Before 1868, Tokyo was known as Edo. Edo existed as a small castle town until Tokugawa Ieyasu established his feudal government there in 1603. From that point, Edo began to grow into one of the largest cities in the world. With the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the emperor moved from Kyoto to Edo, renaming it Tokyo (Eastern Capital). While this spurred the continued growth of the city, it has suffered significant destruction over time, first in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and then in the air raids of 1945.
Despite its turbulent past, Tokyo today is a gleaming modern metropolitan area of over 12 million residents (or approximately 10% of Japan's population). By Japanese law, Tokyo is a "metropolis" rather than a city. Tokyo is Japan. It is the heart of the country's politics, finance, business, education, and popular culture. This also means that Tokyo can boast the largest concentration of universities, museums, theaters, corporate headquarters, and financial institutions in the country.
All of this translates into unparalleled opportunities for studying abroad. Japan's quality higher education institutions offer challenging learning opportunities. As an international finance center with a nominal GDP of about $1.315 trillion, Tokyo is an excellent location to pursue an internship, particularly for those interested in international business and related fields. The metropolis is home to some of the world's largest investment banks and insurance companies.
