Terrain
Broadly speaking, Tokyo is divided into two main geographical features: the Musashino Plateau on the Yamanote side and the lowlands of the Shitamachi area (downtown) on the other. The Musashino Plateau encompasses areas like Toshima-dai, Hongo-dai, Meguro-dai, Yodobashi-dai, and Ebara-dai. Several rivers, such as the Tama River, which forms the boundary with Kanagawa, and the nearly parallel Meguro River, Shibuya River, Furukawa, and the northern Kanda River, predominantly flow from northwest to southeast. During the Edo period, the samurai residences were often located on hilltops. “Jonan Go-Zan”, the “Castle South Five Mountains” consisted of Shimazuyama, Ikedayama, Hanabusayama, Gotenyama, and Yatsuyama, and were home to the residences of powerful daimyos. Today, these areas have become upscale residential neighborhoods. Tokyo is a city with many slopes, and from the top of these slopes, you can often see Mount Fuji.
