How long was kyoto the capital of japan

During the Taisho era , the number of people working in cities increased, and a growing proportion of citizens began to lead consumer lifestyles. Educational standards improved, and the number of girls going on to study at higher schools increased. Performing arts such as theater and opera thrived. The fires caused by the earthquake burned the city center to the ground. Over , people were reported dead or missing, and , houses were destroyed.

After the earthquake a city reconstruction plan was formulated, but because the projected costs exceeded the national budget only a small part of it was realized. Beginning shortly after the Great Kanto Earthquake, the Showa era started in a mood of gloom. By the resident population of Tokyo had grown to 6.

However, the Pacific War, which broke out in , had a great impact on Tokyo. The dual administrative system of Tokyo-fu prefecture and Tokyo-shi city was abolished for war-time efficiency, and the prefecture and city were merged to form the Metropolis of Tokyo in The metropolitan administrative system was thus established and a governor was appointed.

In the final phase of the war, Tokyo was bombed times. The heaviest air raid was on March 10, , in which there was great loss of life and material damage. The war came to an end on September 2, , when the Japanese government and military representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender. Much of Tokyo had been laid waste by the bombings and by October the population had fallen to 3.

In August of that year, the present 23 special-ward system began in Tokyo Metropolis. The s were a time of gradual recovery for the nation. Television broadcasting began in , and Japan joined the United Nations in Economic recovery was aided in particular by the special procurement boom arising from the outbreak of the Korean War in Due to technological innovations and the introduction of new industries and technologies, this period saw the beginning of mass production of synthetic fibers and household electric appliances such as televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines.

As a result, the everyday lives of the residents of Tokyo underwent considerable transformation. In the population of Tokyo broke the 10 million mark. Entering the s, the strain of rapid economic growth became apparent as the country was beset by environmental issues such as pollution of the air and rivers, as well as high levels of noise.

The Oil Crisis of brought the many years of rapid economic growth to a halt. In the s, Tokyo took large steps in economic growth as a result of its increasingly global economic activity and the emergence of the information society. Japan enjoyed tremendous growth under the bubble economy, but with the burst of the bubble at the beginning of the s, sinking tax revenues caused by the protracted economic slump led to a critical state in metropolitan finances.

Tokyo was, however, able to overcome this financial crisis through two successive fiscal reconstruction programs. Kyoto has actually suffered a lot due to the capital change as it led to a scarcity of resources and a population shift. However, the dominance of the western capital slowly decreased as the Imperial court and the Diet have been permanently established in Tokyo. The modernization and growing popularity of Tokyo made it the only capital of Japan eventually, unlike Kyoto which has remained as a symbol of old Japan.

However, Kyoto still enjoys a lot of tourism and popularity. Which city is your favorite? Featured image: jp. Why do the Japanese always clean? The city was rectangular in shape and was 4. The city slowly started to expand towards the east, and powerful clans built their residences in central locations of the new capital city. The Heian period was a relatively peaceful era compared to what came after when the balance of power shifted from Kyoto to the east of Japan.

While it was the Emperor and the families surrounding the Imperial Family who had the political power in the Heian period, in the Minamoto clan grabbed this power and brought it to the new capital city Kamakura located 40 kilometers south of nowadays Tokyo. This new political structure is called a shogunate and had the shogun as a military leader ruling the country.

When the shogunate in Kamakura fell in , the power once again shifted back to Kyoto where they established another shogunate. This was the time when many temples that we still can see today were constructed such as the Golden Pavillion and the Nanzenji. However, during the Kamakura period, Buddhism became a lot more powerful and popular and this made it possible to commission the building of many new temples.

Unfortunately, a large part of the city was destroyed during a war in the midth century. In the late 16th century the civil war was finally ended by Toyotomi Hideyoshi , who then commissioned the building of the beautifully decorated Jurakutei Palace and Fushimi castle of which some parts still survive today.

In a shogunal residence was built in Kyoto, this is the Nijo Castle that can still be seen today.