Shuto
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Shuto
首都 | |
|---|---|
Capital City | |
| Shuto Metropolitan District | |
 Clockwise from top: Shibuya Skyline, Shibuya Square at Night, Imperial Park Main Gate, Daido Tower, Tayichian Imperial Diet, Shogungosho Obelisk | |
| Country | Tayichi |
| Province | Shuto Metropolitan District |
| Establishment | 1127 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Executive Mayoralty & Deliberative Assembly |
| • Body | Shuto Metropolitan Council |
| • Mayor | Masahiro Okawa (LDP-R) |
| Area | |
| • Capital City | 2,033.0 km2 (784.96 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 2,143 km2 (827.3 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 5,260 km2 (2,032 sq mi) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Capital City | 12,712,923 |
| • Rank | 1st in Tayichi |
| • Density | 6,253/km2 (16,200/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 15,300,000 |
| • Metro density | 2,910/km2 (7,530/sq mi) |
| Postal Code | 29 areas |
| Vehicle registration | 首都(SHU) |
| GDP (SMD) | 金1.5 Trillion ($926.1 Billion) |
| Per Capita | 金118,014 ($72,847) |
| GDP (Metropolitan) | 金1.8 Trillion ($1.1 Trillion) |
| Per Capita | 金116,450 ($71,895) |
Shuto is the capital and most populous city of Tayichi, located at the mouth of the Taīga river, one the western coast of the nation's largest island - Hashita. Most of the city is part of the Shuto Metropolitan District, a provincial-level authority. Its inner core, which is considered to be one of the world's leading centers of finance, commerce, culture, technology, entertainment, media, academics, art and fashion, is stretched out over numerous islands that make up the Taīga River Delta. Shuto is the center of one of the world's principal metropolitan economies.
With a population of around 12.7 million people, distributed over 785 square miles (2,033 km2), the city is the most densely populated major city in Tayichi. Shuto has more than double the population of Idaina, the nation's second-most populous city. Shuto is the demographic and economic center of the Taīga-Kaidō Megalopolis and the Shuto Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in Tayichi by both population and urban area. The city has long been the premier gateway for immigration to Tayichi, making it the most ethnically and linguistically diverse city in the country.
Whilst the current city was founded following its castle's construction in 1127, numerous former settlements predate Shuto due to the region's strategic position at the tip of the longest and most important river in Hashita. The city rapidly grew in the 18th and early 19th century following the end of Tayichian isolation, and became the largest in 1809, but was ravaged by a destructive earthquake in 1821. Following the earthquake the city was reconstructed in the Totariku architectural style, which is mostly based on Northern and Western Amnisian architecture. A large network of wide boulevards and grand monuments spanned the new city, converging at Shogungosho, while it also became the nation's new capital in 1837. In the early 20th century Shibuya, the new financial center of the city, became the center of a skyscraper construction boom, firstly in an art-deco style. Its skyline is still one of the most defining characteristics of Shuto today.
Shibuya, the Central Business District of Shuto, has long been called the main financial center of Borealia and one of the largest in the world. As of 2023, Shuto is one of the economically most powerful cities in Borealia, with a metropolitan GDP surpassing $1 trillion. If the Shuto Metropolitan Area were its own country, it would have one of the largest economies in the world. The city is home to the Shuto Imperial Exchange, one of the leading in terms of market capitalization, and is an established safe haven for global investors. Numerous billionaires, individuals of ultra-high net worth and millionaires reside within the city.
History
Geography
Shuto is situated on the western coast of Hashita, the largest island in the Tayichian Archipelago. Its location at the mouth of the Taīga River, which feeds into the Inner Sea, has historically helped the city in significance as a major trade port. Most of the Inner City is built on numerous islands within the delta, while the outskirts and suburbs are mostly situated on the mainland. The five most prominent islands that make up most of the city's central core are Meguro, Shibuya, Taito, Minato and Nerima.
During the latest glacial period, the area that today makes up Shuto was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet. The erosive movement of the ice led to the creation of a shallow bay which would later make up the majority of the Taīga River Delta. Additionally, that action left bedrock at a relatively shallow depth, providing a strong foundation for most of Shibuya's skyscrapers, as well as aiding in their earthquake resistance.
While the Taīga and its many distributaries are the primary freshwater waterways within the city, numerous smaller rivers and streams feed into them inside the city limits as well. The most notable is the Arakawa River, the second longest river in the Fachi region, which flows from the northeast into the Taīga in the Koto city district. Historically the most important of Taīga's distributaries was the Sumida, which seperates the Meguro, Shibuya, Nerima and Taito islands, as it was a major extension of the Port of Shuto.
