The Tokyo Traveler

The neon lights of Ginza are known worldwide, in fact, they are what draw most visitors to the area for a nighttime stroll.  The bright and abundant lights shine down upon an area that is also a center of fashion and architecture and has been since prior to World War II.
The name Ginza dates back to 1612, when a silver coin mint was relocated to the area.  Gin is the Japanese word for a silver coin and za refers to a place where coins, as well as other specially authorized goods that required the use of weights and measures, …read more

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Visitors to Tokyo tend to do a lot of walking while touring the city.  The routine goes something like this, walk to the nearest Tokyo Metro Station, navigate your way to your destination, possibly transiting one or more stations on foot in the process, walk to and around your desired destination and finally,when you have had your fill of the sights or your feet are just too tired to walk anymore, do it all again in reverse to get back to your accommodations.  Now that’s a lot of walking! It’s good for you and you see a lot more by …read more

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Pick a clear day, or night, and head out to one of these great towers to enjoy the panoramic views of the Tokyo that they offer from their perches high above the city. Two of the three towers can be visited today but you will have to wait until 2011 to view the Tokyo skyline from the tallest tower in the world.
The most famous and the oldest is the Tokyo Tower, located in Roppongi, it was built in 1958 and was, for a time, the world’s tallest self-supporting steel tower at 333 meters, beating out the Eiffel Tower in …read more

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The next question from my “What do YOU want to know about Tokyo?” post comes from nicky187.
I’d like to know how the Tokyo and Japan of today compares with the near future vision of William Gibson.
I have to admit that I needed to do a bit of research on this one – there were no softball questions from The Tokyo Traveler readers!
William Gibson is a science fiction writer who has authored a few books where Tokyo is prominently featured. In his 2001 article on WIRED, titled My Own Private Tokyo, Gibson claims “I wish I had a thousand-yen note …read more

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Between the Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace you will find the ultra modern Marunouchi District of Tokyo. The shining Shin-Marunouchi Building is the newest building on the block and is one of the largest shopping and dining complexes in front of Tokyo Station.
The high-rise tower reaches a height of 198m (650 feet) and houses four floors dedicated to restaurants that feature cuisines running the gamut from traditional Japanese to Brazilian Barbeque and Modern Australian and everything in between.  An additional four floors are dedicated to wide variety of retail stores.  The remaining 30 floors house various corporate offices.
Fusing …read more

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The Imperial Palace, located in the heart of Tokyo, is home to the Emperor and Empress of Japan. The inner areas of the palace are closed to the public on all but two days of the year, January 2nd and December 23rd (The Emperor’s birthday) but if you plan ahead you can tour some of these areas and it’s free! The tour begins with a brief introductory video and then for 75 minutes you will be walking in the footsteps of royalty along a 2.2 kilometer (1.3 mile) route (tour map) that will offer you a view the beautiful …read more

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The Imperial Palace East Garden, or Higashi-gyoen, is rightly considered one of Tokyo’s finest gardens.
The Imperial Palace East Garden is located on the former site of Edo Castle. None of the original buildings remain but the moats, walls, entrance gates and several guardhouses that protected the former castle still stand within the confines of the garden. The castle, once the largest in Japan standing 58 meters (190 feet) high, was destroyed by fire in 1657 but the base remains and can be used as a vantage point to oversee portions of this vast garden.
The Tide …read more

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Efforts began in 2004 to renovate and preserve the Tokyo Station for the first time since the end of WWII.  The renovations will be completed by 2013 and will include the reconstruction of the domes atop the station, restoration of the red brick facade and repairs to the third floor of the facility.
Architect Kingo Tatsuno designed the original building which was built in 1914.  The building has three above ground floors and a basement level and is one of the busiest stations in the Tokyo metropolitan area.  Tokyo Station survived the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 but the building …read more

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This shot was taken from a parking lot in the ultra-modern Omotesando area of Tokyo. I spied the roof of this temple peaking over a cinder block fence as I was walking by and thought I would take a closer look – I’m sure glad that I did! There are photo opportunities everywhere in Tokyo so keep your eyes open and take the time to be curious.
Photo Credit: Personal Collection

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Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel has a long and distinguished history. The hotel opened in 1890 across from the Imperial Palace in a impressive Victorian style building that for many decades was the only fully European style hotel in Tokyo. In 1923, the hotel opened a fabulous new building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright which stood until 1968 when the deteriorating building was dismantled, and parts of it rebuilt at Meijimura, a sort of Japanese Williamsburg, outside Nagoya. Parts of Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1923 building were preserved and can be found in the new facility which opened in 1970.

If …read more

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