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Cold in Tokyo now..

@Emilia Vance2/1/2026blog

okay, so i just checked and it's pretty damn cold in tokyo right now, 4.6°C officially but feels like 1.23°C according to my phone, hope you like that kind of thing. humidity's down to 47%, which is actually kinda nice after the usual soupiness, pressure's holding steady at 1018. feels like the kind of weather where you really gotta bundle up, especially if you're wandering around near those eastern lowlands - they're only 4 meters above sea level, so the wind whips right off the bay. speaking of which, tokyo... man, where do you even start? it's not just a city, it's like this sprawling, breathing thing that kinda swallows you whole. officially tokyo metropolis, sits right on the head of tokyo bay on the pacific coast of honshu, japan's big island. smack dab in the kantō region, roughly at the center of the whole japanese archipelago, way down south in kantō. it's huge, over 2,194 km², though that makes it the third smallest administrative division in japan - go figure. mainland tokyo itself is only 90 km east-west and 25 km north-south, mostly flat-ish at an average of 40m elevation. but don't let that fool you, the geography is all over the place.

it started as this tiny fishing village called edo back in the day. then the tokugawa shogunate rolled in the early 1600s and plopped edo castle right where the water met the reclaimed wetlands in the low eastern plains - they called that the "low city." west of that was the "high city" (yamote), which was just upland hills. smart move, strategically. then boom, 1868, it becomes the imperial capital and they renamed it tokyo - "eastern capital." it grew out of just the central 23 special wards (tokyo city) into this massive metropolis swallowing up suburbs, commuter towns, and even some remote islands. someone told me the eastern lowlands are still kinda flood-prone, being so low and all. the western side? totally different story - hills, plateaus, mountains climbing up to 2000 meters. and then out in the pacific, you've got these volcanic izu islands and ogasawara islands, completely different vibe. it's divided into those 23 special wards (eastern bit), the tama area further west (more residential, gotta say it sounds nice with the 'abundant nature' bit), and then those distant island chains.

the weather, well, we know it's chilly now. generally, winters are mild, summers get proper hot and sticky, there's rainy seasons in early summer and autumn, and expect 2-3 typhoons to roll through around september-october. so yeah, the cold snap we're having now? probably a brief reprieve before the humidity hits again. best to check that forecast daily.

if you get completely overwhelmed by the sheer size of tokyo proper - and trust me, it's intimidating - remember the surrounding areas. chiba prefecture is just east over the edogawa river, kanagawa prefecture is south across the tamagawa river, saitama prefecture is north, and yamanashi is way west over the mountains. they're not just 'neighboring cities,' they're part of the greater tokyo area. which, by the way, holds the title of the world's most populous metropolitan area - 41 million people in 2024! that's insane. includes all those commuter towns and suburbs like the yokohama ones. just a short drive or train hop if you need a change of scenery, though getting out during rush hour? forget it.

so, what do you actually do in this place? well, edo castle is a must. that's where the imperial palace is now, sitting right at that old water-land interface. someone told me the grounds are surprisingly vast and peaceful, a stark contrast to the surrounding chaos. ueno park is another spot, built on a historic peninsula. heard it's got museums, a zoo, and loads of cherry trees in spring. if you need to escape the concrete jungle, okutama up in the mountains offers lakes and hiking, and the izu islands? pure volcanic landscapes, way out there. modern hubs? shinjuku station - western suburbs terminus, absolute beast of a station. ueno station for the northern lines. navigating this place? you need those rail lines, especially to narita or haneda airports. and you definitely need navigation apps or an ic card for the transit. it's compact but dense, no two ways about it.

the food... well, the search results didn't give specifics, but come on, tokyo? it's nationally famous for sushi, ramen, tempura, and street food like yakitori. you won't go hungry, that's for sure. though someone did mention the high living costs are real, especially if you're thinking of living here. crowded suburbs don't come cheap.

the population? city proper has over 14 million residents (2023), metropolis around 13.2 million (2010), and the greater area? 41 million. dense? try incredibly dense. but it's also surprisingly commuter-friendly, with those efficient rail systems. the culture? punctuality is huge, tech is everywhere, and people really appreciate the seasons - like the autumn leaves. but be aware, the compact layout demands planning. earthquakes are always a risk, especially on those eastern alluvial plains, and the typhoon season is no joke. plus the flood risks in the east. it's a city of contrasts, this "low city" on the reclaimed wetlands versus the "high city" on the western hills. it grew crazy fast from that edo-era fishing village into a megacity, but still manages to have mountain escapes and remote islands nearby. it's the world's largest metropolitan area, japan's economic and governmental center (the emperor's seat there), and just... a blend of everything. the busiest stations on the planet, a global innovation hub, and yet, you can find pockets of relative calm.

it's exhausting, honestly. but there's something about it. the scale is just... immense. the energy is constant. but then you find that quiet park, or that tiny ramen shop tucked away, and it all kinda makes sense, in a chaotic, tokyo kind of way. here's a little map to give you a sense of the sprawl:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6852,139.7531,12z

and here are some visuals to set the scene (grabbed via unsplash):
1. https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1545324418-cc1bf72fe901 (alt text: towering skyscrapers and neon signs in shibuya, tokyo at night)
2. https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1477959858617-67f85cf4f1df (alt text: serene view of cherry blossoms lining a path in ueno park, tokyo)
3. https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1572992439011-5a9ea0e9ee6c (alt text: bustling crowd crossing the famous scramble crossing in shibuya, tokyo)

yeah, that's tokyo for you. cold, chaotic, massive, but undeniably fascinating. just pack some seriously warm clothes and good walking shoes. you're gonna need them.

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About the author: Emilia Vance

Exploring the weird and wonderful corners of the internet.

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