The city's land has been altered substantially by human intervention, with considerable land reclamation and river engineering projects. The Taīga River Delta has been entirely channelized, stopping its natural change in shape and flow. Land reclamation is the most prominent along its coast, which has been mostly evened out, especially around the Port of Shuto. Some of the natural relief in topography has been evened out, especially in the inner islands.
The highest point within the limits of the Shuto Metropolitan District is Okutama near its southeastern end, at 232 meters.
Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, Shuto has a humid continental climate (Dfa). with a wide range of temperature between the summer and winter. Summers are generally warm and humid, but not oppressively hot, and winters are cold and very snowy, with an average snowfall of 4.79 m (15 ft 9 in) per year, mainly due to the mixing of the cold dry air from Northern Borealia flowing southwards. The city receives an average of 1,220 mm (48 inches) of precipitation annually, making it one of the wetter Tayichian cities. Shuto averages just below 2,000 sunshine hours annually. The mean annual temperature is 8.1°C (46.6 °F)
The highest temperature ever recorded in Shuto was 35.9°C (96.6°F) on August 21, 1997. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -27.7°C (-17.9°F) on January 29 1922.
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Natural Disasters
Earthquakes
Shuto is near the boundary between two tectonic plates, making it an extremely active region for smaller quakes and slippage which frequently affect the urban area with swaying as if in a boat, although epicenters within mainland Shuto are very rare. It is not uncommon in the metro area to have hundreds of these minor quakes (magnitudes 3–6) that can be felt in a single year, something local residents merely brush off but can be a source of anxiety for foreign visitors. They rarely cause much damage (sometimes a few injuries) as they are either too small or far away as quakes tend to dance around the region.
The frequency of large megathrust earthquakes hitting the city is a relative rarity, with only two records of an 8+ magnitude earthquake close by in 1598 and in 1821, although there are indirect effects from the much more seismically active eastern coast of Hashita. The 1821 earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 8.3 caused great damage to the city, which would lead to its eventual reconstruction in the Totariku architectural style it is recognizable by today.
Volcanic Eruptions
Mount Hōei is located some 95 km (60 mi) southeast of Central Shuto, although there is a very low chance of eruption, with the last recorded starting on November 30 1688 and ended on December 17 1688 (18 days). During the eruption, the amount of ash did not exceed 2 cm in the inner Shuto area, however there are no records of wind direction during that period. If the wind were to blow north-west it could send volcanic ash towards Shuto.
According to the government, less than a millimeter of the volcanic ash from a Mount Hōei eruption could cause power grid problems such as blackouts and stop trains in the Shuto metropolitan area. A mixture of ash with rain could stick to cellphone antennas, power lines and cause temporary power outages, while the affected area would need to be evacuated.
Areas
Whilst the Shuto Metropolitan District itself is divided into 40 Metropolitan Boroughs, many places within Shuto, especially its inner core, are identified using traditional and historic area names, such as Nippori, Kasai, Yahiro and Komaba, which often reflect the names of villages that have been absorbed by urban sprawl.
Such names have remained in use through tradition, each referring to a local area with its own distinctive character, but without official boundaries, although some, such as Shibuya and Taito, share their borders to some extent with their respective boroughs.
Minakashi and Naka-Meguro are Shuto's main entertainment and shopping districts, attracting numerous tourists. East and Southeast Shuto includes expensive residential areas where properties can sell for tens of millions of dollars. The average price for properties in Kitazawa is over 金4 million with a similarly high outlay in most of inner Shuto. Shirokane is the area closest to the Port of Shuto, known for its high immigrant population, including the picturesque Hoosier Quarter, as well as being one of the poorer areas in inner Shuto. The surrounding area to the north saw much of Shuto's early industrial development, but now, former brownfield sites are being redeveloped into modern high-end residential and commercial space.
Architecture
Architecture in Shuto has been primarily shaped by the city's turbulent past. Few structures in inner Shuto pre-date the 1821 Great Shuto Earthquake and Fire, with the 12th century Imperial Retreat in the Imperial Palace Gardens being one of the rare ones which did.
Modern inner Shuto as reconstructed starting in the 1820s saw the heavy use of the Totariku architectural style, pioneered by Seiji Kobayashi, which is mostly based on motifs of Northern and Western Amnisian architecture, and is closely related to Neoclassical, Edwardian, Beaux-Arts and Gothic Revival movements. The Shogungosho Obelisk, commemorating the Tayichian victory over Hansa in the Third Trans Mediriman War was chosen as the new central point of the city, with eight large boulevards radiating out from it in all directions in the shape of one of Tayichi's national symbols - a Rising Sun. The boulevards are lined with large, grandiose buildings and monuments in traditional Totariku fashion, including Kobayashi's masterpiece - The Millenial Monument.
