Which city is the most populous in the Tokaido corridor?

Which city is the most populous in the Tokaido corridor?

• A. Osaka
• B. Kyoto
• C. Tokyo
• D. Nagoya

Answer: (C)

The city with the largest population along the Tokaido corridor is Tokyo, and the reason is the sheer scale of Tokyo itself. The Tokaido corridor runs along the Pacific coast from Tokyo down through Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyoto, so it’s a sequence of major urban centers. Tokyo stands out because its population is the largest not only in the city proper—the 23 special wards contain roughly 9–10 million people—but also in the broader metropolitan area, where the Greater Tokyo Area tops around 37–38 million. By comparison, Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyoto have far smaller populations in their city proper and their metro areas. Osaka’s city proper is about 2.5–3 million with a metro around the mid-teens in millions, Nagoya’s around 2.2–2.5 million proper with a metro near 9–10 million, and Kyoto’s about 1.4–1.6 million proper with a much smaller metro. So Tokyo is the most populous in the corridor because its urban and metropolitan population far exceeds the other major cities along that route.

The city with the largest population along the Tokaido corridor is Tokyo, and the reason is the sheer scale of Tokyo itself. The Tokaido corridor runs along the Pacific coast from Tokyo down through Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyoto, so it’s a sequence of major urban centers. Tokyo stands out because its population is the largest not only in the city proper—the 23 special wards contain roughly 9–10 million people—but also in the broader metropolitan area, where the Greater Tokyo Area tops around 37–38 million. By comparison, Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyoto have far smaller populations in their city proper and their metro areas. Osaka’s city proper is about 2.5–3 million with a metro around the mid-teens in millions, Nagoya’s around 2.2–2.5 million proper with a metro near 9–10 million, and Kyoto’s about 1.4–1.6 million proper with a much smaller metro. So Tokyo is the most populous in the corridor because its urban and metropolitan population far exceeds the other major cities along that route.