Historical Development of Tokyo
Tokyo is neither an especially old nor a new city, but instead has a history that is somewhere inbetween. It is older, for example, than all the cities in North America, but much newer than hundreds of other places including such great capitals as Cairo, Beijing, Istanbul, Rome, London and many others.

Street picture reflecting the influence of Western idealogies during Meiji era

Edo: Founding and Early Growth:-
Archeological evidence indicates that human settlement in the Kanto Plain dates far back into prehistory. Tokyo originated in 1457, when a feudal Lord named Ota Dokan chose the site for his castle. There had existed a small fishing villages called Hirakawa and Edo, named after the local rivers. The name Edo stayed long after Dokan's arrival and continued to be in place until 1868, when Tokyo was adopted. The reason Dokan chose this site to establish his castle was a legendary story, in which a goddess, Benten led him to Tokyo and told him to place his castle on a low hill jutting close to the shore on Tokyo Bay. This hill was a wise choice because even though being low, it commanded the head of the bay, had access to the local rivers and to the Kanto Plain. The political advantages were that it allowed for strengthening of defenses between rival feudal domains in different parts of Honshu, the large Japanese island where the Kanto area is a part.
Modern day Edo Museum

Rise of the City:-
The city was not prominent until the begining of the 1590's, when the next great figure in Tokyo's history appeared on  the scene. This was the warrior chieftain Tokugawa Ieyasu, who soon was to become the undisputed ruler of Japan and make Edo a powerful capital. He was the originator of urban development in Tokyo. As soon as he achieved power, he decided to remodel the city. This can be seen in examples such altering the course of several rivers, radial pattern of highways leading from the center to the  outlying prefectures, the recalimed marshlands which hold the current offices and retailing districts in Tokyo. The most impressive planning feature was the vast open center in the middle of the city, where the Imperial Palace was built. It stands as a void in crowded Tokyo, and is deeply revered by the Japanese. Much of the Palace stands today, despite the several fires Edo underwent destroying the buildings.

A view from the Imperial Palace looking onto the modern CBD
 
Making of Modern Tokyo:-
The modernization of Japan is dated fromally to 1868. This is the year the Shogunate fell, feudalism officially ended and a new era under restored imperial rule began. The main catalyst was the arrival of Commodore William Perry an American, who arrived in Tokyo Bay in 1853. The U.S, navy enforced the opening of the Japanese ports, making Japan realise how it lagged behind internationally. This new era was called the Meiji era. The Emporer introduced western concepts and ideas into the administration and also began a quest to "ape the west." The city was modernized physically, where lifestyles and customs were borrowed from the West. The impact of the Meiji era on Tokyo was profound. The city was made the imperial capital, the old name Edo was dropped and was replaced with Tokyo which means the "eastern capital." Furthermore, the concept of a downtown and a central business district emerged under this era, which had a solid impact on the urbanization of Tokyo. Architecturally before the Meiji era, the buildings in Tokyo were low and made out of wood, generally unimpressive. This was changed during the Meiji era, with streets based on wheel traffic, multi-story banks and hotels, brick faced shopping streets, gas illuminations and introduction of steam trains as modes of transportation.
This was the first impression the Japanese had of Perry's ships
 
 
Change to the Western ways
 
Tokyo's Transformation From Feudal Village to Space Age City
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