The history of Tokyo dates back over 400 years. It has a long and fascinating history that surely cannot be done justice by my mediocre offerings here, but for those short on time and, especially for those who don’t mind missing out on massive chunks of decidedly important information, here is my version:
Tokyo was originally named Edo. At some later stage, elder statesmen grew particularly frustrated, possibly (but not verifiable by evidence) at having such a major city named with only 3 letters, and decided upon a longer 5 letter name, Tokyo.
1603 – The Tokugawa Shogunate was established in Edo, and Edo became the cultural capital of Japan, but in a time before YouTube it is debatable as to how important that title was. The official capital at this time was Kyoto, although that apparently dull and tedious city at the time was falling immensely short in the culture department. The Emperor lived in Kyoto, partaking in his usual emperoresque activities, although seemingly unconcerned about the lack of culture in his hometown.
1868 – The Edo period ends, and the Meiji Restoration begins. The Emperor moves to Edo, presumably in a 3-tonne box truck with a few mates and a slab of beer for when they finished hauling his fridge up the stairs, and Edo is renamed Tokyo. Tokyo, already the cultural capital, adds the official capital feather to its rather impressive hat.
1912 – The Taisho period begins. During this time, the number of Japanese people moving to Tokyo drastically increases, although still absent from the urban landscape at this point are cat and maid cafes, robot restaurants, pachinko parlours and hostess bars with inebriated salarymen bent over outside with a silk necktie fixed around their head while vigorously heaving up half a bottle of expensive Japanese whiskey.
1912 to 1986 – Quite possibly skipping a few historical events during this period, which any run-of-the-mill text book may explain much better than I.
1986 – Huge economic growth, massive stock price rises and unprecedented land price hikes were in full swing and the “bubble” economy had begun. Karaoke and hostess bars were on every Tokyo corner and company entertainment expense accounts almost dwarfed the GDP of entire nations. If you weren’t swilling whiskey and giving a rising rendition of a Carpenters song until 4am on a Tuesday morning, then your position at the company was looking rather futile.
Mid 1990s onwards – While Japan’s economy started to slow and the bubble did ultimately burst, the country and its amazing capital didn’t throw its samurai sword on the ground and give up. Tokyo kept on evolving and fighting. It kept being eccentric. Robot restaurants, owl cafes, electric towns, rent a friend services, vampire bars, giant robots, ninja museums, fishing inside restaurants, eating potentially lethal puffer fish in an eatery that has a staircase that seems potentially lethal – the list goes on and on of things that make Tokyo an unconventionally breathtaking place. The economic bubble may have burst, but the bubble of amazing energy, contagious enthusiasm and lovable eccentricity continues to grow!
Japan Boy Running 