If you hate crowds, I must tell you that Tokyo It is not a city that is made for you. It is not because, for a good handful of years, it has been the most populated in the world, and not for little.
In the capital of Japan live nothing more and nothing less than 37.4 million people, which to get an idea is almost like multiplying the population of Barcelona by 25.
Avoiding chaos through order
Despite the fact that many people live, chaos does not take over Tokyo as it does in other cities that appear in the Top 10 population like New Delhi (India) or Dhaka (Bangladesh). The Japanese are educated people who follow the rules and have a culture that makes it impossible for their streets to become ant hills. In addition, it must be said that its economic development also helps the sense of order to be seen.
Tokyo has changed a lot since its foundation in 1457. Although it is true that it still preserves a large number of buildings in more traditional Japan, it has managed to adapt to the new times to build skyscrapers that show that it is one of the world powers on an economic level.
The surface of Tokyo is 13,555 km2, which means that it has a density of 14,000 inhabitants / km2, which is more or less double that of New York. It is divided into 23 neighborhoods, a district and four sub-prefectures.
Why do so many people live in Tokyo?
The capital of Japan is not the most populous city by chance. There are many jobs offered there and that has made millions of people from other parts of the country decide to move to Tokyo for decades. 97% of the population is Japanesewhile minorities are Chinese and Korean. This explains why religious beliefs are widely distributed, being 38% Buddhist, 21% Shinto, and 13% Christian.
Another aspect that explains the high number of inhabitants has to do with birth and mortality. Of course, after World War II the birth rate fell considerably and its growth could be considered to be that of any modern city, only that the Life expectancy it does nothing but increase.
Tokyo is no longer what it was
As I mentioned above, Tokyo is a city that mixes traditional buildings with modern buildings, being the latter those that clearly predominate. Formerly the houses were made of wood and had no more than two floors, while now skyscrapers are built for housing and offices. Nowadays it is difficult to build a house with its own garden, patio and chapel, since the demand is considerable and the construction companies take advantage of it to make the most of the land by erecting large blocks of flats.
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Top 10 Most Populous City Ranking History (1950-2035) (April 2024)
- Tokyo
- 1,230
