Tokyo Day

What Is Tokyo Day?

Every July 17th is "Tokyo Day" (東京の日, Tōkyō no Hi) in Japan. On the 17th day of the 7th month of Keiō 4 on the old lunar calendar (September 3, 1868), Emperor Meiji issued the imperial edict "Edo wo shōshite Tōkyō to nasu no shōsho" (江戸ヲ称シテ東京ト為スノ詔書) — declaring that Edo (江戸) would henceforth be called "Tokyo" (東京, "Eastern Capital"). This renaming — from Edo, the Tokugawa Shogunate's castle town, to Tokyo, the new imperial capital — symbolized the transformation of Japan's power structure from shogunal to imperial government and marked the shift of Japan's governmental center to what would become one of the world's largest metropolitan areas. On the same day, the Edo Prefecture office (Edo-fu) was renamed Tokyo-fu.

The Renaming of Edo

Edo had been Japan's de facto capital since 1603, when Tokugawa Ieyasu established his shogunate there. The city grew from a modest castle town into one of the world's most populous cities by the 18th century, with a population said to exceed one million. Yet throughout the Edo period, Kyoto remained Japan's formal imperial capital — the seat of the Emperor, whose role was ceremonial rather than governmental. The Meiji Restoration's renaming of Edo as Tokyo — "Eastern Capital" — completed the political inversion: the Emperor traveled from Kyoto to Tokyo that autumn, Edo Castle was renamed Tokyo Castle, and the shogunal capital became the imperial capital. Interestingly, the edict gave no reading for 東京, and until around the 1880s–90s it was read both "Tōkyō" and "Tōkei."

Tokyo's Extraordinary Growth

From its 1868 renaming, Tokyo grew into one of history's great cities. The Meiji era's industrialization, the postwar economic miracle, and continuous migration from rural Japan transformed a feudal castle city into a global megalopolis. Greater Tokyo today — encompassing Tokyo Metropolis and surrounding prefectures — is home to tens of millions of people — one of the world's largest metropolitan areas — and one of the world's great centers of culture, commerce, technology, and cuisine.

Tokyo's Identity

Tokyo's identity is inseparable from its role as Japan's national capital — the concentration of government, finance, media, entertainment, and corporate headquarters that makes it simultaneously the most Japanese and the most globally connected city in the country. "Tokyo vs. the regions" (東京対地方, Tōkyō tai chihō) is a persistent theme in Japanese social policy, as the capital's gravitational pull continues to drain population from regional cities and rural areas.

Fun Facts

• Edo's legacy: Although Tokyo was heavily damaged and rebuilt after the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake and the air raids of World War II, its road network is still built around radial roads spreading out from the former Edo Castle (today's Imperial Palace) and ring roads linking them, and traces of Edo-era streets can still be found in many places.
• World city rank: Tokyo consistently ranks near the top of major global city rankings, alongside cities such as London and New York, for its combination of economic power, cultural influence, quality of life, and global connectivity.