Shibuya is characterized by its iconic skyline, featuring a large cluster of skyscrapers constructed over a course of more than 100 years. Construction of skyscrapers began in the first years of the 20th century, mainly in an art deco style which originated in Northern Amnis but quickly spread over to Tayichi, with elements of Neoclassicism and Beaux-Arts as well, such as in the case of the Shuto Palace Hotel. Initial skyscrapers were dotted all over inner Shuto, but following a height restriction ban in 1919 they almost exclusively moved to Shibuya, where they continued being constructed mainly under the Art Deco but also neo-Gothic style. Following its construction in 1925, the Shuto Imperial Exchange Tower in Shibuya became the tallest building in the world (possibly? would be fun), at 285 m of height (935 f). In the latter half of the 20th century, other architectural styles became more prevalent, such as Modernist, Internationalist, Postmodernist and New Urbanist styles.
Historical residential areas on the periphery of inner Shuto are mainly characterized by elegant brownstone rowhouses and townhouses and shabby tenements that were built during a period of rapid expansion from 1870 to 1930. Stone and brick became the city's building materials of choice after the construction of wood-frame houses was limited in the aftermath of the 1821 Fire.
In contrast, Shuto also has neighborhoods that are less densely populated and feature free-standing dwellings, further outside the city center. These often feature large single-family homes which are common in various architectural styles such as Tudor Revival and Victorian.
Natural History
Shuto has a complex park system, with various lands operated by the Imperial Palace Authority, the Metropolitan Parks Division and the National Parks Service. Parks in Shuto are widespread, with over 98% of the population living within 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) of a public park. The Shuto Metropolitan Area is additionally home to two national nature reserves and 59 local nature reserves.
The most prominent park collection in Shuto are the Imperial Palace Gardens, located on the western shore of Meguro island along the Sumida river, which host the Shuto Imperial Palace, while the southwestern sections of the park, seperated by Ueno Avenue, are operated by the Shuto Zoo. The Imperial Palace Gardens were renovated in the early 19th century, now featuring an array of classical Tayichian and Amnisian landscape designs and motifs, including an artificial lake and island, on which the Imperial Retreat stands.
The Shuto Imperial Natural History Museum suggests that over 60 species of birds nest in inner Shuto and that their members have recorded 47 species of butterfly, 1173 moths and more than 270 kinds of spiders around Shuto. Southern Taīga River Delta wetlands support nationally important populations of many water birds.
Red foxes are a common occurance, with INHM suggesting over 15,000 reside inside the Shuto Metropolitan District, and they can often be seen along residential streets and near dumpsters. Other notable mammals in Shuto include the grey squirrel, hedgehog, brown rat, mice, rabbit, otter and weasel, while brown hare and red deer could be found on the city's outskirts, as well as several species of bats. While Shutoites are accustomed to wildlife such as birds and foxes sharing the city, more recently urban deer have started becoming a regular feature, and whole herds of fallow and red deer come into residential areas at night to take advantage of Shuto's green spaces.
Demographics
Human Resources
Economy
Shuto's gross regional product in 2023 was 金1.500 trillion ($926.1 billion), slightly more than a quarter of Tayichi's entire national GDP. Shuto has three major business districts: Shibuya, Chiyoda and Chūōeki, each centered around a railway station of the same name.
Shibuya
Shibuya serves as the epicenter of Shuto's finance industry, a position it has held since the early 20th century. The district originally emerged from the amalgamation of two commercial areas, Nishi-Shibuya and Higashi-Shibuya, which developed around their respective railway stations. A significant driver of Shibuya's economic prominence was the relocation of the Shuto Imperial Exchange from its previous site in Shogungosho to Higashi-Shibuya. This move solidified Shibuya's status as Borealia's leading economic hub throughout much of the 20th century. The Shuto Imperial Exchange, commonly known as Shibushō due to its location, is currently ranked as one of the world's leading stock exchanges by market capitalization. A substantial portion of Tayichi's publicly traded companies are headquartered in Shuto, and more than 75% of the world's 500 largest corporations maintain offices there. Today, Shibuya and Shuto together continue to be recognized as one of the world's foremost economic centers.
Shibuya's rise in prominence as a major economic hub led to a skyscraper construction boom which started in the 1920s but escalated following the Great War's closure. Today Shibuya hosts the largest concentration of skyscrapers in Tayichi, boasting some of the tallest structures in both Tayichi and the world. Prominent towers include the Nishi-Shibuya Center (1979), Shuto World Trade Center (1991) and the Borealian Continental Bank Tower (2012), currently the tallest building in Tayichi and [] in the world.
Tourism
Shuto is the most visited city in Tayichi and ranks among the most popular tourist destinations in Borealia and the world. Tourism is a key industry in Shuto, employing over 800,000 people as of 2023. The city attracts nearly 50% of all inbound visitors to Tayichi, underscoring its status as a premier travel destination.
