The Japanese capital wasn’t always the bustling metropolis it is today. Here are images that show its journey.
NYPL
Before Tokyo matured into the gleaming, dense city it is today, it was a small fishing village called Edo.
Now home to over 13 million people, the Japanese capital has changed dramatically since its beginnings in the 12th century.
These maps, woodcuts, and old-time photographs show the journey of Tokyo from small village to today.
Source: National Geographic and Open Buildings
Source: Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology
Source: Urban Networks in Ch’ing China and Tokugawa Japan
Source: Edo, the City That Became Tokyo
Source: Columbia University
Source: Columbia University and “Japan in the 21st Century: Environment, Economy, and Society”
The city opened its iconic Ueno Park, filled with cherry blossoms, in 1924.
Source: Japan’s Ministry of Land and World Heritage Encyclopedia
Source: Japan Railway and Transport Review
Source: Go Tokyo
Source: “The Making of Urban Japan”
Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Source: Japan Times
