Sights in Tokyo
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Tsukiji Central Fish Market
If it lives in the sea, it's probably for sale in the Central Fish Market, where acres and acres of fish and fish products pass hands in a lively, almost chaotic atmosphere. Everything is allotted its own area, and a quick scan of the loading docks will reveal mountains of octopus, rows of giant tuna, endless varieties of shellfish and tanks upon tanks of live exotic fish.
About 2246 tonnes of fish, worth over 1.8 billion yen (US$15.5 million), are sold here daily; that's 615,409 tonnes of fish worth some US$4.25 billion a year. It's not unheard of for a single tuna to fetch an incredible around ¥20 million!
The auctions are not officially open to the general public, but …
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Akihabara Electric Town (Denki-Gai)
What the Tsukiji Central Fish Market is to the food trade, Akihabara is to Japan’s legendary electronics industry: bustling, busy and fun to watch, and you don’t have to get up early in the morning to catch the action (afternoon is prime time). Akihabara can no longer claim exclusive rights to the title of the city’s electronics centre (thanks to increased competition from denser hubs like Shinjuku and Ikebukuro), yet it is still quite the scene. Akihabara is where many items are market-tested, so even if you have no intention of shopping now, it’s worth a peek to see what you may be buying two years hence. As the electronics business has moved elsewhere (Korea, China and…
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Ueno Zoo (Ueno Dōbutsu-en)
Japan’s oldest zoo was established in 1882, and is home to lions and tigers and bears (oh my!). The biggest attractions are normally the giant pandas, but the zoo’s only remaining panda, Ling Ling, passed away in 2008. As we went to press, a pair of new pandas was reportedly due to arrive from China in early 2011. If you object to zoos in general, this one probably won’t change your opinion, what with small enclosures for the animals and a facility that’s generally showing its age. On the other hand it’s larger than you’d think, given the obvious space constraints of Tokyo. Plus, all of the big-name animals from around the globe are well represented here. If you’re visiti…
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Kyōkyo (Imperial Palace)
The Imperial Palace is the permanent residence of Japan's emperor and imperial family. Given the recent birth of future emperor Prince Hisahito, the frequent nervous breakdowns of Princess Masako and the debate regarding Princess Aiko's right of ascension, new stories surrounding the imperial family are splashed across the Japanese tabloids on a daily basis.
Of course, unlike their royal counterparts in the UK, life in the Imperial Palace is rigidly controlled by a secretive organisation known as the Imperial Household Agency, which keeps any potential scandals under wraps.
Completed in 1968, the palace itself is a somewhat staid, contemporary reconstruction of the Meiji …
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Tokyo Disney Resort
The world’s most successful theme park is home to kid-friendly Tokyo Disneyland, as well as the more adult-oriented Tokyo DisneySea.
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Roppongi Hills
Opened in 2003 to an incredible amount of fanfare, Roppongi Hills was the dream of real-estate developer Mori Minoru, who long envisaged a transformation of Roppongi. Since then, an incredible amount of lofty praise has been vaulted at the complex, which is arguably the most architecturally arresting sight in Tokyo – architects including Jon Jerde, Maki and Associates, and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates worked on the various buildings. The result is a feast for the eyes, enhanced by public art such as Louise Bourgeois’ giant, spiny alfresco spider called Maman and the benches-cum-sculptures along Keyakizaka-dōri. With expertly drawn lines of steel and glass, expansive t…
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Ameya Yokochō (Ameyoko Arcade)
This unabashed shopping street is one of the few areas in which some of the rough readiness of old Shitamachi still lingers. Step into this alley paralleling the JR Yamanote Line tracks south of JR Ueno Station, and ritzy, glitzy Tokyo may seem like a distant memory. The gravelly irasshai (Welcome) and ikaga desu ka? (How about buying some?) of fishmongers, fruit and vegetable sellers, knock-off-clothing vendors and a healthy smattering of open-air markets couldn’t be further from Ginza or Aoyama. Ameyoko earned its notoriety as a black-market district in the years following WWII, though today it’s primarily a bargain shopping area. Simple shops spill out into the alleys,…
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Higashi-Gyōen (Imperial Palace East Garden)
Higashi-gyōen is the only corner of the Imperial Palace proper that is regularly open to the public, and it makes for a pleasant retreat from the grinding hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Here you can get up-close-and-personal views of the massive stones used to build the castle walls, and even climb the ruins of one of the keeps, off the upper lawn. Although entry is free, the number of visitors at any one time is limited, so it never feels crowded. Entry here is through one of three gates: Ōte-mon on the east side and Hirakawa-mon and Kitahanebashi-mon on the north side. Most people enter through Ōte-mon, which is situated closest to Tokyo Station, and was the principal en…
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Tokyo Tower
Built during the postwar boom of the 1950s when Japan was struggling to create a new list of monuments symbolising its modernity, Tokyo Tower resembles the Eiffel Tower, albeit 13m taller. The similarities stop there, however as the Tokyo Tower was painted bright orange and white in order to comply with international aviation safety regulations. Truth be told, Tokyo Tower is something of a shameless tourist trap, though it’s good fun if you go with the right attitude. Lifts whisk visitors up to the observation deck, which provides some stunning views of the sprawling megalopolis that is Tokyo. The 1st floor boasts an enormous aquarium, while the 3rd floor is home to a w…
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Toyota Mega Web
In the Palette Town development, Mega Web was designed to display the wares of the Toyota Motor Corporation. Yes, it’s a showroom, but against all odds it’s actually also fun. Test drive vehicles (advance reservation required) or poke around in the History Garage with cars from the Golden Age. Some facilities close earlier; call ahead to confirm. Next door, don’t miss one of the world’s tallest Ferris wheels (Dai-kanransha), which is as high as the second viewing platform of the Eiffel Tower (the one in Paris, not Tokyo Tower!).
