TOKYO, the capital of the empire of Japan, situated in 35° N. and 139° 45' E., at the head of the bay of the same name on the south-east coast of the main island. In old times the city was called Yedo. The city stands on the banks of the river Su mida, which, although wide, is unnavigable by vessels of large tonnage owing to its shallowness. Yokohama, with which Tokyo is connected by 18 m. of railway, is practically the port of the capital. The trains of the Tokai-do line, starting from the Shim bashi station, run westwards to Kobe, thence to Shimonoseki, at the western end of the main island, a distance of 700 m. The Uyeno station is the starting-point for trains to Aomori, a town 46o m. away, at the northern extremity of the island. The area of Tokyo is about zoo sq.m. Topographically it may be divided into two parts, upland and lowland (Yamanote and Shitamachi). There are hills varying in height from 5o to 13o ft. in the upland district; that is to say, the outskirts of the city from north to west. Lowland Tokyo, that part of the city covering the flats on both sides of the river Sumida, is intersected by a system of canals. The Nihon-bashi (Bridge of Japan), in the district of the same name, is famous, from this point all distances in Japan are measured. The largest bridges are those named Azuma, Umaya, Ryogoku, Shin-o and Eitai over the Sumida.
The streets are still, in some places, narrow and irregular; elec tric tramcars run throughout the city carrying passengers at a uniform rate of 5 sen, which means that it is possible to travel some io m. for about one penny. The jinrikisha, drawn by one man or sometimes two men, which were formerly the chief means of passenger conveyance, have notably decreased in number since the introduction of the trams. Tokyo suffers frequently from earthquakes. The numerous residences of the daimyos were the chief characteristics of the old town, especially in the Kojimachi ku. Many of these have been demolished and government offices erected on their sites; others have given place to new streets and houses. Nearly in the centre of Kojimachi-ku, on an eminence, surrounded by moats, stood the castle of Yedo, formerly the resi dence of the shOguns, which was burnt down in 1873. The im perial palace was subsequently erected on this site. The palace is
half European and half Japanese in its style of architecture. The Nijil-bashi is the main entrance. Hibiya Park is modelled on the European style, while retaining the special features of the Jap anese gardeners' art. The largest and most beautiful parks are those in Shiba and Ueno, formerly the mausolea of the shoguns. In Ueno, too, are the Imperial Museum, the Imperial Library and the Zoological Gardens. The famous temple of Kwannon, the goddess of mercy, is in Asakusa Park, in which a permanent fair is held.
Suburban Tokyo is divided into eight districts or Gun, which, with the city proper, collectively form the Tokyo-Fu (prefecture), under the general control of one governor called Fu-Chiji. Ques tions affecting the interests of the whole Fu come before the Fu kwai, or prefectural assembly, made up of representatives from both Ku and Gun, and a prefectural council, of which the governor is president ; while matters concerning the city alone are discussed by a Shi-kwai, or municipal assembly, and administered by a mu nicipal council, of which the Shicho or mayor is president. There is a regular water supply worked by the municipality. Both po lice and fire brigade are under the command of a single Keishi sokan (inspector-general). The telephone system is extensive, including long-distance wires to Yokohama, Osaka and other large towns. There are many schools for advanced students devoted to the various branches of science, mechanics and art. The imperial university of Tokyo, which consists of the colleges of law, medi cine, literature, science, engineering and agriculture, is the prin cipal institution of learning in the empire. There are several daily newspapers as well as weekly and monthly publications of all kinds. In the lowland part of the city and in the suburbs there are many factories, their number having so much increased recently that Tokyo may now be described as an industrial city.