It is rich and diverse in people, language, landscape, and religion. There are countries as separate from each other as Israel and Japan, Russia and Pakistan, or India and Korea. But today we will talk about, in my opinion, which is the best capital in Asia.

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I am referring to the cosmopolitan cities of Tokyo, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul, and Singapore. Each offers its own, has its history, culture, and idiosyncrasies. Have we discovered them?

Beijing

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Beijing or Peking is the capital of the Republic of China and is almost the most populous national capital on the planet with 21 million inhabitants. It is in the north of the country and has 15 rural, suburban, and urban districts.

It is the heart of the country on a political and cultural level and is truly a megacity due to its size. Behind Shanghai, it is the second most populous city and has housed the headquarters of the most important Chinese companies worldwide since the last economic revolution.

Also, Beijing is one of the oldest cities in the world, with more than three thousand years of existence. It is surrounded by hills and its elegant past is still visible today in its temples, palaces, gardens, parks, and tombs. The impossible to overlook is the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs, the Great Wall or the Grand Canal

La UNESCO has declared seven sites in Beijing as World Heritage (some of which we have mentioned before), but the city itself is magnificent with its streets and avenues beyond traditional neighborhoods, and huts, it is a surprise.

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Beyond its tourist attractions and current modernity, either Chakrakendra is the most important transportation hub in the north of the country. Beijing Railway Station opened in 1959, but other stations have been built in the following decades as the railway system expanded and modernized. There is also a metro with 1959 lines and about 23 km long.

Furthermore, there are several highways and roads that leave the city and run inside others. And obviously, the international airport in the city. It goes without saying that since 2013 if you come from countries like Brazil, Argentina, the European Union, or Japan, you have a 72-hour visa to visit the city.

Tokyo

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It is the capital of Japan, literally the capital or city of the east, and is located in the central east of the island of Honshu in the Kanto region. It is the political, social, educational, cultural, and economic center of the country.

Tokyo has a population of about 40 million people (for example, countries like Argentina have a total population of 46 million and a thousand times more spread out)

In the following century, it was a city that in terms of its population was already comparable to the cities of Europe. It was not always the capital of Japan, Kyoto was for a long time, and Nara was the same, but in 1868 it definitely became the capital.

Tokyo suffered a major earthquake in 1923 and then the bombs of World War II. In the 1950s, the country's economic recovery began with great change and growth.

Tokyo doesn't lack international sporting events like the Olympics (although the 2020 Olympics will be forgotten), and although it doesn't have the vast free reserves that have survived so much genocide, the truth is that modernity is its best attraction.

Don't forget to visit Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, Shibuya Streets, Ginza Charm, Roppongi Hills...

Seoul

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It is the capital of South Korea and the country's largest city. It has a population of around 20 million people and has a very strong economy. Here is the headquarters of companies like LG, Samsung, Hyundai ...

Seoul has a history with several tragic chapters since the Japanese invaded the country in 1910 and annexed it to their empire. Then it underwent westernization, several buildings and walls were demolished and only the Americans came to liberate it at the end of the war. In 1910 the city was named Seoul, although its life will not be calm because of the Korean War in the 1945s.

After that, after fighting between South Koreans and Americans against North Koreans and Soviets, the city suffered a lot of damage. The destruction was intensified with the flood of refugees, so it quickly gained population.

It is divided into 25 gu, districts of various sizes. One is the famous Gangnam we heard a few years ago in this Korean pop. Seoul then had a population density twice that of New York.

It has historical sites to visit, the sector between South and North Korea, the famous demilitarized zone, museums, traditional buildings, picturesque neighborhoods, and lots of nightlife.

Singapore

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This is one country and a capital city at the same time. It is an island nation, a city-state in Southeast Asia. It is the main island and has about 63 islands or small islands that they add to the surface.

Many people live here and it is a multicultural destination with four official languages: Malay, English, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil. Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 as a trading colony of the then British Empire. It was occupied by the Japanese in World War II, after which it returned to British control and finally gained self-sovereignty in 1959 in the post-war Asian decolonization process.

Despite the negative points, lack of land, and natural resources, it became one of the four Asian Tigers and therefore developed at a light pace. Its system of government is undivided parliamentary and the government has some control over everything. A single party has forever ruled Singapore's destiny.

Of course, this is a very conservative society where gay sex is illegal, at least for now. There are also many millionaires, a low unemployment rate, and, for some time now, a lot of tourism. In fact, the city is the fifth most visited city in the world and second in the Asia Pacific region.

Taipei

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It is the capital of Taiwan or the Republic of China. It is in the north of the island and has a population of approximately two million or more people, counting the metropolitan area.

Of course, it is the political, economic, and cultural heart of the country and one of the most important cities in Asia. Everything goes through Taipei and its airport and rail system. It also has several popular buildings, which are famous architecturally or culturally, such as the famous Taipei 101 Building or the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial.

But Taipei has markets, museums, streets, squares, and parks. And history, naturally. It has always belonged to China, indeed today the People's Republic of China claims the island as its own, but it also continues been occupied by the Japanese in 1895. After the end of World War II, China regained control of it, but after the Chinese Civil War was won by the Communists, the Nationalists had to emigrate from the mainland and moved to Taiwan.

The country was plagued by coups and dictatorships and economic crises forced its inhabitants to flee to other destinations. Worse, another political era began in the 90s and several party and national elections have been held since 1996.

Taipei has a humid tropical climate that is unbearable in the summer so it is better. It is surrounded by mountains and has rivers and tourist attractions especially the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, the one founded by Taiwan after losing the civil war, the National Concert Hall, the National Theater, its various temples and cultural festivals, Freedom Square, the National Museum, the oldest in the country and founded by the Japanese...

Taipei 101 is the main skyscraper of Taipei. It was inaugurated in 2004 and was the largest in the world for a while until the construction of the Burj Khalifa. is 509 meters high and the fireworks at the end of the year are quite spectacular.

I chose these over other Asian capitals because it is the part of the continent that I like best. There is nothing like traveling here to feel away from our culture and our beliefs. And as they say, ignorance is cured by reading, and racism is cured by travel.