The Tokyo Traveler

Chiyoda Ward is the least populous ward of Tokyo with just over 43 thousand residents in a 11.6 square kilometer area.  While a relatively small number of people call Chiyoda City home, the daytime population exceeds one million due to the large number of businesses, foreign embassies and government institutions that are located in the area.
A Brief History
Chiyoda-ku was founded in 1947 and has been the seat of the Japanese government since the Edo Period (1603 to 1868).  The area is named after a famous local castle, also known as Edo Castle, which was built on the site that …read more

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Named by Fortune as one of the best new business hotels, The Peninsula Hotel Tokyo offers an amazing array of services to its guests. The hotels offers 314 guest rooms, including 47 suites on 24 floors as well as five restaurants, a lounge bar, two ballrooms, six elegantly designed function rooms, a wedding chapel and a Japanese ceremony room.
If you need to plan a meeting, the hotel offers meeting consultants who will assist you with the details, but if your trip to Tokyo doesn’t involve a meeting or if you plan on staying an extra day or two, the hotel …read more

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Candle lit lanterns floating on the water – it’s a beautiful sight and one that you can take in during the month of July in Tokyo.  Toro Nagashi, or “lantern offerings on the water,” is just one ceremony that Buddhists use during the Obon festival to memorialize the spirits of the dead and ensure their safe journey and happiness on the ‘other world’.
Toro Nagashi in Tokyo:
Imperial Palace Moat – July 13th from 6:30 to 7:30PM.  The lanterns are best viewed from Chidorigafuchi Park.  The park is a short walk from the Kudanshita Station on Tokyo Metro. (access map – scroll …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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Across from the grand Imperial Hotel you will find the Imperial Palace, home to Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan. The palace has housed the Imperial Household of Japan since 1868, when the imperial family relocated from Kyoto which had been the imperial capital for more than a thousand years.
Japan’s monarchy is the longest hereditary monarchy in the world and there have been 125 reigning monarchs since 660BC. Prior to 1889, Japan had eight female tennō or reigning empresses, but since that time Japanese law limits the succession to the throne to direct male descendants …read more

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