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Places to Visit in Tokyo
Asakusa was the place where Tokyo's poor
lived, as it was a marshy area, and even today the narrow streets and
traditional items available for sale make it a popular place to buy souvenirs.
The Asakusa-Kannon Temple has been rebuilt numerous times according to
its original appearance and has been in existence since the city's
foundation. It is also one of the most popular temples in Tokyo.
The Imperial Palace (formerly known as
Edo Castle) is a huge attraction, but it not open to the public but two days a
year. The Imperial Palace East Garden can be visited on specific
days at specific times, and the Music Room in the Palace is open to the
public in April and October, but requests for tickets must be made in writing
and in advance.
The Meiji Shrine, built in 1920, was destroyed during the war and
rebuilt. Dedicated to Emperor Meiji, it is one of the most popular
Shinto places to worship. The Shrine is surrounded by an Inner Garden
of 180 acres (72 ha) which is connected to the Outer Garden by an
expressway.
Ueno Park is the largest park in Tokyo and is located in the Ueno
District. The park is one of the most popular places to go
in inner-city Tokyo with its 208 acres (84 ha). The park is home to an aquarium, zoo, a number of
museums, temples and shrines. The Tokyo National Museum is the largest museum in Japan. There are
twenty-five exhibition galleries in the main building, with twenty of them
open to the public. The museum is filled with treasures from the Asuka
period to the present and vary from Buddhist sculptures,
Japanese/Korean/Chinese ceramics and pottery to colored xylographs and
lacquerwork. The Zoo in Ueno Park opened in 1882 thus making it the oldest zoological garden in
Japan. Divided into two sections, the Zoo is connected by a monorail.
Designed by the Swiss architect Le Corbusier, the National Museum of
Western Art was built in 1959 to house Western sculpture and paintings.
Impressionist paintings by Cézanne, Monet, Manet and Degas can be found. Most
of the items found in the museum were collected by Matsukata Kojiro during his
stay in Europe at the beginning of the last century. Other attractions
in the park include the Gallery of Far Eastern Art, the Japanese Academy of Art,
the Municipal Art Gallery, the National History Museum, Kuroda Hall,
an Aquarium - one of the largest in Asia, and the National Science
Museum.
Located in the western portion of Tokyo, Shinjuku is a trendy and
popular nightspot with jazz cellars, cafés and other hotspots. It also has
the second largest shopping center in Tokyo with an underground mall and
department stores. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a fine example of
Japanese garden design and covers about 145 acres (58.5 ha). The park is
also a botanical garden and can be divided into two main sections, Japanese
and European. The Japanese section has influences from China, while the
European section is influenced by the landscaped English garden and French
parks. Depending on when you go either cherry blossoms (April) or
chrysanthemums (November) may be in bloom.
The most famous shopping district in Tokyo is Ginza. This area
is famous even around the world for all the exclusive shops and at night all
the bright lights. Also in Ginza is the Kabukiza Theater in the
midst of all the shopping strips, in which there are performances of
Kabuki.
Kanda is a district that is famous for its bookshops, and with over
100 secondhand shops Kanda is one of the largest bookshop districts in the
world.
The oldest garden in Tokyo and one of the most beautiful is Korakuen
Park. The park covers 18 acres (7 ha) and includes a lake (added at
a later time), the Kantokutei teahouse (a smaller replica), and the Korakuen
Games and Sports Center where there is skating, table tennis and other
activities.
Several foreign embassies are located in the Roppongi quarter, which
is also where most of Tokyo's night life occurs. A variety of
entertainment can be found here from "hostess bars" to night-clubs.
Located about 9 miles southeast of Tokyo, the Tokyo Disneyland theme park
has been in operation since 1983. Covering an area of about 114 acres
(46 ha) the park is modeled after its American counterpart but with a Japanese
history theme as well. The "World Bazaar" is in the main
central area and other areas include Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland
and Tomorrowland are the other aspects of Tokyo Disneyland.
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