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Institute for Nature Study (Shizen Kyōiku-en)
Although the 200,000 sq metres of this land was the estate of a daimyō some six centuries ago and was the site of gunpowder warehouses in the early Meiji period, you’d scarcely know it now. Since 1949, this garden has been part of the Tokyo National Museum and aims to preserve the local flora in undisciplined profusion. There are wonderful walks through its forests, marshes and ponds, making this one of Tokyo’s least known and most appealing getaways. And there is a bonus: admission is limited to 300 people at any one time.
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Chinzan-Sō
This lovely, hilly 66,000-sq-metre strolling garden was part of the estate of a Meiji-era politician and statesman, and lining its many pathways are a number of antiquities transported from all over Japan. Most notable is a 16.7m three-storey pagoda, estimated at nearly a millennium old, which was transported from the Hiroshima area, as well as lanterns, monuments and torii. We don’t particularly love the contemporary construction of hotels and wedding halls around it, but all that is forgotten in the garden’s lovely soba shop Mucha-an.
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Golden Gai
This ramshackle block of tiny bars became golden just in time for the ‘64 Olympics. By day, there’s not much to see here except for dozens of stray cats. But by night, the closet-sized bars, some accessed by stairways steep enough to bruise your shins as you ascend, light up and fill up, mostly with off-duty office workers. There’s been much speculation about the demise of Golden Gai’s rickety structures and narrow alleyways, but for the moment it seems a new generation is buying in and quietly setting up shop.
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Tokyo Dome Attractions
Tokyo Dome is surrounded by the amusement park Tokyo Dome Attractions with the usual assortment of coasters and spinners, as well as a healthy smattering of bars, restaurants and shops. If you don’t want to invest in an all-day pass offering access to all of the rides, tickets are available for individual rides (¥200 to ¥1000) with no additional admission charge. Check the website for extended hours.
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Amusement Park
This nostalgia-inducing amusement park, Japan’s oldest, dates back to 1853, and is an absolute delight for the young ones, who can clamber over rides, dress up in old Edo style and watch ninja and samurai shows. If you’re having trouble finding the entrance, just listen for the delighted shrieking, as well as the rollercoaster creaking and whooshing along its ageing wooden tracks.
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Tokyo Metropolitan Children’s Hall
Boasts six kid-friendly storeys and a number of ingenious play areas – check out the human-body maze or get messy in the hands-on art studio where children can make pottery and origami. It’s 300m northeast of Shibuya Station, next to Mitake-kōen.
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Nekobukuro
For Tokyoites who may not have the time nor space to keep their own pets, Nekobukuro provides a venue for short-term cuddling with surrogate cats. Creep up to the 8th floor of the Ikebukuro branch of Tōkyū Hands to get in on the kitten action.
