Originally a small fishing village named Edo, the city became a prominent political center in 1603, when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, Edo was one of the most populous cities in the world at over one million residents.
Following the end of the shogunate in 1868, the imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to the city, which was renamed Tokyo (literally “eastern capital”). Tokyo is the political and economic center of the country, as well as the seat of the Emperor of Japan and the national government.
Tokyo is officially the Tokyo Metropolis and is the capital of Japan. Its metropolitan area is the most populous in the world. With a population of 13,988,129 in 2022, Tokyo is the most populous city in Japan.
Tokyo is the largest urban economy in the world by gross domestic product (GDP), and is categorized as an Alpha+ city. Tokyo has many museums. In Ueno Park, there is the Tokyo National Museum, the country’s largest museum and specializing in traditional Japanese art; the National Museum of Western Art and Ueno Zoo.
Tokyo businesses and local city residents are rolling out the “Welcome to Tokyo”, and their best “You’re Welcome Here!”, Japanese welcome mats to visitors, local entrepreneurs, new startups, online sales, business founders, new residents, new contributors, and more value-added Japanese businesses.
The people of Tokyo encourages its residents to become inventors and creators of startups in retail, music, beauty, healthcare, hospitality, legal services, media, medical support, news services, information technology (IT), education technology to help Japan’s local business community to grow and prosper.