Greater Tokyo Area

The Greater Tokyo Area is a lairge metropolitan area in Kantō region, Japan (includin Tokyo Metropolis an the prefecturs o Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi an Gunma) as well as the prefectur o Yamanashi o the neehbourin Chūbu region. In Japanese, it is referred tae bi various terms, includin the , , , an ithers.

A 2016 Unitit Naitions estimate puts the tot population at 38,140,000 makkin it the warld's maist populous metropolitan area. It kivers an area o thareby 13,500 km² (5,200 mi²), givin it a population density o 2,642 person/km² - whilk is some mair nor twice the population density o Bangladesh. It is the seicont lairgest single metropolitan area in the warld in terms o biggit-up or urban function landmass at 7,800 km² (3,000 mi²).demographia.com - World urban areas Anerlie the New York metropolitan area, at 17,405 km², is lairger.

This area haes the lairgest metropolitan economy in the warld. Ane Metropolis, Three Prefecturs, ane o the definitions o the Greater Tokyo Area, haed a tot GDP (nominal) o approximately US$1.9 trillion (165 trillion Yen) in 2008. Accordin tae research published bi PricewaterhouseCoopers, the agglomeration o Tokyo haed a tot GDP o US$1.479 trillion in 2008 (at purchasin pouer parity), rankin again as the lairgest urban agglomeration GDP in the warld.

Definition

Thare are various different definitions o the Greater Tokyo Area.  Ilka airt haes a different population figure an ettles at incorporatin different aspects.

Various definitions o Tokyo/Kantō

Metropolitan area nameDetailsPopulationArea (km2)Population Density (Fowk/km2)AgencyPop DateCairtUmwhile area o Tokyo Ceety Leemit 23 special wairds 8,949,447  621.9  14,390  Japan Statistics Bureau   2010 Census  right|140pxTokyo Metropolis  excludin Izu/Ogasawara Islands 13,047,446  1808  7,216.5  Japan Statistics Bureau  2010 Census  right|140pxTokyo Metropolitan Employment Area   aw municipalities that hae leastweys 10% o thair population commutin tae 23 special wardsFigures for this definition are complex tae update athout a major re-study.  35,303,778  10,403.76  3,348.2  Center for Spatial Information Service, the University o Tokyo  2015  right|140pxMaist Commonly Uised DefinitionMisses mony mair distant suburbs that lay ootwi the prefectural borders, inspecially in Ibaraki an GunmaIncorporates spairsely settlet landwart destricts lik Nishitama an even islands lik Minamitorishima, 1850 km awa frae central Tokyo  35,623,327  13,555.65  2,627.9  Japan Statistics Bureau  2010 Census  right|140px Ane o the twa definitions the Japan Statistics Bureau uisesConsists o aw municipalities that hae leastweys 1.5% o thair population a ged 15 an abuin commutin tae a designatit ceety (Yokohama, Kawasaki, Sagamihara, Chiba, an Saitama) or the 23 special wardsAfore Saitama became a designatit ceety in 2001, the area wis cried Maist locally detailed definition, but haurd tae update athoot major re-studyExcludes adjacent metropolitan areas o Gunma, Ibaraki, an Utsunomiya (:ja:宇都宮都市圏) which are urbanized but hae some sma touns in atween them an Tokyo.  34.6 million       Japan Statistics Bureau  2000  right|140px Set o municipalities that are completely or maistly athin 50 an 70 kilometre o the Tokyo Metropolitan Govrenment Biggins in ShinjukuSuburbs tend tae stend in a finger lik ootwart alang major commuter train routes an density builds alang express stops, no homogenous-lik, sae thir definitions arena the maist accurate definition  30,724,000(50 km) an 34,394,000 (70 km) respectively  -  -   Japan Statistics Bureau  2000  right|140pxKantō region Broad regional definition includes mony rural areas  42,607,376  32,423.9  1,314.1  Japan Statistics Bureau  2010 Census  right|140pxNaitional Caipital Region  Accordin tae the Naitional Caipital Region Plannin Act Includes mony rural areasEssentially Kantō plus Yamanashi 43,470,148  36,889.28  1,178.4  Japan Statistics Bureau  2010 Census  right|140px

Internaitional Comparison
Ane Metropolis 3 Prefecturs definition, the tot size is smawer than Los Angeles Coonty, an amaist a third smawer at 13,555.65  km² than the Combined Statistical Area o New York, at 30,671 km². an 21.9 million fowk.

Metropolitan Area definition ambiguities an issues
The  is a potentially ambiguous term. Informally, it mey mean the Ane Metropolis, Three Prefecturs, or the area athoot Saitama Prefectur. Formally, it mey mean the Sooth Kantō Block, whilk isna the Greater Tokyo Area, but a proportional representation block o the naitional election, comprisin Kanagawa, Chiba, an Yamanashi Prefecturs.
In informal occasions, the term  aften means Greater Tokyo Area. Offeecially, the term refers tae a hintle lairger area, namely the hale Kantō region an Yamanashi Prefecture.
 It should be notit that Tokyo as a metropolis includes some 394 km o islands (Izu Islands an Ogasawara Islands), as weel as some muntainous areas tae the far wast, whilk isna pairt o Greater Tokyo, but hae comparatively vera smaw population.

