1.
going to Tokyo, visiting the capital
Traveling to Tokyo, especially from rural areas or other regions of Japan.
大学進学のために上京した。
I went to Tokyo to attend university.
仕事で月に一度上京する。
I go to Tokyo once a month for work.
田舎から上京して十年になる。
It's been ten years since I came to Tokyo from the countryside.
十八歳で上京したとき、東京の人の多さに驚いた。
When I went to Tokyo at age eighteen, I was surprised by how many people there were.
地方出身者が上京して一人暮らしを始めるのは、不安もあるが新しい生活への期待も大きい。
When people from rural areas go to Tokyo and start living alone, there is anxiety but also great expectations for a new life.
上京する is used as a する-verb meaning "to go up to Tokyo."
HISTORICAL NOTE:
The term 上京 literally means "going up to the capital." Historically, this referred to Kyoto (京都). After the Meiji Restoration (1868), when the capital moved to Tokyo, 上京 came to mean going to Tokyo.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 上京する (to go to Tokyo)
- 上京組 (people who moved to Tokyo)
RELATED WORDS:
- 帰京: returning to Tokyo
- 在京: being in Tokyo
- 入京: entering the capital (literary)