Japan's capital Tokyo is a metropolis that combines modern buildings with traditional temples. Visitors to the Land of the Rising Sun tend to see the richly decorated Meiji Shrine with its high gates, the Emperor's Palace, and the National Museum of Tokyo with unique works of art. Tourists visiting and traveling around the capital of Japan need to understand the areas of Tokyo.
Let's get acquainted with the most interesting quarters of the city. At the same time, we will try to give advice to the guests of the city in which area in Tokyo it is most comfortable to stay and in which quarters the sights of the capital of Japan are located.
Prestigious area
The most fashionable area in Tokyo is Ginza, which means "coin" in translation. In 1612-1800. in the area there was the Mint of the Land of the Rising Sun, which produced silver coins. ATThe quarter is home to the best restaurants, trendy boutiques and first-class hotels, clubs and galleries. The streets of the Ginza quarter are much wider than in other areas, which is extremely unusual for traditional Japan, which appreciates every centimeter of its area. The cost per square meter of land in the Ginza quarter is $100,000, making it the most expensive area in Japan.
Sights of the capital, located in the Ginza region:
- The business center of the capital - Marunouchi.
- Ginza Wako Tower with shops selling unique luxury items.
- The Emperor's Palace. Perhaps the main tourist attraction in the area. You can get into the palace only two days a year: December 23 and January 2. On all other days the palace is closed for tourists. It is worth noting that during such a period, the guest of the capital will be able to see the view of the Nijubashi bridge, the Japanese garden, the ruins of ancient structures.
- Kabuki Theatre. Three- and five-hour performances are shown on the stage of the theater, in three or four acts. You can watch them in full or buy a ticket for one of the parts. At the performance, you will be given headphones with simultaneous English translation.
Old District
Harayuki is notable for its ancient Takeshita Dori alley. Harayuki's most famous temple, Togo Shrine, is reached by a high staircase, at the foot of which local flea markets open every day. In the Harayuki quarter there is another famous temple - Meiji. The entrance to it is blocked by the highest gate inLand of the rising sun. They are eleven meters high.
Colorful area
Among the Tokyo districts, Asakusa differs in that it has retained the flavor of an old Japanese city. The area of the quarter is small, it can be walked around. Or ride a rickshaw and get to know the area on an inexpensive tour for 8,000 yen for two. The quarter is famous among tourists visiting Japan, thanks to the Buddhist temple of the same name located here. Its other name is Sensoji. This temple in the capital of Japan was founded back in 628.
Another Buddhist temple located near Sensoji is the Dempoin temple. It is notable for its garden. Unlike Sensoji Temple, this site is closed to tourists.
There are a lot of festivals in the Asakusa area. Most crowded:
- the oldest holiday Sanya Matsuri;
- samba dance festival.
Most of the historical and national monuments are located in Japan's first public park, Ueno, founded in 1873. It houses many museums:
- Western Art Museum.
- Science Museum.
- National Museum of the City of Tokyo.
- Ueno Royal Museum.
- Tokyo City Art Gallery.
- Tosegu Shrine.
Cultural District
This area of Tokyo is teeming with life every evening and every night. This explains why Roppongi is so popular with international visitors and Japanese natives. A huge number of pubs, bars, cafes andrestaurants, night discos and clubs made for the relaxation of foreign guests. Visitors here not only rest, but also live. It is worth noting that the best areas for foreign guests to stay are: Roppongi, Hiroo, Azabu, Akasaka. It is in these quarters, oddly enough, that the embassies of many countries are located.
Most tourists enjoy spending time in the Roppongi area. This Tokyo neighborhood is the cultural center of Japan's capital as it houses a number of museums. The name Roppongi means "Six Trees" in Japanese.
Sights of the capital located in Roppongi:
- "Roppongi Hills". It is a city within a metropolis. It contains residential and commercial premises, entertainment areas, shops, restaurants, cinemas and an upscale hotel. The complex has about two hundred fashion boutiques. Roppongi Hills is a true symbol of the technology industry.
- A skyscraper of fifty-four floors Mori Tower. It is named after its creator. The center is divided into zones for the sale of all kinds of goods for life and recreation. There are commercial levels, apartments, hotels and museums in the quarters.
- Residential complex "Tokyo Midtown" with a tower of 248 meters. At the moment, the building is recognized as the tallest building in the Japanese metropolis. Almost all floors are given over to commercial facilities, the hotel is located on the upper floors.
- Tokyo National Art Center, Suntory Art Museum and Mori Museum.
- National Art Center. It is considered the largest museum in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Artificial District
Seaside Tokyo City Odaiba is another unique quarter of Japan's capital. He partly expanded his territory on the artificial islands of the bay. When a tourist rides the monorail across the rainbow bridge, they can admire the 26-story Fuji TV building. The building is decorated with a metal sphere, inside it there is an observation deck from which you can admire the expanses of the Japanese capital. The Odaiba quarter is home to world famous museums:
- Museum of Marine Science;
- National Museum of Contemporary Science and Innovation.
Electronics District
The name of Tokyo's district Akihabara is translated from the native language of the Japanese as "Valley of Autumn Leaves". Akihabara is a place of modern trade in advanced technical products. Around tourists visiting this quarter, advertising billboards will be lit, street barkers will walk and loud music will sound. Akihabara is a noisy place. There are hundreds of shops filled from top to bottom with different types of innovative technology. Compared to regular stores located in other quarters of the metropolis, prices in Akihabara are about 30% lower. The reason for such attractive prices lies in the fact that the equipment comes here to the shelves directly from manufacturing plants without extra charges.
In the area you canvisit an exhibition of industry achievements. After all, equipment from this area of Tokyo City to Moscow stores will arrive at best after a few months, or even years.
