Japan Tokyo
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Districts

Map of Tokyo, Yamanote line in Green, Chuo line in OrangeHuge and varied in its geography, with over 2,000 square kilometers to explore, Tokyo prefecture (Tokyo-to) spans not just the city, but rugged mountains to the west and subtropical islands to the south. This article concentrates on the 23 central wards near the bay, while the western cities and the islands are covered in a separate article.

The geography of central Tokyo is defined by the JR Yamanote Line. The center of Tokyo — the former area reserved for the Shogun and his samurai — lies within the loop, while the Edo-era downtown (shitamachi) is to the north and east. Sprawling around in all directions and blending seamlessly into Yokohama, Kawasaki and Chiba are Tokyo's suburbs.

Central Tokyo

Chiyoda, the seat of Japanese power that includes the Imperial Palace, the electronics mecca of Akihabara , the business center of Akasaka and the neighbouring nightclub district of Roppongi Chuo district, including the famed department stores of the Ginza and the fish markets of Tsukiji Meguro, a residential area with a few nice parks and museums Minato, the port district (at least in name) which includes the artificial island of Odaiba, the skyscrapers of Shiodome Shibuya, the fashionable shopping district which also encompasses the teenybopper haven of Harajuku (also home to the Meiji Shrine) and the nightlife of Ebisu Shinjuku, home to luxury hotels, giant camera stores, futuristic skyscrapers, hundreds of shops and restaurants, and Kabukicho, Tokyo's wildest nightlife and red-light district Shinagawa, a major train hub and business center
Old Tokyo (Shitamachi) Toshima including Ikebukuro, another giant train hub
Sumida by the river of the same name, including Ryogoku, home of the Edo-Tokyo Museum and Tokyo's main sumo arena (Ryogoku Kokugikan).

Taito and Bunkyo, the heart of Old Tokyo featuring the temples of Asakusa and many museums of Ueno Koto, between the two rivers Sumida and Arakawa, located on just the south of Sumida. It is famous for the former woodland in Kiba, and Kameido Tenjin the shrine worshiping Michizane Sugawara known as a father of study in Kameido.
Katsushika, in the Northeast of Tokyo, more downbeat and traditional The South part of Adachi.

Over 400 years old, the city of Tokyo grew from the modest fishing village of Edo. The former seat of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Imperial family moved to the city after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The metropolitan center of the country, Tokyo is the destination for business, education, modern culture, and government. (That's not to say that rivals such as Osaka won't dispute those claims.)

Culture

Tokyo is vast: it's best thought of not as a single city, but a constellation of cities that have grown together. Tokyo's districts vary wildly by character, from the electronic blare of Akihabara to the Imperial gardens and shrines of Chiyoda, from the hyperactive youth culture mecca of Shibuya to the pottery shops and temple markets of Asakusa. If you don't like what you see, hop on the train and head to the next one, and you will find something entirely different.

The sheer size and frenetic pace of Tokyo can intimidate the first-time visitor. Much of the city is a jungle of concrete and wires, with a mass of neon and blaring loudspeakers. At rush hour, crowds jostle in packed trains and masses of humanity sweep through enormous and bewilderingly complex stations. Don't get too hung up on ticking tourist sights off your list: for most visitors, the biggest part of the Tokyo experience is just wandering around at random and absorbing the vibe, poking your head into shops selling weird and wonderful things, sampling restaurants where you can't recognize a single thing on the menu (or on your plate), and finding unexpected oases of calm in the tranquil grounds of a neighbourhood Shinto shrine. It's all perfectly safe, and the locals will go to sometimes extraordinary lengths to help you if you just ask.

Language

It's easier than ever for English speakers to navigate their way around Tokyo without speaking any Japanese. Signs at subway and train stations include the station names in romaji (Romanized characters). It can be helpful to know some tips for ordering in restaurants, shopping in stores, and asking for directions. Learning the katakana script is not difficult and most words written with it can be understood by English speakers so it can be useful even for people with no Japanese vocabulary. If you plan on asking for directions to Tokyo destinations, it especially helps to carry the name of the destination written in Japanese characters.

Expenses

The cost of living in Tokyo is not as astronomical as it once was. Deflation and market pressures have helped to make costs in Tokyo comparable to most other large cities. Visitors from San Francisco, New York, London, Paris or even Vancouver will not be at all surprised. Travelers should budget a similar amount of money for their stay in Tokyo as they would for any other great city in Europe or North America.