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.