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Yasukuni-Jinja (Yasukuni Shrine)
If you’ve kept up with international headlines, you might recall several news stories about citizens of China, Korea and other Asian nations taking to the streets when Japanese politicians (such as former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi) visited Yasukuni-jinja. Literally ‘For the Peace of the Country Shrine’, Yasukuni is the memorial shrine to Japan’s war dead, around 2.5 million souls who died in combat. However, although the conservative right wing in Japan stands by its patriotic duty to honour its war dead, the complete story is just a little more controversial (to say the least). To put things in perspective, it’s important to fully understand the history of Yasukun…
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Ueno-Kōen (Ueno Park)
Tokyo’s oldest public park has several names: its Sunday name, which no one ever uses, is Ueno Onshi Kōen; some locals dub it Ueno no Oyama (Ueno Mountain); and English speakers call it Ueno Park. Whichever you prefer, Ueno-Kōen makes for a pleasant city escape. There are two entrances to the park: the main one takes you straight into the museum and art gallery area, a course that might leave you worn out before you get to Ueno’s temples. For these, it’s better to start at the southern entrance between JR Ueno Station and Keisei Ueno Station, and do a little temple-viewing en route to the museums. From the JR Station, take the Ikenohata exit and turn right. Just around th…
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Tokyo National Museum (Tokyo Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan)
If you visit only one museum in Tokyo, make it this one. The Tokyo National Museum’s grand buildings hold the world’s largest collection of Japanese art, and you could easily spend many hours perusing the galleries here. The building dates from 1939, and is in the imperial style, which fuses Western and Japanese architectural motifs. The museum has four galleries, the most important of which is the Honkan (Main Gallery). For an introduction to Japanese art history from Jōmon to Edo in one fell swoop, head to the 2nd floor. Other galleries include ancient pottery, religious sculpture, arms and armour, exquisite lacquerware and calligraphy. The Gallery of Hōryū-ji Trea…
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Sumida-Gawa river cruise
Travelling by suijo-bus (water bus) down the Sumida River not only gets you a faceful of fresh air, but brings you closer to Tokyo’s riverborne heritage, showing off a more home-grown perspective of the city than a subway spin will. When you’re hemmed in by concrete and glass, it’s easy to forget that Tokyo’s vibrant river systems are the arteries through which its commerce has traditionally flowed, from the Edo period to the present day.
Down at water level, you see the huge timber- and landfill-hauling barges, the occasional lone fisherman and the yakata-bune – floating restaurants where, traditionally, customers seated on tatami (woven-floor matting) eat ayu
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Sengaku-Ji
This temple of the Sōtō Zen sect is included in Tokyo’s sights mostly for the story that surrounds it, that of the 47 rōnin (masterless samurai), also called the Akō Incident. With its theme of paying the supreme sacrifice in the name of loyalty, this story, also called The Akō Incident, has captured the Japanese imagination like no other, and has been adapted into countless films and plays (usually by the name Chūshingura ). These rōnin plotted for two years (1701–03) to wreak vengeance on the man who caused what they believed to be the unjust and humiliating death of their master, Lord Asano of Akō province. They sought revenge even knowing that they, too, woul…
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Tokyo University (Tokyo Daigaku)
Most kids in Japan dream of gaining admission to Tokyo University, Japan’s most prestigious institution of higher learning. As with the Ivy League colleges and Oxbridge in the US and UK, admission here practically assures later admission to the halls of power in both business and government. With that in mind, high-school students spend years studying at home and in cram schools for Tōdai’s rigorous admission exam. The campus itself is not beautiful, but does hold historical interest. In 1968–69 Tōdai became the centre of a national crisis when students thrice took over the main administrative building, Yasuda Hall, ousting the school’s president and other administrators …
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Asakusa-Jinja (Asakusa Shrine)
The proximity of this Shintō shrine, behind Sensō-ji and to the right, testifies to the coexistence of Japan’s two major religions. Asakusa-jinja was built in honour of the brothers who discovered the Kannon statue and is renowned as a fine example of an architectural style called gongen-zukuri. It’s also the epicentre of one of Tokyo’s most important festivals, the Sanja Matsuri, a three-day extravaganza of costumed parades, some 100 lurching mikoshi (portable shrines) and stripped-to-the-waist yakuza sporting remarkable tattoos. Niten-mon, thegate that marks one of the entryways to Asakusa-jinja, was erected in 1618 as a private entrance to the temple for the To…
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Meiji-Jingū (Meiji Shrine)
Tokyo’s grandest Shintō shrine, this 1920 edifice enshrines the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, under whose rule Japan ended its isolation from the outside world. Destroyed in WWII bombings and reconstructed in 1958, the shrine buildings occupy just a corner of the precinct’s 70 forested hectares. In fact, its 100,000 trees are said to have been donated by 100,000 visitors from all over Japan. Meiji-jingū might be a reconstruction of the original, but unlike so many of Japan’s postwar reconstructions, it is altogether authentic. The main structure was built with hinoki cypress from the Kiso region of Nagano prefecture, while the cypress for the huge torii was i…
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