TOKYO, formerly called YEntio, the capital of Japan, and chief residence of the mikado; on a bay of the same name; on the S. E. coast of Hondo, the largest of the Japanese islands, and connected by rail with Yokohama and Kanagawa. The bulk of the houses are of wood, but there are many new buildings of brick and stone. The greater part of the town is flat, and intersected by numerous ca nals crossed by bridges. The streets are generally narrow and irregular. Educa tion is well organized, and there are 700 private and elementary schools. Tokyo contains the imperial university, and it may be considered the center of the polit ical, commercial, and literary activity of Japan. The total area of the city is about 30 square miles. It is composed of a number of towns rather than forming a single city. The Sumida River divides the city in two equal parts. The eastern portions along the river border and fronting the bay, are level and low. The western portions rise into hills of con siderable height, with a dense popula tion in the valleys separating them. The chief architectural feature of the city is the palace enclosure within the grounds of the ancient castle. The pal
ace of the Emperqr is constructed in mixed Japanese-European architecture. It stands in the midst of a beautiful park called Fukiage. East of the capital is the commercial portion of the city, with many important banks, shops, ho tels and dwellings. A long street passes from northeast to southwest, through the city, and forms the main thoroughfare. It is a broad street with rows of trees and has electric cars and electric lights. Other streets and lanes radiate from it in all directions. While there are some buildings of modern construction, the greater number are old and unimpos ing.
In the northern part of the city is the arsenal, to which is attached a beauti ful garden. Other notable buildings are the Imperial University, the Imperial Mu seum, and several great temples. On the west bank of the Sumida is the Imperial Park. In the southern part of the city is Shiba Park. Beyond this is the temple of Sankakuji. The city has many delightful suburbs. It has few industrial interests, although there are numerous factories in the neigh borhood. Pop., about 2,300,000.