Ceeties

(populations leetit for those ower 300,000)

Ceeties athin Tokyo
Tokyo is legally classifee'd as a , a wird whilk is translate as "metropolis," an is treatit as ane o the fowerty-seiven prefecturs o Japan. It isna admeenistered as a single ceety.

Eastern Tokyo Metropolis

Central Tokyo, situatit in the eastren portion o Tokyo Metropolis, wis ance incorporatit as Tokyo Ceety, whilk wis dismantled durin Warld War II. Its subdiveesions hae been reclassifee'd as . The twinty three special wairds currently hae the legal status o ceeties, wi individual mayors an ceety cooncils, an is cried "ceeties" in Scots. Housomeivver, whan leetin Japan's lairgest ceeties, Tokyo's twinty three wairds are aften coontit as ane ceety.  See: Special wairds o Tokyo

Wastren Tokyo Metropolis
Wastren Tokyo, kent as the Tama Area (Tama-chiiki 多摩地域) comprises a nummer o municipalities, includin thir suburban ceeties:

Akiruno
Akishima
Chōfu
Fuchū
Fussa
Hachiōji (pop 540,000)
Hamura
Higashikurume
HigashimurayamaHigashiyamato
Hino
Inagi
Kiyose
Kodaira
Koganei
Kokubunji
Komae
KunitachiMachida (pop ower 410,000)
Mitaka
Musashimurayama
Musashino
Nishitōkyō
Ōme
Tachikawa
Tama

Ceeties ootside Tokyo

The core ceeties o the Greater Tokyo Area ootside Tokyo Metropolis are:

Chiba (population 940,000)
Kawasaki (population 1.36 million)
Saitama (population 1.19 million)
Yokohama (population 3.62 million)

The ither ceeties in Chiba, Kanagawa an Saitama Prefecturs are:
Abiko
Ageo
Asahi
Asaka
Atsugi
Ayase
Chichibu
Chigasaki
Chōshi
Ebina
Fujimi
Fujimino
Fujisawa (pop 400,000)
Fukaya
Funabashi (pop 580,000)
Futtsu
Gyōda
Hadano
Hannō
Hanyū
Hasuda
Hatogaya
Hidaka
Higashimatsuyama
Hiratsuka
Honjō
Ichihara
Ichikawa (pop. 470,000)
Inzai
IrumaIsehara
Kamagaya
Kamakura
Kamogawa
Kashiwa (pop 380,000)
Kasukabe
Katsuura
Kawagoe (pop 330,000)
Kawaguchi (pop 500,000)
Kazo
Kimitsu
Kisarazu
Kitamoto
Koshigaya (population 318,000)
Kōnosu
Kuki
Kumagaya
Matsudo (pop 480,000)
Minamiashigara
Misato
Miura
Mobara
Nagareyama
Narashino
Narita
Niiza
Noda
Odawara
OkegawaSagamihara (pop 710,000)
Sakado
Sakura
Satte
Sawara
Sayama
Shiki
Shiroi
Sodegaura
Sōka
Tateyama
Toda
Tōgane
Tokorozawa (pop 338,000)
Tomisato
Tsurugashima
Urayasu
Wakō
Warabi
Yachimata
Yachiyo
Yamato
Yashio
Yōkaichiba
Yokosuka (pop 420,000)
Yoshikawa
Yotsukaidō
Zama
Zushi

soorce: stat.go.jp census 2005

Addeetional ceeties
In the major metropolitan area (MMA) definition uised bi the Japanese Statistics Bureau, the follaein ceeties in Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Yamanashi, an Shizuoka Prefecturs are includit:

Gunma Prefectur
Tatebayashi

Ibaraki Prefectur
Inashiki
Ishioka
Jōsō
KasumigauraKoga
Moriya
Ryūgasaki
TorideTsuchiura
Tsukuba
Ushiku

Shizuoka Prefectur
Atami

Tochigi Prefectur
Oyama

Yamanashi Prefectur
Ōtsuki
Uenohara

Border areas 
Tichter definitions for Greater Tokyo dinna include adjacent metropolitan areas o Numazu-Mishima (thareby 450,000) southwastlins, Maebashi-Takasaki-Ōta-Ashikaga (thareby 1,500,000 fowk) norwastlins, an Greater Utsunomiya (:ja:宇都宮都市圏) approx. 1,000,000) norlins.  Gif thay are included, Greater Tokyo's population wad be aroond 39 million.

900px|thumb|center|Tokyo skyline frae the northwast. The skyscrapers o Shinjuku lie 23 kilometers away on the ither side o ferms, pairks, an suburbia. The trees in the foregrund are the mairch o Tokyo an Saitama.

