A Concise History of Tokyo

Unlike many of the places we’ve visited, Tokyo doesn’t have a history which streches far into the past. In fact, before the close of the 19th century, Tokyo didn’t even exist; the city was called Edo. But Tokyo’s rapid ascension from village to “World’s Biggest City” has been as catastrophic as it has been meteoric; growing pains are always the most brutal for those who mature too quickly.

3000 BC
The first appearance of humanity in the Kantō Plain.


628 AD
Fishermen brothers discover a Buddhist i...