Tokyo was formerly known as Edo, and from 1603 it served as the "seat of power of the Tokugawa shogunate" and was thus the political center of Japan (Naito, 2003). Edo was a cultural hub and Naito asserts that "much of what is now thought of as traditional Japanese culture found its final form in Edo." Edo started life as a village when it was chosen as the site for a castle by Iesayu Tokugawa. The town arose around the castle. As the political center of the country, Edo soon became one of the largest towns in the country. In 1868, it was renamed Tokyo, meaning "Eastern capital."

Tokyo today is the world's largest city, with a metro population over 30 million people. The city is classed as an Alpha world city and is one of the economic and cultural hubs of the planet. Tokyo is one of the most...
[ View Full Essay]