Marunouchi / Shinagawa / Odaiba
Marunouchi / Nihonbashi, Tokyo
Marunouchi has a long history as a business center and is one of the most rapidly changing parts of the metropolis. Many different trains depart from the huge terminal station of Tokyo. The Marunouchi Building and the Shin-Marunouchi Building are representative structures that have been recently developed and are the center of business activities and high grade entertainment. Marunouchi Naka-dori is a street that leads Ginza. Lined with the world’s top brand shops and well-known restaurants, it enchants young working women. The Imperial Palace is quite close to the area. Enjoy a walk to the remnant of the Edo Castle, surrounded by natural attractions in all seasons, and a visit to art museums nearby. Nihonbashi was once a thriving merchant district during the Edo Period (1603 – 1868). Featuring both modern buildings and historic shops, it continues to play a central role in the Japanese economy today. Take in the old-time atmosphere here characterized by sights such as wholesale textile streets and the Meijiza Theater, which boasts a history of 130 years. Then take a short rest at Suitengu Shrine, where a deity said to ensure easy childbirthing is enshrined. Nihonbashi Bridge is the starting point of the historical “Five Highways of Japan”. While you are there, you may also choose to visit the district’s symbols of the Japanese economy such as the nearby Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Bank of Japan.
Akihabara, often shortened to “Akiba”, is noted for its electric appliance quarter featuring a wide selection of goods. It is now also famous worldwide for pop culture. Visitors can shop or just window-shop around electric appliance shops, game shops and anime shops in Akihabara Electric Town. If you like walking, take a stroll to historical buildings like Kanda Myojin Shrine, Yushima Seido, and Nicholai-do, an complete your trip at the secondhand bookstore area in Kanda. Home to various unique shops, there areas are frequented by a wide range of people from students to the elderly.
Lined up with old department stores full of history and tradition as well as prestigious boutiques, Ginza is an elegant and stylish town where a retro-modern atmosphere still lingers in the air.
Odaiba / Shiodome, Tokyo
The Bay area facing Tokyo Bay is a new and popular sightseeing spot of Tokyo. Odaiba’s popularity has been established as Tokyo’s waterfront resort. Here, you can enjoy shopping, delicious food, entertainment and a view of Tokyo Bay all at once. In Shiodome area, new culture meets good old tradition. Cruising across Tokyo Bay is popular, not to mention shopping and eating. Shiodome SIO-SITE is the largest redevelopment area of modern Tokyo. At the east side of the Shiodome buildings, you will find Hama-rikyu Garden, which is related with the Edo Shogunate and the Imperial Household. Near Hinode pier, where the Water Bus departs, there are Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens, which were previously Daimyo gardens. Other attractions are Zojo-ji Temple and the Tokyo Tower, which offers beautiful night views. Enjoy the old and new of Tokyo at the same time.
Shinagawa thrived in the Edo Period (1603 – 1868) as the first post town of the former Tokaido road that connects Nihonbashi and Kyoto. With the recent redevelopment, mainly of the land of the former Japan National Railway, the area has been totally renewed and is getting attention as an area of new attractions while still maintains a reminiscence of the good old days. The view of the post town where travelers and boasts used to come and go, as vividly painted by Utagawa Hiroshige, an Ukiyo-e artist who was active around the end of the Edo Period, in his renowned “Tokaido 53 tsgi (53 stations of Tokaido)” is harmonized with the skyscrapers created by the latest technology like a miracle.