35 Amazing Tokyo Curiosities | With Images

If you are asked what is the capital of Japan, you will surely answer that Tokyo, but this is not completely true. According to the Japanese tradition, the capital of the country is where the emperor has his residence. For almost 150 years it has resided in Tokyo and therefore it is the de facto capital and for that reason it was officially named capital in 1869. However, if the emperor decided to change his residence, he would change the capital. Join us to know 35 Awesome Tokyo Curiosities that will surely interest you.

Tokyo is located in the center-east of the island of Honshu and is one of the 47 prefectures in which it is divided Japan, the country of the rising sun . Tokyo did not really exist as a city, but as a prefecture and is now considered a metropolitan prefecture at the same time. In the metropolis live more than 13 million people, but its metropolitan area exceeds 35 million, being the most populated in the world.

35 Curiosities of Tokyo

1. The most common romanization of the name of the city 東京 都 is Tokyo, although in Spanish and in many other languages ​​it is written with Latin "i".

2. The name of Tokyo means "Capital of the East."

3. Its existence goes back to the year 3000 a.C. and when it was simply a small fishing village, in the 12th century, it was called EDO. In 1868, when it became the capital for the residence of the emperor, it changed its name to Tokyo.

4. The gentilicio that is applied to the inhabitants of Tokyo is "tokiotas".

5. The metropolitan government of Tokyo administers the 23 neighborhoods, each of them with different characteristics. In many occasions you will hear about these neighborhoods or districts as if they were cities, which is very confusing for outsiders.

6. One of the curiosities of Tokyo is that it is one of the most modern cities in the world because of its design and infrastructures. This fact is due to the renovations that were undertaken after the earthquake of 1923 and the devastation that followed the bombing of the Second World War.

7. As we mentioned, each Tokyo district is different. One of the most striking is Harajuku, known for its alternative street fashion.

8. Another famous district is that of Ryōgoku that is known for its "fat men". In this neighborhood is Ryōgoku Sumo Hall and there are many Sumo academies.

9. The most commercial and busy area of ​​Tokyo is Ginza . It's as iconic as Times Square in New York, but older. In addition, 5 of the old roads that connect the main cities of Japan converge.

10. Nowhere in the world will you find so many vending machines like in Tokyo. On average there is one every 12 meters and in them you can buy practically everything; from hamburgers to clothing, candy, ice cream, technology, etc.

11. However, it is also possible to observe a more traditional trade. The biggest and busiest wholesale fish market on the planet is located in Tokyo. It's the Tsukiji.

12. At the Tsukiji every morning at 5 a.m. A tuna auction is held that has become one of the main tourist attractions in the city.

13. Another of the curiosities of Tokyo It's public transport. It has the largest and most populous train station in the world: Shinjuku. An average of 3.7 million people use it every day.

14. So that so many passengers can travel on trains, the Oshiya or "pushers" are hired in Tokyo. Its function is to push travelers aboard the train cars during rush hours so that they fit the maximum number of people in them.

15. In Tokyo there are two emblematic towers. The first is the Tokyo Tower that bears a great resemblance to the Eiffel Tower. However, it is 78 years "younger" and almost 9 meters higher. In addition, when it was built more modern materials were used so it weighs less than half that of Paris. Its function was to antenna analog signal transmission and since 2003 transmits digitally to the Kanto area. It has several tourist platforms from which you can see the capital.

16. In Tokyo there is a tradition of watching your partner turn off the lights of the Tokyo Tower. This augurs a lasting love.

17. The second tower is the Tokyo Skytree, which in 2010 was designated as the tallest tower in the world. The name was decided by popular vote, has the highest tourist footbridge in the world and was built to meet the demands of new technologies that the Tokyo Tower could not meet.

18. In the district of Hachiōji is Mount Takao. It is the most visited mountain on the planet and from the top the view is exceptional. In addition to its natural beauty, Mount Takao is known because as a reward for the excursion, there is a bar at the top where you can eat Udon and drink a beer.

19. Another of the curiosities of Tokyo It is to have in its streets some of the most expensive and famous restaurants in the world. It has nothing more and nothing less than 14 restaurants with 3 Michelin stars "and it is the city with more places classified in this guide of the world.

20. In Tokyo, in Shibuya, is the one that is believed to be the busiest crossing on the planet. There have been 2,500 people crossing at the same time, although the average is usually 1,000.

21. In the city is the Imperial Palace of Tokyo that has become a major tourist attraction despite the fact that most of the palace is closed to the public. On the occasion of the emperor's birthday some areas of the gardens open to visitors.

22. Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities in the world with the smallest houses. Because of this, the " capsule hotels " It is an economic and basic accommodation in which the guest has the minimum necessary to spend the night.

23. One of the most repeated images of Tokyo is that of a city full of luminous advertisements. This topic is true: the capital of Japan has more neon signs than any other city in the world.

24. Despite being the most populated metropolitan area on the planet, Tokyo is one of the safest places to travel. Their "per capita" crime rates are among the lowest of the world's major cities.

25. If you visit Tokyo and expect to see Mount Fuji, you are very likely to be disappointed. Another of the curiosities of Tokyo is that the mountain is only visible an average of 80 days a year from it. Experts say that this is due to clouds and the high concentration of dust in the air of the capital.

26. Spring in Japan is marked by cherry blossoms. This magnificent natural spectacle lasts approximately two weeks towards the end of March. In Tokyo you can enjoy the show in several places and one of the most popular is the Shinjuku National Garden Gyoen.

27. After the devastation of the bombings of the Second World War, the population of cherry trees was so decimated that from Washington DC sent cuttings of the cherry trees that grew in the capital as a gift from Japan before the war. They served to replace those that had been destroyed.

28. If you want to eat something typically Tokyo, you can order "Tokyo-style ramen". It is made with very thin noodles boiled chicken broth seasoned with soy. Cover the noodles with chopped chives, thin slices of pork, menma, egg, spinach, nori and kamaboko.

29. In Tokyo there are more than 100 universities and colleges. One third of the country's students study in the capital.

30. In Japan, temples number in the thousands, but in Tokyo you will have the opportunity to visit one of the oldest temples in the country. Is the Sensō-ji Temple in Tokyo . It is dedicated to the Buddhist goddess of compassion: Kannon. It was destroyed during World War II, but was rebuilt following the original style.

31. Another of Tokyo's famous temples is the Meiji Shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. It was built between 1915 and 1926 and was rebuilt in 1958. It is located in a forest of more than 70 hectares.

32. One of the curiosities of Tokyo is that despite being a metropolis so densely populated has a lot of parks. There is more of 6,000 parks and gardens that they cover more than 1,000 hectares of the city.

33. Tokyo hosted the Olympic Games in 1964 and will be again in 2020.

34. The penultimate of these curiosities of Tokyo we will dedicate it to one of the most characteristic facets of the Japanese culture, anime and manga . There is a very popular manga called "Saint Young Men" in which Jesus and Buddha share a room in Tokyo, while they are on vacation and try to understand the idiosyncrasy of Japanese society.

35. The last of these curiosities of Tokyo We dedicate it to fans of amusement parks. Tokyo Disneyland was the first park of the Disney firm outside the USA. At present, more than 20,000 people work in the complex.

Other Curiosities of Cities

And if you love to travel and know the secrets of the different countries and their urban centers, you can discover with us curiosities of Europe, curiosities of America Y curiosities of Asia from the most surprising data from other wonderful cities that you will surely be interested in such as: