 Tokyo,
Japan’s capital city is a place of vast proportions where the old
and the new collide into a fabulously detailed city. Upon arrival visitors
are confronted with the sheer energy that radiates from within Tokyo.
Tokyo’s city is a bundle of exotic sights and sounds. The night
view is recommended to appreciate the seemingly endless tapestry of
Tokyo lights. Despite two major disasters, Tokyo once named Edo, for
its location at the mouth of the Sumida-gawa River, has remarkably transformed
into a modern Japanese metropolis. Tokyo is un-refutably an emblem of
a success story in action.
A visit to Tokyo brings both a collection of sights and provides for
an animated experience. In such a vast city there is plenty to see and
do, ranging from visits to shrines, temples, and excellent museums,
or brief trips to its various shopping areas.
 Tokyo
is a shopping paradise. A bewildering variety of high-quality goods
and brand designer products can be found in elegant specialty shops
located in Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Yurakucho, Ikebukuro and any
other busy towns in Tokyo. Japanese department stores sell almost all
kinds of products: varying from Japanese goods to European, American,
and Asian.
The dazzling lights of Ginza, Japan's answer to New York's Fifth Avenue,
and Tokyo's most celebrated shopping districts attract both the avid
shopper and the window shopper alike.
In the sports arena,
baseball is big business in Tokyo. The spectacular Korakuen Dome, home
of the most popular Giants, features Japanese professional baseball
games held regularly. Sport fans will be drawn to Tokyo's four biggest
spectator sports featuring, professional baseball, rugby, sumo and soccer.
Although not among the four, Yankee style football and martial arts
are also quite popular.
If your interest resides
in sightseeing, make sure to embark on a relaxing and fascinating 40
minute day cruise on the Sumida River between Asakusa and the Port of
Tokyo offers incentive groups a choice of five routes: the Canal Cruise
(canal district and Shinagawa Aquarium), the Harbour Cruise (Rainbow
Bridge and Tokyo Port), the Kasai Sea life Park (including a stop at
Tokyo Big Sight), the Museum of Maritime Science (Odaiba Seaside Park
and museum of ships complete with swimming pool and palms), and the
Sumida River (passing beneath a dozen bridges).
 For
the art enthusiast, Tokyo has many forms of entertainment to offer.
In fact, Japan is helping to promote itself by focusing on the arts
and, with excellent facilities such as the New National Theatre and
Opera City in the Shinjuku district; Tokyo is hoping to cater to the
large groups interested in drama, opera, and the ballet.
For theatregoers there are three unique and powerful forms of entertainment:
Kabuki, Takarazuka, and Noh. As a standing form of ancient Japanese
tradition the Kabuki features only male performers, whereas Takarazuka
is an all-girl revue.
For a more thorough view of Japan’s
history, visitors can delight in the many excellent museums scattered
throughout Tokyo. The most modern museum being the Edo-Tokyo Museum,
complete with an intriguing 52-meter escalator and supported by
four colossal pillars.
Virtually synonymous
with Japan, the traditional Japanese gardens of Tokyo bring visitors
a step back from the frenzied main roads. It is here where you'll find
yourself in a world of tranquility, a place where the gardens are outlined
by wooden houses and complemented by neatly clipped bonsai trees. Visitors
will readily encounter quiet cobbled lanes leading to tiny neighborhood
shrines shrouded in foliage.
 In
this city of twenty-four-hour shops and ancient shrines, there is always
a showcase for visitors to enjoy. A big attraction for visiting Tokyo
is the many festivals that take place around the year. Each year a festival
is held where the passing seasons are observed by visits to local shrines
or temples. With over 500 annual events, the festivals provide visitors
a tangible link to the past. The carnival atmosphere is what makes Tokyo
so appealing; it has become part of the popular culture, one which seems
to be constantly in the throes of a celebration.
Transportation
To and from the Airport
NEW TOKYO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT NARITA
* Narita Airport is 60 km to the east of central Tokyo.
:: Japan Railways(JR)
Narita Express
* 53 min non-stop to Tokyo Station. Some trains go to Shinjuku, Ikebukuro,
and Yokohama. ¥2,940 to JR Tokyo Station.
Sobu Line Rapid Train
* 83 min. ¥1,280 to Tokyo Station. At Tokyo, the Sobu Line becomes
the Yokosuka Line for Yokohama and points beyond in the Miura peninsula.
phone:03-3423-0111 (JR East)
:: Keisei Railways
Skyliner
* 60 min to Keisei-Ueno Station, with a stop at Nippori Station. ¥1,920.
Limited express/express
* 80 min to Keisei-Ueno Station. ¥1,000.
phone:03-3831-0131
:: Limousine Bus
Tokyo City Air Terminal (T-CAT): 55 min, ¥2, 900. Two to
seven departures per hour. Thirty airlines have departure check-in counters
at T-CAT, near subway Suitengu-mae Stn or 8 min walk from Ningyocho
Stn.
Some T-CAT services continue to Tokyo Station: 80 min (from airport),
¥3, 000.
- Haneda Airport: 75 min, ¥3,000. One to six departures per hour.
- Shinjuku Station: 75 min, ¥3,000. One to six departures per hour.
- Tokyo Disneyresort: 60 min, ¥2,400.
- Yokohama: 90 min, ¥3,500.
- Hachioji: 160 min, ¥3,700.
- Tachikawa: 170 min, ¥3,500.
Some limousine buses travel directly to more than fifty hotels in Tokyo,
but services are not frequent.
phone:03-3665-7220
:: Taxis
About 90 min to central Tokyo. Fare: about ¥25, 000.
Haneda Airport
Domestic flights, and handles China Airlines flights to and from Taipei.
Haneda is reached by monorail from JR Hamamatsucho Stn (22 min), by
Keihin-Kyuko Line from JR/Keihin-Kyuko Shinagawa Stn (30 min), and by
limousine bus from JR/subway Tokyo Stn (45 min), JR/subway Shinjuku
Stn (35-65 min), major hotels, and Narita Airport (75 min).
Getting Around
Getting around by public transport, taxi, or on foot is generally
safe even late at night. Many Japanese signs have alphabet equivalents.
Many streets have no name, and destinations can be very difficult to
locate by address. If you get lost, try a Koban (police box). These
can be found all over the city. The police are usually friendly and
ready to extend a helping hand.
Trains and Subways
Tokyo's public transport is nearly always fast, efficient, frequent,
safe, and clean. The main mass transit services are JR trains, Toei
(Metropolitan) subway lines, Eidan (Teito Rapid Transit Authority) subway
lines, private railways, and buses. Subway lines are color-coded. Most
stations have a subway map and fare tables in English. Station names
are written using the alphabet. Train transfers are usually easy to
make. Trains and subways run from about 5:00 until around 25:00 (1 AM).
Eidan(TRTA) Subway Information: phone:03-3837-7111
Dining Out
Sushi
Tokyo is naturally a sushi lover's paradise. At the top of the range
are elite establishments that wouldn't dream of sullying the menu with
prices. Many department stores have their own sushi restaurants, usually
offering good quality and reasonable prices. And at street level are
crammed conveyor-belt sushi shops of the type found in every major city
of the world. But you can bet that Tokyo's are the best.
Hints on Eating Out
Many coffee shops offer a breakfast set called "morning service"
for about ¥500. A typical meal includes toast, egg, and salad. Japanese-style
drinking places (izakaya) that fill with office workers in the evening
often provide very reasonably-priced lunch sets (¥800-1, 000), consisting
of rice, miso soup, and a main dish such as grilled fish, meat, or tempura.
Restaurants proper also prepare special lunch sets that offer excellent
value for money. The lunchtime menus are usually available from about
11:30-14:00. Restaurant rush hour: 12:00-13:00.
Finding Restaurants
It's not hard; there are 100, 000 in Tokyo. Ask someone if they can
recommend a nearby restaurant suited to your preferences and budget.
Any department store or shopping center will include restaurants. Many
big office blocks contain restaurants, although to find them you may
need to go down to the basement or up to the top of the building. Mainstream
restaurants are open approximately 11:30-22:00. Hotel coffee shops may
stay open later.
How to Order
Menus in English are available at some restaurants, especially in major
hotels. If the menu is in Japanese, go outside with one of the staff
and point at one of the plastic food samples in the window. The sample
will also be marked with the price.
Drinks
Beer, wine, and whiskey are all popular. Japanese drinks include sake,
which is made from rice, and shochu, which is stronger stuff made from
rice or wheat. Sake and shochu are produced locally all over Japan and
there are countless brands. Sake is usually just served hot, cold, or
lukewarm. Shochu is enjoyed in many ways: straight, with iced water,
with hot water, with oolong tea, or with soda.
Drinking Places
Tokyo offers a truly extraordinary range of drinking establishments:
izakaya, beer halls, Irish pubs, wine bars, yakitori shops, cocktail
bars, stand bars, hostess bars, clubs, and the list goes on and on.
If you peek inside an izakaya at 7 or 8 PM, it will probably be full
of office workers eating, drinking, and being noisily merry. In July
and August, department stores, hotels, and other buildings set up beer
gardens on the roof: a great place to enjoy cold beer on a hot evening.
Note that at some drinking establishments, a table charge is levied
or you have to pay for a small appetizer called tsukidashi.
Night Life
Roppongi, Akasaka, and parts of Shinjuku are popular
night-life districts. Typical places of entertainment include karaoke
bars, discos, live music places, and bars with live music. Karaoke bars
or karaoke rental rooms at hotels frequently have a stock of songs in
English. Theatrical performances and concerts generally start between
18:00 and 19:00. Tickets can be bought from agents throughout the city,
as well as at the venue itself. Night tours operated by tour companies
take in several locations.
Culture
Japanese Theatre
Kabuki
Japan's most flamboyant drama tradition and popular entertainment since
the Edo Period. Dramatic costumes and stunning effects. The actors are
all male. Kabukiza and the National Theatre present regular programs.
Kabukiza Theatre
The program changes every month, and continues from the 1st or 2nd to
the 25th or 26th. �520 to �,800. Around �0-�000 for one-act
viewing. English earphone guide is available (but not for one-act viewers).
Reservations:Phone: 03-5565-6000.
National Theatre
Eight or nine Kabuki performances per year, each running about one month.
�500 to �200. English earphone guide is available.
Reservations: Phone: 03-3230-3000.
Noh
Noh is the oldest form of theatrical drama in Japan, dating back to
the 14th century. In Noh plays the action is slow and movement is highly
stylized. As in Kabuki, all the performers are male. Besides performances
at the National Noh Theatre.
Phone: 03-3423-1331 several Noh schools perform at their own theatres
in Tokyo.
Takarazuka Revue
Spectacular and romantic musical revues, presented by all-female cast
at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater. Passionately followed by women in particular.
5 min walk from JR Yurakucho Stn or subway Ginza, Hibiya, Yurakucho
Stn.
Phone: 03-5251-2001
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