Geography and administrative divisions

Flag of Tokyo. The sun is a stylized Kanji character of Tokyo-Nihon, which represents the developing capital city Tokyo. Adopted October 1, 1964.

This map shows the mainland portion of Tokyo. Colors indicate the 23 Special Wards and Western Tokyo. Reclaimed land on Tokyo Bay (such as Odaiba) has been omitted for clarity. The islands cannot be shown at this scale.

Tokyo includes two major parts, the mainland and the islands. The mainland portion of Tokyo lies northwest of Tokyo Bay, and measures about 90 km east to west and 25 km north to south. It borders Chiba Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the west, Kanagawa Prefecture to the south, and Saitama Prefecture to the north. Mainland Tokyo is further subdivided into the 23 Special Wards, which occupy the eastern half, and western Tokyo, or Tama. Tokyo also includes two island chains in the Pacific Ocean directly south — the Izu Islands which are almost parallel to the Izu Peninsula, and the Ogasawara Islands which stretch more than 1,000 km away from mainland Japan.

Under Japanese law, Tokyo is designated as a to (都, often translated "metropolis"). Its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other prefectures. Within Tokyo lie dozens of smaller entities, most of them conventionally referred to as cities. It includes 23 special wards (特別区 -ku) which until 1943 comprised the city of Tokyo but are now separate, self-governing municipalities, each with a mayor and a council, and having the status of a city. In addition to these 23 municipalities, Tokyo also encompasses 26 more cities (市 -shi), five towns (町 -chō or machi), and eight villages (村 -son or -mura), each of which has a local government. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is headed by a publicly-elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its headquarters are in the ward of Shinjuku. They govern all of Tokyo, including lakes, rivers, dams, farms, remote islands, and national parks in addition to its famous neon jungle, skyscrapers and crowded subways.

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The 23 special wards

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku

The world's busiest pedestrian crossings, the scramble crossing in front of the Hachikō exit of Shibuya station

The 23 special wards (tokubetsu-ku) of Tokyo comprise the area formerly known as Tokyo City. Each ward is a local municipality with its own elected mayor and assembly, differing from an ordinary city in that certain governmental functions are handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and, for most, also differing in having no particular center and little cultural or similar distinctiveness from the immediate surroundings. As of September 1, 2003, the official total population of the 23 wards combined was about 8.34 million, with a population density of 13,416 persons per square kilometer.

The term "central Tokyo" today may refer to the 23 wards, the area within the Yamanote Line loop, or to the three "central wards" of Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato. While the generally-accepted center of Tokyo is the Imperial Palace, as a rail-centric city, there are a number of major urban centers where business, shopping, and entertainment are concentrated around major train stations. These include:

• Shinjuku — Location of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building . It is best known for Tokyo's early skyscrapers, erected since the early 1970s. Major department stores, electronics stores, and hotels can be found. On the east side of Shinjuku Station, Kabuki-cho is notorious for its many bars and nightclubs. Shinjuku Station moves an estimated three million passengers a day, making it the busiest in the world.

• Marunouchi and Otemachi — The main financial and business district of Tokyo has many headquarters of banks, trading companies, and other major businesses. The area is seeing a major redevelopment with new buildings for shopping and entertainment constructed in front of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi side.
• Ginza and Yurakucho — Major shopping and entertainment district with department stores, upscale shops selling brand-name goods, and movie theaters.
• Shinbashi—By being the gateway to Odaiba and having the new Shiodome Shiosite complex of high-rise buildings, this area has been effectively revitalized.
• Shinagawa — In addition to the major hotels on the west side of Shinagawa Station, the former sleepy east side of the station has been redeveloped as a major center for business.
• Shibuya — A longtime center of shopping, fashion, and entertainment, especially for the younger set. Shibuya is also home to some of Tokyo's largest and newest nightclubs.
• Ikebukuro — Anchored by the Sunshine City (which was once Tokyo's tallest building) hotel and shopping complex, this is another area where people gather due to the various train lines shooting out of Ikebukuro Station.
• Ueno — Ueno Station serves areas north of Tokyo from where many people commute. Besides department stores and shops in Ameyoko, Ueno boasts Ueno Park, Ueno Zoo, and major national museums. In spring, Ueno Park and adjacent Shinobazu Pond are prime places to view cherry blossoms.
• Odaiba — A large, reclaimed, waterfront area that has become one of Tokyo's most popular shopping and entertainment districts.
• Kinshicho — Major shopping and entertainment area in eastern Tokyo.
• Nagatacho — The political heart of Tokyo and the nation. It is the location of the Diet, government ministries, and party headquarters.
• Akasaka — District with expensive restaurants, clubs and hotels, next to Roppongi, Nagatacho, and Aoyama.
• Aoyama — A neighborhood of Tokyo with parks, an enormous cemetery, expensive housing, trendy cafes, and international restaurants (includes the subway station Omotesando).

Transportation

JR Yamanote Line

Map of Tokyo Subway system, with transfer stations labeled.

Main article: Transportation in Greater Tokyo

Tokyo is Japan's largest domestic and international hub for rail, ground, and air transportation. Public transportation within Tokyo is dominated by an extensive network of clean and efficient, if often very crowded trains and subways run by a variety of operators, with buses, monorails and trams playing a secondary role. Railway stations are not only transport, but the center of Tokyo and Japanese urban life, as everything is judged in relation to it, taking on the significance of highways in the United States and elsewhere.

