Central Tokyo Travel Video Guide

Central Tokyo Travel Itinerary

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A vast chunk of central Tokyo is occupied by a swathe of green, at the core of which sits the Imperial Palace , inaccessible and wrapped round with moats and broad avenues. The surrounding public gardens, however, provide a gentle introduction to the city with a glance back to its origins as a castle town. More recent history continues to stir debate at Yasukuni-jinja, north of the palace, where the nation's war dead are remembered at a solemn shrine.

East of the palace, the city really gets into its stride. Yurakucho , Ginza and Nihombashi may be lacking in aesthetic appeal but these districts form the heart of downtown Tokyo, with the city's biggest concentration of department stores, theatres and cinemas, its financial centre and major train station, let alone enough bars and restaurants to last a lifetime. The best approach is simply to wander, but there are several specific sights, notably a clutch of art museums and the new Tokyo International Forum with its soaring glass atrium.

North of the palace, Kanda 's historic shrines, and the nearby bookshop district of Jimbocho or the gardens of Suidobashi , won't be on anyone's must-see list, though they all merit a quick look in passing. However, neighbouring Akihabara , dubbed Tokyo's silicon city, is a much livelier place, crammed with cut-price electronic goodies. And from Akihabara it's a short hop east across the Sumida-gawa to Ryogoku , not only the Mecca of sumo but also home to the ultra-modern, highly informative Edo-Tokyo Museum , which celebrates the city's history since the seventeenth century.

After a hard day's work, the bureaucrats and politicians from Kasumigaseki and Nagatacho head for Akasaka , the glitzy entertainment district south of the Imperial Palace, and home to many of Tokyo's luxury hotels, while a younger generation of Japanese and gaijin party

down in Roppongi , to the west. Both these areas also have their daytime attractions, although none deserve more than second billing on any tour of the city. Tokyo Tower has long since been outdone on the height stakes, but on a clear day it still commands an impressive view of the bay area. Nearby Zojo-ji , once the temple of the Tokugawa clan, has a long history, as does Akasaka's premier shrine Hie-jinja , with its attractive avenue of red torii .

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