Geografie
At the centre o the main urban area (approximately the first 10 km frae Tokyo Station) are the 23 special wards, umwhile treatit as a single ceety but nou govrened as separate municipalities, an containin mony major commercial centres sic as Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro an Ginza. Aroond the 23 special wards are a multitude o suburban ceeties whilk merge seamlessly intae ilkanither tae form a continuous biggit up area, circumnavigatit bi the hivy-traivelt Route 16 whilk forms a (broken) luip aboot 40 km frae central Tokyo. Situatit alang the luip are the major ceeties o Yokohama (tae the sooth o Tokyo), Hachiōji (tae the wast), Ōmiya (nou pairt o Saitama Ceety, tae the north), an Chiba (tae the east). Athin the Route 16 luip, the coastline o Tokyo Bay is hivily industrialised, wi the Keihin Industrial Area stretchin frae Tokyo doun tae Yokohama, an the Keiyō Industrial Area frae Tokyo eastwart tae Chiba. Alang the periphery o the main urban area are hantle new suburban hoosin developments lik the Tama New Town. The landscape is relatively flat compared tae maist o Japan, maist o it comprisin law braes.

Ootwi the Route 16 luip the landscape becomes mair landwart. Tae the soothwast is an area kent as Shōnan comprisin various ceeties an touns alang the coast o Sagami Bay, wi thair lang beaches comprisin black volcanic saund, an tae the wast the area is muntainous.

Mony rivers rin throu the area, the major anes bein Arakawa an Tama River.

Economy

Tokyo haes the lairgest ceety economy in the warld an ane o three command centres alang wi New York Ceety an Lunnon.

 Greater Tokyo Area 2005 
2005 average exchynge rate (1 US Dollar = 110.22 Yen)
 Prefecture Gross Prefecture Product(in billion Yen) Gross Prefecture Product(in billion US$) Tokyo   Kanagawa   Saitama   Chiba   Ibaraki   Tochigi   Gunma   Yamanashi   The Ane Metropolisan Three Prefectures   Naitional Caipital Region  
Source 

  GDP (purchasin pouer parity) 2005  
200px|thumb|Tokyo Touer
The agglomeration o Tokyo is the warld's lairgest economy, wi the lairgest gross metropolitan product at purchasin pouer parity (PPP) in the warld in 2005 accordin tae a study bi PricewaterhouseCoopers.The 150 richest cities in the world by GDP in 2005

 Rank Urban agglomerations Kintra GDP(PPP)  (in billion US$) 1 Tokyo   2 New York Ceety   3 Los Angeles   4 Chicago   5 Paris   6 Lunnon   7 Osaka   8 Mexico Ceety   9 Philadelphia   10 Washington, D.C.  

Transportation


Air
The Greater Tokyo Area haes twa major airports, Tokyo International Airport, commonly kent as Haneda Airport (chiefly domestic) an Narita International Airport (chiefly internaitional). Minor facilities include the Chōfu an Honda Airport. Tokyo Heliport serves helicopter traffeck, includin polis, fire, an news. Various military facilities haundle air traffeck: Naval Air Facility Atsugi (Unitit States Navy an Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force), Hyakuri Airfield (Japan Air Sel-Defense Force), Yokota Air Base (Unitit States Air Force), an Camp Zama (Unitit States Airmy). Hyakuri is bein developit for ceevil aviation wi plans for service that begin in Mairch 2010; it is cried Ibaraki Airport.

Rail
Greater Tokyo haes an extensive railway netwirk comprisin heich-speed rail, commuter rails, subways, monorails, private lines, trams an ithers. Thare aroond 136 individual rail lines in the Greater Tokyo Area, an atween 1,000 tae 1,200 railway stations dependin on ane's definition o the area, maist designed for hivy uise, uisually lang eneuch tae accommodate 10-caur trains. Major stations are designed tae accommodate hunders o thoosans o passengers at ony speceefic time, wi miles o connectin tunnels linkin vast department stores an corporate offices. Tokyo Station haes unnerground connections that streik weel ower 4 kilometer, an Shinjuku Station haes weel ower 200 exits. Greater Tokyo's Railway Network is easy considered the warld's lairgest in terms o baith daily passenger throughput wi a daily trips o ower 40 million (20 million different passengers) as weel as physical extent wi approximately 2,578 kilometer o track. Some 57 percent o aw Greater Tokyo residents uised rail as thair primary means o transport in 2001.Urban Transport Fact Book - Tokyo-Yokohama suburban rail summary

JR East an mony ither carriers crisscross the region wi a network o rail lines. (See this map  showin the Suica/PASMO acceptin area that roughly corresponds wi Greater Tokyo). The maist important carriers include Keihin Kyūkō Electric Railway (Keikyū), Keisei Electric Railway, Keiō Electric Railway, Odakyū Electric Railway, Seibu Railway, Tōbu Railway, an Tōkyū Corporation. In addition tae Tokyo's twa subway seestems — Tokyo Metro an Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei an Toden lines), Yokohama operates three lines. The Tokyo Monorail provides service tae Haneda Airport an ither destinations.

Ither
The Shuto Expressway seestem connects ither naitional expressways in the caipital region.

Tokyo an Yokohama are major commercial seaports, an baith the Maritime Self-Defense Force an Unitit States Navy mainteen naval bases at Yokosuka.

References

Freemit airtins
Urban Employment Areas in Japan  (2000)

Category:Tokyo