Tokyo

City Statistics

Location

Kanto region, eastern Japan.

Dialing code

81.

Population

8,457,000 (city); 12,544,000 (metropolitan area).

Time zone

GMT + 9.

Electricity

100 volts AC, 50/60Hz; flat two-pin American-style plugs are standard.

Average January temperatures

6°C (42°F).

Average July temperatures

26°C (78°F).

Annual rainfall

1,519mm (60 inches).

Tokyo: Overview

Japan's Tokyo Dome

Effortlessly blending the old and the new, Tokyo is a city that defies definition. Cutting-edge technology glitters beside ancient temples, flashing neon lights bathe kimono-clad women, and shining skyscrapers tower above stunning Shinto shrines.

At first glance a city crowded by cars and hurrying commuters, Tokyo has spots of tranquility and beautiful detail that amaze and astonish. Home to over 12 million people, this is a city with a history and a heart that captivates every visitor.

This sprawling megalopolis on the Pacific coast of Honshu is on the largest of the 6,800 Japanese islands.

In 1590, the city was founded as Edo, the capital of the shoguns, the succession of hereditary absolute rulers of Japan and commander of the Japanese army. Edo boasted its own vibrant culture, the celebrated ‘floating world’ of pleasure quarters, theaters and cherry blossoms, immortalized in the Japanese woodblock prints of the time.

Following the fall of the shoguns in 1867 (and the restoration of the power of the Emperor), the city was renamed Tokyo, the Eastern Capital, heralding its rebirth as a dynamic modern city and the showpiece of a rapidly modernizing country.

Despite the catastrophic 1923 earthquake and near obliteration during WWII, Tokyo rose from the ashes.

Now a bewildering amalgamation of districts and neighborhoods, Tokyo still thrives as a coherent whole, due to the extraordinarily efficient network of rail and underground lines that crisscross and encircle the city. These are Tokyo’s arteries, transporting legions of businesspeople, office workers and students from the suburbs and depositing them in vast stations. Two million people a day pass through Shinjuku Station alone.

The towering business districts swarm with soberly dressed corporate warriors and the demure young secretaries known as ‘office flowers’. The architectural anarchy and sheer crush of humanity assaults the senses. Amid the frenzy of consumerism, brash electronics outlets are crammed next to refined upscale boutiques and hordes of giggling schoolgirls swoon over pop idols and the latest fashions in glitzy emporiums.

Downtown, old neighborhoods cluster around antiquated shopping arcades and the clatter of the temple bell echoes across the rooftops. Here, the rhythms of the seasons are still observed. Tokyoites flock to ring in the New Year at the venerable Shinto shrines and springtime brings a flurry of flower-viewing parties and picnics under the cherry blossoms.

Traditional festivals punctuate the humid summers and the spirit of the old Edo also survives in the neon-bathed entertainment districts: modern-day ‘floating worlds’ of karaoke and cinemas, shot bars and bathhouses. Traditional kabuki theater thrives alongside opera, ballet and symphonic performances, and Tokyoites are passionate about sumo, baseball and now, thanks partly to the 2002 World Cup, football.
 
With the latest figures estimating an incredible 60,000 eateries in Tokyo and home to the world’s largest fish market, food is an obsession even closer to Japanese hearts. From bowls of steaming ramen noodles to delicate slices of sashimi, chefs compete to offer the freshest produce, and presentation is elevated to an art form.

Visiting the city is a pleasure at any time, except perhaps the sweltering heat of summer (July and August). While winter in the city is cold and crisp, spring (March to May) is the highlight of the year for many, with the arrival of delicate cherry blossoms inspiring sakepicnics in the city’s parks and avenues. Autumn (September to November) sees the oppressive summer heat give way to balmy days and golden leaves.

But avoid Golden Week (late April-May) and New Year (late December-early January), the two most important festivals in the Shinto calendar, because the city closes down. But with festivals celebrated almost every week, whenever you visit there is always something of the old Japan to experience.

Thanks to the determination of the Japanese government to attract foreign visitors, Tokyo is becoming ever easier to navigate. A recent redesign of the subway map makes traveling on the city’s excellent public transport extremely easy. English signage is good and getting better, while learning a few basics in Japanese will go a long way to help navigate the sprawling city’s streets.

With recent statistics heralding an unprecedented rise in tourist numbers, Tokyo is inspiring more western visitors than ever before. Hurtling towards the future while respecting its past, this unique city and the people that live there offer visitors an experience they will never forget.

Tokyo: Tourist Information

Tokyo's Museum

Walking Tours
The Tokyo Tourist Information Office (tel: (03) 3201 3331; website: http://www.jnto.go.jp/) provides a leaflet, ‘Walking Tour Courses in Tokyo’, outlining walking routes in several main areas of the city. Mr Oka’s Walking Tours of Tokyo (tel: 0422 51 7673; website: www.homestead.com/mroka/) offers free walking tours of the city. The historian runs a number of tours all over the city, and as they are free they are very popular.

Bus Tours
Hato Bus (tel: (03) 3435 6081; website: http://www.hatobus.co.jp/), JTB Sunrise Tours (tel: (03) 5796 5454; website: www.jtbgmt.com/sunrisetour/) and Japan Gray Line (tel: (03) 3595 5948; website: www.jgl.co.jp/inbound/index.htm) all offer a wide variety of half-day, full-day and evening bus tours, with English-speaking guides.

Boat Tours
The Tokyo Cruise Ship  Company (tel: (03) 5733 4812; website: http://www.suijobus.co.jp/) runs a regular waterbus service along the Sumida River, between Asakusa, the Hama Rikyu Gardens, and Hinode Pier. The trip takes 40 minutes (one way). The company also operates a variety of other waterbus services around Tokyo Bay, lasting between 5 and 55 minutes. Vingt-et-UnCruises (tel: (03) 3436 2121; website: http://www.vantean.co.jp/) and Symphony Cruises (tel: (03) 3798 8101; website: www.symphony-cruise.co.jp/english/) offers daytime and evening boat cruises between 1 and 2 hours around Tokyo Bay. The latter depart from the Hinode Pier.

Other Tours
See Tokyo from a rickshaw and discover areas seldom seen by other tourists. Asakusa’s Rickshaw Tour Guides (tel: (03) 5806 8881; website: http://www.ebisuya.com/) operate daily from near the Asakusa pier on the Sumidagawa River and surrounding areas.