Disclosure : This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

An Armchair Traveller`s History of Tokyo

Presents the modern capital of Japan from the first forest clearances on the vast Kanto plain, through the wars and intrigues of the samurai era, up to the preparations for the 2020 Olympics. Tokyo (the `Eastern Capital`) has only enjoyed that name and status for 150 years. Before then it was the site of Edojuku (`Estuary Camp`), a medieval outpost designed to keep watch over rich farmlands. Whereas the imperial court ruled Japan from the sleepy city of Kyoto the land-owners of the Kanto plain held the true wealth and power, which they eventually asserted in a series of bloody civil wars. As `Edo` in the early modern period, the Tokyo region became the administrative centre of Japan`s Shogun overlords and the site of a vibrant, vivid urban culture of theatres, taverns and brothels. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, it became Japan`s true capital, home to the emperors, seat of government and site of rapid urban growth.

Related Products:

A History of Tokyo An Armchair Traveller`s History of Beijing An Armchair Traveller`s History of Apulia A History of Tokyo 1867-1989: From Edo to Showa: The Emergence of the World`s Greatest City Tokyo Tuttle Travel Pack: Your Guide to Tokyo`s Best Sights for Every Budget The Little Book of Tokyo Tokyo: Architectural Guide Tokyo – Capital of Cool: Tokyo`s Most Famous Sights from Asakusa to Harajuku Tokyo Stories Lost Guides – Tokyo & Beyond: A Unique, Stylish and Offbeat Travel Guide to Tokyo and Beyond Tokyo for Free Tokyo Vice Cool Japan: A Guide to Tokyo, Kyoto, Tohoku and Japanese Culture Past and Present Tokyo Borch Japan – A Traveller`s Literary Companion Armchair Traveller`s History Of Cambridge An Armchair Traveller`s History of Finland Tokyo Pop-Up Book: A Comic Adventure with Neko the Cat – A Manga Tour of Tokyo`s most Famous Sights – from Asakusa to Mt. Fuji The Rough Guide to Tokyo Diary of a Tokyo Teen: A Japanese-American Girls Draws Her Way Across the Land of Trendy Fashion, High-Tech Toilets and Maid Cafes Tokyo – A Cultural & Literary History Clueless in Tokyo: An Explorer`s Sketchbook of Weird and Wonderful Things in Japan Tokyo Street Food The Last Children of Tokyo Tokyo Flexi Map The Bells of Old Tokyo: Travels in Japanese Time DK Eyewitness Top 10 Tokyo Secret Tokyo Tokyo Stories: A Japanese Cookbook Tokyo – Exploring the City of the Shogun A Manga Lover`s Tokyo Travel Guide: My Favorite Things to See and Do In Japan Turkey – A Traveller`s History City Trails – Tokyo Civil War London: A Military History of London Under Charles I and Oliver Cromwell Tokyo Year Zero Japan: A Traveller`s History Angry White Pyjamas: An Oxford Poet Trains with the Tokyo Riot Police The Tokyo Zodiac Murders Tokyo Station Tokyo PopOut