Tokyo

Tokyo has had some dark chapters in its history. In 1923, the city was extensively destroyed in the great Kanto earthquake. Hundreds of thousands lost their lives due to collapsing buildings and the fires that subsequently spread throughout the city. After two decades of reconstruction, the city was again badly affected by the worst conventional bombing in history during the Second World War in 1945. None of this, however, could break the spirit of the locals. Today, the city is better positioned than ever and embodies a forward-looking cityscape with world-class infrastructure.

Tokyo has no real center. Instead, there are a number of sub-centers connected by a ring railway, the Yamanote Line. Each district has its own character and highlights. There's the flashy nightlife in Shinjuku's Kabukicho, the crazy youth fashion in Harajuku, the colorful neon signs in Shibuya, the alternative scene of Shimo-Kitazawa, the traditional atmosphere in Asakusa, and Japanese pop culture with video games and manga in Akihabara.

Tokyo (東京) literally means "eastern capital." This naming convention also exists in other regions of East Asia. Beijing (北京), for example, is the northern capital, and Nanking (南京) the southern capital.