Tokyo
Geography
Tokyo
Metropolis is situated in the center
of the Japanese archipelago in the
Kanto Region on the northwest of
Tokyo Bay. It borders Edogawa River
and Chiba Prefecture to the east,
mountains and Yamanashi Prefecture
to the west, Tamagawa River and
Kanagawa Prefecture to the south,
and Saitama Prefecture to the north.
Metropolitan
Tokyo is divided into smaller administrative
bodies – the “central” area, comprising
of 23 wards ( ku in Japanese);
the “western” area, made up of 26
cities ( shi in Japanese),
3 towns ( cho in Japanese),
and 1 village ( son in
Japanese); and the islands. Together
they are about 2,187 square kilometers,
running 25 kilometers north to south
and 90 kilometers east to west.
The
Wards:
The
23 wards of Tokyo are Adachi, Arakawa,
Bunkyo, Chiyoda, Chuo, Edogawa,
Itabashi, Katsushika, Kita, Koto,
Meguro, Minato, Nakano, Nerima,
Ota, Setagaya, Shibuya, Shinagawa,
Shinjuku, Suginami, Sumida, Toshima,
and Taito.
Chiyoda,
Chuo, Minato, Shibuya, Shinjuku,
Meguro, and Shinagawa form Central
Tokyo . Chiyoda includes the electronics
center Akihabara, the business center
Akasaka, and the Imperial Palace;
Chuo includes the famous shopping
area of Ginza and the fish market
of Tsukuji; Minato includes the
port district of Odaiba, the exclusive
district of Roppongi; and the skyscraper
district of Shiodome; Shibuya is
the fashionable shopping district;
Shinjuku includes the huge camera
stores, luxury hotels and skyscrapers;
Meguro is a residential area with
quite a few museums; and Shinagawa
is a business center.
Sumida,
Toshima, Taito, Bunkyo, and Koto
form ‘Downtown'. Sumida includes
the sumo district of Ryogoku; Toshima
includes the train hub of Ikebukuro;
Taito and Bunkyo form the heart
of Downtown and includes the museums
of Ueno and the temples of Asakusa;
and Koto is known for its woodlands
and the two rivers between which
it is located.
Adachi,
Arakawa, Itabashi, Kita, Nakano,
Nerima, Ota, Setagaya, and Suginami
are suburbs.
The
Wards are earthquake-prone, so a
number of wooden houses can be seen
in the area.
Together
the 23 wards cover an area of 621
square kilometers. Although most
of this area is developed, there
are still large stretches of green.
These green spaces consist of both
parks and gardens.
The
Western Area of Tama:
Tama
is located on the western side of
Tokyo . It consists of 26 cities,
3 towns, and 1 village. The cities
are Akiruno, Akishima, Chofu, Fuchu
, Fussa, Hachioji , Hamura, Higashi-kurume,
Higashi-murayama, Higashi-yamato,
Hino, Nishi-tokyo, Inagi, Kiyose,
Kodaira, Koganei, Kokubunji, Komae,
Kunitachi, Machida , Mitaka, Musashi-murayama,
Musashino, Ome, Tachikawa, and Tama.
The towns are Nishitama, Hinohara,
and Hinode; and the village is Mizuho.
Tama
covers an area of 1,160 square kilometers.
It is mainly urbanized and is known
for its high concentration of universities,
research institutes, and high-tech
industries. Tama also has a lot
of greenery, including large tracts
of forests; and several water bodies,
including rivers, streams, and lakes.
The best known among the water bodies
is Lake Okutama . The western part
is mountainous, the major mountains
being Mt. Kumotori , Mt. Takao ,
Mt. Mitake , and Mt. Mihara .
The
Islands :
The
two main island groups that form
part of Tokyo are Izu Islands and
Ogasawara Islands . Together covering
an area of 406 square kilometers,
the islands have lush green landscapes
and are filled with marine life.
Between them they have 2 towns and
7 villages. Since the islands are
geographically isolated, they are
less developed and population is
sparse. The main source of the income
is fishing.
Climate
of Tokyo :
The
climate of Tokyo is temperate to
sub-tropic. Winters are mild and
summers are hot and humid. The rainy
season comes in early summer, while
late summer is usually accompanied
by typhoons.
