Tokyo Prefecture is home to Japan’s bustling capital city, Tokyo. Interestingly, there is no distinct area called “Tokyo City”. Instead the Tokyo Metropolitan Area consists of 23 special wards (“-ku”), each with their own mayor and local municipal government. The governor of Tokyo Prefecture governs the 23 wards as well as the further away municipalities which make up the rest of the prefecture.
Although Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world in terms of square kilometers, many people are surprised to know that you can also find nature, mountains and open spaces both in the city and in the more rural suburbs. Tokyo is full of paradoxes and contrasts: old and new, city and nature, tradition and modernity, business and pleasure, days filled salarymen hurrying about and nights filled with bright neon lights. It truly gives meaning to the phrase “never a dull moment”.
There are many different sides to this thriving metropolis and there is always something new to discover.