Within Tokyo, Tokyo International Airport ("Haneda") offers mainly domestic flights. Outside Tokyo, Narita International Airport, in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, is the major gateway for international travelers.

Rail is the primary mode of transportation in Tokyo, which has the most extensive urban railway network in the world and an equally extensive network of surface lines. JR East operates Tokyo's largest railway network, including the Yamanote Line loop that circles the center of downtown Tokyo. Tokyo Metro and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation operate the subway network. The metropolitan government and private carriers operate bus routes. Local, regional, and national services are available, with major terminals at the giant railroad stations, including Tokyo and Shinjuku.

Expressways link the capital to other points in the Greater Tokyo area, the Kanto region, and the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku.

Taxis operate in the 23 Special Wards and the cities and towns. Long-distance ferries serve the islands of Tokyo and carry passengers and cargo to domestic and foreign ports.

List of special wards

Name	Kanji		Population	Pop. Density (per km²)	Area (km²)	Major districts
Adachi	足立区		621,848	11,688.87	53.20	Kitasenju, Takenotsuka
Arakawa	荒川区		186,275	18,262.25	10.20	Arakawa, Nippori, Minamisenju
Bunkyō	文京区		181,065	16,009.28	11.31	Hongo, Yayoi, Hakusan
Chiyoda	千代田区		37,988	3,263.57	11.64	Nagatacho, Kasumigaseki, Otemachi, Marunouchi, Akihabara, Yurakucho, Iidabashi
Chūō	中央区		81,996	8,078.42	10.15	Ginza, Nihonbashi, Kachidoki, Tsukishima, Tsukuda, Tsukiji, Hatchōbori, Kayabachō, Shinkawa
Edogawa	江戸川区		637,571	12,787.22	49.86	Kasai, Chuo, Koiwa
Itabashi	板橋区		525,969	16,349.67	32.17	Itabashi, Takashimadaira
Katsushika	葛飾区		426,403	12,238.89	34.84	Tateishi, Aoto
Kita	北区		327,086	15,885.67	20.59	Akabane, Oji, Tabata
Kōtō	江東区		398,805	10,111.69	39.44	Kiba, Ariake, Kameido, Toyocho, Monzennakacho, Fukagawa, Kiyosumi, Shirakawa, Etchūjima, Sunamachi
Meguro	目黒区		255,833	17,403.61	14.70	Meguro, Nakameguro, Jiyugaoka
Minato	港区		167,098	8,215.24	20.34	Odaiba, Shinbashi, Shinagawa, Roppongi, Toranomon, Aoyama, Azabu, Hamamatsucho, Tamachi
Nakano	中野区		313,325	20,097.82	15.59	Nakano
Nerima	練馬区		674,826	14,012.17	48.16	Nerima, Oizumi, Hikarigaoka
Ōta	大田区		661,157	11,119.36	59.46	Omori, Kamata, Haneda, Denenchofu
Setagaya	世田谷区		829,624	14,284.16	58.08	Setagaya, Sangenjaya, Shimokitazawa, Tamagawa
Shibuya	渋谷区		201,524	13,337.13	15.11	Shibuya, Ebisu, Harajuku, Hiroo, Sendagaya, Yoyogi
Shinagawa	品川区		332,536	14,636.27	22.72	Shinagawa, Oimachi, Gotanda
Shinjuku	新宿区		297,135	16,299.23	18.23	Shinjuku, Takadanobaba, Okubo, Kagurazaka, Ichigaya
Suginami	杉並区		530,307	15,588.10	34.02	Koenji, Kamiogi, Asagaya
Sumida	墨田区		221,093	16,079.49	13.75	Kinshicho, Morishita
Toshima	豊島区		252,764	19,428.44	13.01	Ikebukuro, Senkawa, Komagome
Taitō	台東区		162,685	16,139.38	10.08	Ueno, Asakusa
Overall			8,324,913	13,500.22	616.65

West Tokyo

West of the 23 wards, Tokyo consists of cities, towns and villages which enjoy the same legal status as those elsewhere in Japan. While serving a role as "bed towns" for those working in central Tokyo, some of these also have a local commercial and industrial base. Collectively, these are often known as "West Tokyo."

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Cities

Twenty-six cities (in the administrative sense) are within the western part of Tokyo.

Akiruno Akishima Chofu Fuchu Fussa Hachioji Hamura Higashikurume Higashimurayama Higashiyamato Hino Inagi Kiyose

Kodaira Koganei Kokubunji Komae Kunitachi Machida Mitaka Musashimurayama Musashino Nishi-tokyo Ome Tachikawa Tama

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Districts, towns, and villages

The far west is occupied by the district (gun) of Nishitama. Much of this area is mountainous and unsuitable for urbanization. The highest mountain in Tokyo, Mount Kumotori, is 2,017 m high; other mountains in Tokyo include Mount Takasu (1737 m), Mount Odake (1266 m), and Mount Mitake (929 m). Lake Okutama, on the Tama River near Yamanashi Prefecture, is Tokyo's largest lake.

• Hinode
• Mizuho
• Okutama
• Hinohara