Tokyo is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and has been the capital since 1869. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world with 39 million residents, and a $2.5 trillion economy larger than that of any other city; if it were a country; Tokyo would be the 8th largest economy in the world. Tokyo is often referred to as a city, but is officially known and governed as a "metropolitan prefecture", which differs from and combines elements of a city and a prefecture, a characteristic unique to Tokyo.

Tokyo can't be judged from the outside, since those expecting ancient monuments will instead be greeted with modern drabness. The Imperial Palace, still home to the Emperor, shouldn't be missed, and the Edo-Tokyo Museum details the city's history. Sensoji Temple is the city's oldest, and the Tokyo National Museum holds the largest collection of Japanese art in the world. Tokyo's neon-lit streetscapes still look like a sci-fi film set – and that's a vision of the city from the 1980s. Tokyo has been building ever since, pushing the boundaries of what's possible on densely populated, earthquake-prone land, adding ever taller, sleeker structures.

With a population of 13.65 million people, Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is a world-leading megalopolis. Its gross metropolitan product is valued at USD 930 billion (FY 2013), an amount rivaling the GDP of the Netherlands. Tokyo has 2,964 major companies with a capital of 1 billion yen or more. This figure is about half of the total number of such companies in Japan. An international business center, Tokyo is also home to 76% of the foreign-affiliated companies in Japan, with over 2,300. Tokyo also ranks top class in the world in number of Fortune Global 500 company headquarters. Such a large accumulation of companies serves as a magnet attracting even more companies to Tokyo, driving the city’s economy.