A massive internal migration of people looking for jobs and for opportunities in an economy that was growing by leaps and bounds.
Japan today is one of the most highly urbanized countries in the world.
The three largest urban centers are the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya metropolitan areas. To see the speed and extent of Japan's urbanization, it is helpful to divide Japan's urbanization into four phases. The phases are reference points. They show urbanization in an historical context at different periods of time. The majority of the Japanese lived in rural areas and worked on the farm.