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Tokyo Information
Introduction
Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, is one of the most
treasured urban areas on the planet. Synonymous with Japanese
hi-tech industry, neon lights, color, culture, bustle
and stunning scenery, Tokyo is not only a delightful place
to visit but a great place to do business. Many blue chip
companies have offices in Tokyo, a city that is the commercial
and cultural center of Japan.
Tokyo City Facts
Tokyo Population – 28,025,000 (Source: UN Population
Division 2000 estimate)
Japan Population – 126,428,000 (Source: UN Population
Division 2000 estimate)
Currency – Yen (JPY)
Time Zone – 9 hours from GMT, 14 hours from Eastern
Standard Time and 17 hours from Pacific Standard Time.
Language – Japanese
Attraction Guide
Imperial Palace
The Japanese emperor and the imperial family still call
the Imperial Palace home, so unless you get a royal invite
to tea tourists are restricted to the outskirts and the
gardens. New Year's Day (2 January) and 23 December (the
Emperor's birthday) are the only exceptions to this rule.
The biggest drawcard of the Imperial Palace, both literally
and metaphorically, is Edo-jo castle. From the 17th century
until the Meiji Restoration, it was used as the impregnable
fortress of the ruling shogunate. Over the years the castle
was upgraded, added to, renovated and built onto with
all the force of a rabid renovator. For a while it was
the largest castle in the world but all the DIY'ing came
to an abrupt end when large portions of it were destroyed
in the transfer of power from shogun back to emperor during
the Meiji Restoration.
The Imperial East Garden is entered through one of three
gates although the most popular is the Ote-mon, which
was once the principle gate of Edo-jo. The garden is an
oasis of quiet after the bustle of Tokyo, and characteristically
Japanese; a horizon of clear lines, an attention to detail
and the religious placement of objects within the landscape.
Ginza
Despite its disaster-ridden history and propensity for
transformation, Ginza has become synonymous with conspicuous
consumption and excessive shopping. At the end of the
19th century, after fire razed it to the ground, it was
resurrected in a London-cum-faux-Parisian style with brick
buildings and wide boulevards that mimicked the Champs-Elysees.
Since then, earthquakes and WWII carpet-bombing have seen
it gradually transform from continental chic to transatlantic
functional, but it still pulls in the crowds.
There are some jejune shopping districts that have tried
to wrestle the crown from Ginza - they're more crowded,
more opulent and hipper - but the grande old dame of ostentatious
spending stills retains her imperious snob value. Serious
shoppers don't leave town without swinging through the
doors of Matsuya, Mitsukoshi and Wako department stores.
The Ginza strip is where you can purchase novelty items,
whose fetishistic value far outweighs their functional
value, and indulge in a spot of retail therapy. Window-shopping
is free, though, and the window displays in the department
stores are works of installation art in themselves.
The Sony building, at the Sukiyabashi intersection, is
a must-see for all cyberjunkies, digi-devotees, www.zoids
and Playstation groupies. Any electronic gizmo that has
ever been invented is here, as well as some yet-to-be-retailed
prototypes. The building itself is a rather phlegmatic
version of 60s architecture - a lot of function over form
- but with eight storeys of unadulterated electronic heaven,
who cares about the packaging.
Tokyo Disneyland
You could be forgiven for assuming that the country that
invented fake waves would jump at the chance to out-Disney
Disneyland, so it comes as something of a shock to see
such uncharacteristic restraint. Surprisingly, Mickey
Mouse, Donald Duck and most of Walt's other empire-building
giant toys have been respectfully left alone, and much
of Tokyo Disneyland is an exact replica of the Californian
amusement park. Next door there is the new Disney Sea
resort. Each of the seven 'Ports of Call' are based on
a different concept, from mermaids and galleons to Cape
Cod and futuristic marinas.
To get there, take the Tozai subway line to Urayasu station
and then follow the signs for the bus that will take you
straight to Disneyland and on into Tomorrowland. Alternatively,
take the Yurakucho subway line to Shin-Kiba station and
the JR Keiyo line to Maihama station, which is right in
front of Disneyland's main gates.
Shinjuku
The Shinjuku district is, without doubt, the most vigorous
part of Tokyo; two million people per day pass through
Shinjuku subway station alone. With a total lack of irony
or tongue-in-cheekness, the two sides - east and west
- sit side-by-side in mutual harmony; west Shinjuku is
the staid, buttoned-down commercial hub of the city, while
the east is its colourful, seedy and exotic counterpart.
The west is planned, administrative and skyscrapered,
while the east side is rambling, chaotic and full of fast-food
joints and pawn shops.
Wandering the east side you'll see the entire world go
by while simultaneously having your senses assaulted by
archetypal Blade Runner video billboards on the Studio
Alta building, a popular meeting place for Tokyoites.