As of 2023, the top ten most-visited tourist attractions in Shuto include:
- National Gallery: 6,406,192 visits
- Imperial Museum of Amnisian and Borealian Art: 5,338,982 visits
- Imperial Museum of Natural History: 5,191,273 visits
- National Museum of Modern Art: 4,723,981 visits
- Science Museum: 3,989,561 visits
- Shibuya Gallery: 3,871,495 visits
- Shogungosho Galleries: 3,712,778 visits
- Shuto Imperial Palace Center: 3,129,872 visits
- Imperial War Museum: 2,546,192 visits
- Nara Museum: 2,283,928 visits
Shuto's hospitality industry is also substantial, with 188,000 hotel rooms available as of 2023, a figure expected to surpass 200,000 by the end of the decade. Among the city's most renowned hotels is the Shuto Palace Hotel, which opened in 1912 and is located on the southeastern tip of the Imperial Palace Gardens.
Culture
Transportation
Aviation
Shuto has long been a critical hub for trans-Mediriman travel between Borealia and Amnisia, boasting one of the busiest airspaces in the world. The city's civilian aviation network is anchored by three major international airports:
Shuto Taiheigen International Airport in North Shuto is the oldest and busiest of the three, handling over 70 million passengers in 2023. It has been the busiest airport in Borealia for much of the 20th century. The airport features three runways and five terminals, with the most recent terminal opening in 2009. Taiheigen International serves as the primary hub for the nation's flag carrier, Tayichian Airways.
Shuto Koukai International Airport initially opened to cater primarily to trans-Mediriman flights, predominantly serviced by Pan Amnis at the time. Over the years, it has evolved into the city's main low-cost airport, offering the highest number of connections to the Borealian continent. Koukai International is the principal hub for the low-cost carrier FlyBorealia.
Shuto Kyotamba International Airport is the least busy of the three, focusing primarily on domestic flights. However, in recent years, it has expanded its connections to Continental Borealia, gradually increasing its international reach.
Rail
Shuto Subway
Opened in 1873, the Shuto Subway is the oldest underground transit system in Borealia and ranks among the busiest in the world, with an average daily ridership of 6.4 million passengers in 2023. The system comprises 302 stations across 10 lines. Initially established as a conglomerate of several private companies, the Shuto Subway was later nationalized and then re-privatized in 1969.
The Shuto Subway has earned international acclaim for its punctuality and efficiency, playing a significant role in driving the city's growth during the industrial age. A major refurbishment project, conducted from 2013 to 2017, brought substantial modernization to the system. This included the installation of platform-edge doors at all underground stations and the introduction of fully automated signaling on all lines, enhancing safety and operational efficiency.
Suburban and Inter-City
Shuto's suburban rail network comprises over 400 stations, primarily serving the outer regions of the city where subway coverage is less extensive. Most suburban rail lines terminate within the Shuto Metropolitan District, although a few extend into neighboring regions such as Fachi and Daichi.
As one of the key hubs of the National Railway Network, alongside Idaina, Shuto plays a crucial role in the nation's transportation infrastructure. The city is serviced by 11 stations that connect to the national Shinkansen network. Among these, Nishi-Shibuya and Chūōeki are two of the world's busiest railway interchanges, each handling more than two million passengers daily. Chiyoda Station also sees significant traffic, with over a million daily passengers.
In addition to the Shinkansen, more than 50 stations in Shuto are linked to national rail services not connected to the high-speed network. These lines are frequently used by commuters traveling from the outer metropolitan area into the city.
Buses and Trams
Shuto's bus network is the city's primary mode of local transportation, with over 10,000 buses operating 24 hours a day. The iconic red double-decker buses, a symbol of Shuto's transport system since the 1940s, remain a common sight throughout the city, with modern variants still in extensive use. The Nishi-Shibuya bus station stands as the busiest intercity bus terminal in the country.
In contrast, Shuto's tram network has significantly diminished over the years, now reduced to a few disconnected lines in the suburbs. The last major expansion of the tram system occurred in the 1920s. While several companies have shown interest in developing new tramway lines within the city, these proposals have yet to be formalized.
Port River
Shuto Harbour is the busiest passenger ferry terminal in the country, with over a hundred ferry lines connecting the city to the Western Archipelago. However, in terms of cargo, Shuto Harbour ranks as the second busiest port in the nation, trailing behind the east-coast city of Kojima in tonnage handled.
Given that much of Central Shuto spans multiple islands within the Taīga River Delta, riverboats have historically been a crucial component of the city's transportation network. Today, numerous riverboat lines continue to operate between the various islands, maintaining this vital link. Since 2015, a taxi-like boat service has also been introduced, providing flexible and convenient transportation between several piers throughout the delta.