city of Tokyo.

Geography

It is located in the eastern part of the Honshu island. Total area of the city is 844.4 miles. Tokyo has numerous outlying islands that extend as far as 1850 km from central Tokyo. The Izu islands are group of volcanic islands and form part of the Fuji Hakone Izu national park. Tokyo is most earthquake prone city. It has been hit by earthquakes many times since 17th century. In 1923 there was a massive earthquake with 8.3 magnitude which killed 142,000 people. The city is located near the boundary of the three plates.

Infrastructure

Economy

Now since we know that Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in this world, lets see the economic structure in this city and the country of Japan. According to an estimation Tokyo urban area has total GDP of US $1.479 trillion in 2008. In 2009, around 51 companies were listed on the global 500 which were based in Tokyo. It is a major international financial capital. It houses the headquarters of world's largest investment banks and insurance companies. Tokyo was rated as world's most expensive cities 14yrs in a row in 2006.

The Tokyo stock exchange is Japan's largest stock exchange, and third largest in the world. Tourism in Tokyo is also one of the major contributor to the economy. Tokyo's currency is Yen.

Cityscape

Panoramic view of Tokyo - Wikipedia

Tokyo, world's one of the most advanced city was also one of the Japan's oldest city. Architecture in Tokyo is greatly influenced by its history. This metropolis has been left in ruins twice: first in 1923 by the earthquake and later after world war II. Tokyo's landscaping is one of modern and contemporary architecture, older buildings are scarce. Tokyo features two distinctive towers: Tokyo tower and the new Tokyo sky tree which is the tallest tower in Japan and second tallest in the world. Tokyo also has numerous parks and gardens.

Transportation

Tokyo is Japan's largest domestic hub for rain, ground and air transport. Public transportation in tokyo is extensive network of efficient trains and subways operating throughout the city. Narita international airport is the largest airport for international travelers to go to Japan. Rail is the primary transport in Tokyo and it houses extensive railway network in the city. Through many Japanese friends I have learnt that the people are not so aggressive drivers in Japan compared to other countries.

Sports

Tokyo hosts diverse array of sports. It is home for the baseball clubs. The Japan sumo association is also based in Tokyo where official sumo tournaments are held annually. Tokyo hosted the summer olympics in 1964. Tokyo hosts lot of national and international sporting events like Tennis, swimming, marathons, American football, judo and karate. It is said that Tokyo is bidding to host 2020 summer olympics.

Culture

Many different festivals are celebrated throughout Tokyo. The city showcases brilliant blend of modernity of fast moving world and an ancient and devout culture. The history of Japan beckons an ancient civilization that incorporates many customs and traditions. Bowing, tea ceremony and ikebana are the common among them. Japanese are considered to be most polite people in the world. As a matter of fact, politeness is considered as a part of Japanese culture. Bowing is the way to greet people in Japan. Japanese are also sensitive about their etiquettes. There are some famous festivals in Japan Sejin-no-hi which is the youth festival, then there is the famous Doll festival. Some festivals have their roots in chinese festivals but they have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs. 'Matsuri' is the japanese word for a festival.

Hina-matsuri is the Japanese Doll festival which is held on March 3rd. Platforms covered with red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls representing Emperor, Empress, attendants, musicians of Heian period. Formerly, people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits. There is an ancient Japanese custom, where straw dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, they are believed to take bad troubles with them.

Japan celebrates the entire season of cherry blossoms. A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus prunus or Japanese cherry. The custom is said to have started during the Nara period when it was ume blossoms that people admired in the beginning. In Japan, cherry blossom symbolizes clouds due to their nature of blossoming. During world war II, the cherry blossom was used to motivate the Japanese people, to stroke nationalism and militarism among the population. They are also used to inspire Japanese spirit.

The kimono is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. 'kimono' means thing to wear. The earliest kimonos were influenced by traditional Han chinese clothing called hanfu.

Read part II of this article where i will talk about Japanese history, Japan's participation in world war II and lot more..