Tokyo, originally known as Edo serves as the metropolis's and Japan's capital city. It is situated on the Pacific coast of central Honshu, at the head of Tokyo Bay. The greatest urban and industrial agglomeration in Japan, Greater Tokyo, is centred on this broad metropolitan region.

Tokyo's location has been inhabited for a very long period; the tiny fishing village of Edo was there for many years. Edo did not become a city until the Tokugawa period (1603–1867), when it was chosen to be the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. However, the imperial family stayed in Kyto, the former imperial capital, during this time. The capital was shifted to Edo during the Meiji Restoration in 1868, which put an end to the shogunate. Tokyo, which means "eastern capital," was given to the city. Japan's largest metropolis, Edo, having been so since the 17th century. In the late 19th century, Tokyo had a population of over a million people, and in the 20th century, as the political, economic, and cultural capital of Japan, it surpassed one million. The summers are hot and muggy, and the winters are pleasant. Early summer and early autumn are rainy seasons; September and October typically see two or three typhoons.

The metropolitan area is Japan's greatest financial, commercial, and industrial hub. The headquarters of numerous local and foreign financial institutions, as well as other companies, are located in central Tokyo. The city serves as a significant hub for the distribution of wholesale goods to all corners of the nation and the globe. Tokyo is a component of the Keihin Industrial Zone, which is the country's primary manufacturing region and is centred on the western shore of the bay. The majority of the city's industries are small and labour-intensive, particularly printing, publishing, and the creation of electrical devices.