Other east-side attractions include Hanazono-jinja shrine,
the many department stores and the colourful if risque
Kabukicho and Golden Gai areas.
Ueno-koen
park
If Ginza is for shopping, Ueno-koen Park is for strolling,
museum-hopping and temple-gazing. The area of Ueno was
historically the Alamo of the last shogunate - site of
his futile last-ditch effort to prevent a takeover by
the imperial army. Today it's a carefully landscaped park
dotted with museums, temples and a not-half-bad zoo.
Attractions inside the park include the Tokyo Metropolitan
Museum of Art (if contemporary art is your bag this is
a good place to start), the Tokyo National Museum, the
National Science Museum, the National Museum of Western
Art (not only does the building house some impressive
examples of western art, the building itself was built
by Le Corbusier and the garden contains original Rodins
including his iconic sculpture,The Thinker), the Tokyo
Metropolitan Festival Hall and the Ueno-no-Mori Art Museum,
which often has calligraphy exhibitions scheduled.
One of the most frequently and fervently patronised temples
in Ueno-koen park is the Kiyomizu Kannon-do Temple. Women
wishing to conceive leave a doll here for the 1000-armed
goddess senju Kannon; after the dolls are burnt in an
annual bonfire on 25 September, the women wait to see
if Kannon has granted them the gift of fertility.
Hama Rikyu Detached Palace Garden
The Hama Rikyu Detached Palace Garden, south of Tokyo
central, is 25 hectares (62 acres) of Tokyo's greenest
and most finely landscaped real estate. In the 17th century
it was the happy hunting ground for the Tokugawa shogunate
but passed into the hands of the good citizens of Tokyo,
post WWII. The park is actually on an island, cut off
from the surrounding metropolis by an ancient walled moat
and accessible by only one entrance over the Nanmon Bridge.
The park is a popular venue for a stroll because it feels
deceptively large and has all that water. The huge Shiori
Pond is a focal point for visitors but its tidal pools,
teahouses, bridges, pine trees, and pavilions for moon-watching
all contribute to the garden's charm and photogenic appeal.
An entry fee of US$3 ensures that the Hama Rikyu is one
of the quieter and less-congested areas of Tokyo, although
this is waived for disabled visitors (and one companion).
Getting
Around
Narita international airport lies 66km (40mi) east
of central Tokyo. Getting into town will take from 50
minutes to two hours, depending on your mode of transport.
Directly beneath the terminal, there are limousine buses
(which are actually ordinary buses with a fancy name),
lots of taxis and a train station. Haneda airport, which
mainly operates domestic services, except for international
China Airlines flights, is around 20km (12mi) south of
the city. You can get the monorail to Hamamatsucho on
the Japan Railways (JR) Yamanote line, or a bus (no fancy
name). The two airports are connected by a regular bus
service, if you need to do the transfer thing.
The Tokyo train system can seem a bit daunting at first.
Many travellers' initial confusion arises from the fact
that Tokyo is serviced by a combination of JR, private
inner-city subway lines and private suburban lines. This
sometimes necessitates switching between not just different
trains but also different train systems. There are also
12 subway lines operated by two companies. The subway
services are essentially the same and have good connections
from one to the other, although they do operate under
separate ticketing systems. The Tokyo Combination Ticket
is a day pass that allows unlimited use of JR, subway
and bus lines; if you are only going to travel on the
subway, consider buying an SF Metro Card (a prepaid card)
or an 11-ride ticket which offers 11 rides for the price
of 10.
Many Tokyo residents and visitors spend a considerable
amount of time in the city without ever using the bus
network. This is partly because the train services are
so good and partly because the buses are much more difficult
to use. In addition, buses are at the mercy of Tokyo's
sluggish traffic flow. Services also tend to finish fairly
early in the evening, making buses a pretty poor alternative
all round. Tokyo has one solitary tram service still in
operation. It doesn't really go anywhere of interest,
but it does pass through a couple of areas that haven't
been claimed by redevelopment.
Driving is possible in Tokyo, but not without frustrations,
jams and high tolls. Unless you're heading out of town,
stick to public transport. The same rule applies to the
city's expensive taxis. For those of you who enjoy a challenge,
there are several car rental agencies where you can hire
a car on presentation of an International Driving Permit:
Nippon Rent-a-Car (tel 03-3485 7196); Dollar Rent-a-Car
(tel 03-3567 2818); and Toyota Rent-a-Lease (tel 03-3264
0100).
The only way to explore areas like Shinjuku, Shibuya and
Ueno is on foot, but you're better off with 'motorised'
transport if you want to get between the suburbs. Forget
cycling unless you have a death wish (and some hardened
Tokyoites seem to). |
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