Special situation
Tokyo has 23 special districts that form the backbone and most populated section of Japan's capital. In the entire Land of the Rising Sun, only Tokyo has such a distinction.
These areas are very different from each other in area. It can be from 10 to 60 km2. The number of residents is also different in the quarters - from 40 to 830 thousand people. Some parts of Tokyo are being expanded with artificial islands. We will talk about this below.
The population of special areas is just over eight million people. This is about 2/3 of the population of the capital of Japan and about 25% of the inhabitants of Greater Tokyo. The neighborhoods have a population density of nearly 14,000 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Tokyo Special Areas:
- Arakawa.
- Adachi.
- Bunke.
- Itabashi.
- Katsushika.
- China.
- Koto.
- Minato.
- Meguro.
- Nakano.
- Nerima.
- Ota.
- Shibuya.
- Shinagawa.
- Shinjuku.
- Suginami.
- Sumida.
- Setagaya.
- Taito.
- Tieda.
- Toshima.
- Chuo.
- Edogawa.
Let's describe some of them in more detail.
Multinational District
Tokyo's most cosmopolitan area is the Shinjuku quarter, which is the main transport hubJapanese capital. At the moment, the capacity of only a three-tiered platform at the western entrance to the Shinjuku is equal to a billion passengers. Around the station of the quarter, basically, all the active life of this multinational area flows. This accumulation of passengers determined the structure of the quarter. People need food, shopping - gradually, narrow streets heading in all directions from the station began to fill up with cafes and eateries popular in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Shinjuku is divided into two parts by railroad tracks:
- Eastern. Busy modern life is in full swing in eastern Shinjuku, home to the country's longest red-light district.
- Western. In the business part of the quarter, in the west, the headquarters of the Tokyo city administration - Tote is based.
Between the eastern and western parts is a beautiful park - Shinjuku Goen, in the spring it attracts tourists to the country with a spectacle of insane beauty - Japanese cherry blossoms.
Sights of the capital located in Shinjuku:
- Sompo Japan Building. Skyscraper with a height of 193 meters.
- Shinjuku Historical Museum.
- National Theatre.
- Buddhist temple Taishoji.
Tokyo's Shinjuku area is home to many foreigners. This is the shopping and entertainment center of the capital. Toward evening, the noisy nightlife begins in the area. Shinjuku has a large number of restaurants, cinemas, gaming halls.
Tokyo has such a strong cult of food that it has even spread beyondJapan and served as an impetus for the development of the restaurant business, in particular in our country. In the northern capital, Tokyo City restaurants are open in almost all districts of the city. In the Primorsky district, the restaurant is open on Komendantsky Prospekt. The restaurant menu offers Japanese cuisine, as well as Italian and Chinese. You can order food with home delivery from "Tokyo City" to the districts: Moscow, Primorsky and any other.
Youth District
Shibuya is a district of Tokyo where young residents of the capital of Japan prefer to spend their free time. This quarter is full of nightlife, with loud music from every pub and bar. Shibuya is also a great place for shopping. Tourists in this quarter will be offered entertainment. Hotels in the Shibuya area offer rooms for the whole night for a maximum of one hundred dollars.
One of the most famous points in Shibuya is Hachiko Station. The name was given to it on behalf of the bronze statue installed here. The monument to the dog Hachiko embodies devotion to his master. All around the station glows with billboards, on a huge screen there is a broadcast of commercials.
Sights of the capital located in Shibuya:
- Tobacco and S alt Museum and Electricity Museum. A significant disadvantage for tourists is that tours in these museums are in the native language of the Japanese.
- Yoyogi National Stadium with outdoor skating rink.
- NHK Park Studio.
Tokyo Dome City
A first-class sports and entertainment complex is located in downtown Tokyo. Its building resembles a dome. This is Tokyo Dome City. The dome of this structure is supported by high air pressure inside the complex. "Tokyo Dome City" includes:
- baseball stadium;
- luna park;
- a huge number of shops and restaurants;
- Tokyo Dome Hotel, operating since 2000.
"Tokyo Dome Hotel" consists of 43 floors and accommodates more than a thousand rooms for guests of the capital of the Land of the Rising Sun. The hotel has ten restaurants and bars, banquet halls, numerous leisure areas. Panoramic windows of restaurants offer a beautiful view of the best areas of Tokyo.
"Tokyo Dome City" gained its popularity because of the body care center opened here, with sea water from hot springs. This is a unique island of relaxation among the frantic rhythm of the Japanese metropolis. In the center of the capital of the Land of the Rising Sun, all the procedures existing in the world to restore natural beauty are offered. The relaxation center has saunas and hot baths with sea water rising from more than a kilometer deep. It is said that sea water rises from a "pocket" underground, where it hid 30,000 years ago during the Ice Age.
The interior of the springs is worthy of admiration for residents and guests of the Japanese metropolis. Part of the pool bowls resemble springs in the mountains, saunas, as a rule, are made in the form of mountainhouses. About thirty million people from all over the world visit the complex every year.
Tokyo Dome, a 55,000-seat baseball stadium, is the training ground for Japanese professional teams. When games are not being played, the baseball stadium plays host to international festivals. Built a new stadium on the site of the old Korakuen facility in 1988. The Japanese call the stadium "Big Egg".
Amusement Park "Tokyo Dome City" offers a huge number of attractions for young guests of the Japanese metropolis:
- 130 km/h roller coaster;
- ferris wheel;
- roller coaster flying down from a height of 80 m.
Not far from "Tokyo Dome City" is a beautiful park Koishikawa Korakuen. It captivates residents and visitors of Tokyo with its landscape, which reproduces the models of the famous gardens of Japan and China. You can come to the park at any time of the year: admire the cherry blossoms in spring, fall leaves in autumn or the Plum Festival in winter.
