Neighborhoods in Brief

Taken as a whole, Tokyo seems formidable. Instead, think of Tokyo as a variety of neighborhoods scrunched together, much like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Holding the pieces together, so to speak, is the Yamanote Line, a commuter train loop around central Tokyo, passing through such important stations as Yurakucho, Tokyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shinagawa.

Hibiya This is not only the business heart of Tokyo, but its spiritual heart as well. Hibiya is where the Tokugawa shogun built his magnificent castle, and was thus the center of old Edo. Today, Hibiya, in Chiyoda-ku, is no less important as the home of the Imperial Palace, built on the ruins of Edo Castle and today the residence of Japan's 125th emperor. Bordering the palace is the wonderful East Garden, open free to the public.

Nihombashi Back when Edo became Tokugawa's shogunate capital, Nihombashi was where merchants set up shop, making it the commercial center of the city and therefore of all Japan. Nihombashi, which stretches east of Tokyo Station, still serves as Tokyo's financial center, home of the computerized Tokyo Stock Exchange and headquarters for major banks and companies. The area takes its name from an actual bridge, Nihombashi, which means "Bridge of Japan" and served as the focal point for all main highways leading out of the city to the provinces during the Edo Period.

Marunouchi To the west and south of Tokyo Station is Marunouchi, one of Tokyo's oldest business districts, with tree-lined avenues and office buildings. Since the turn of this century, it has been undergoing extensive renovations, beginning with the replacement of the historic 1923 Marunouchi Building with a 36-story complex of restaurants, shops, and offices, and the opening of the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, Japan's most expensive hotel.

Ginza Ginza is the swankiest and most expensive shopping area in all Japan. When the country opened to foreign trade in the 1860s following 2 centuries of self-imposed seclusion, it was here that Western imports and adapted Western architecture were first displayed. Today, Ginza is where you'll find a multitude of department stores, brand-name boutiques, exclusive restaurants, hotels, art galleries, hostess clubs, and drinking establishments. Although Tokyo's younger generation favors less staid districts like Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shinjuku, the Ginza is still a good place to window-shop and dine, especially on Sunday, when several major thoroughfares are closed to vehicular traffic, giving it a festive atmosphere. On the edge of Ginza is Kabukiza, the nation's main venue for Kabuki productions.

Tsukiji Located only two subway stops from Ginza, Tsukiji was born from reclaimed land during the Tokugawa shogunate; its name, in fact, means "reclaimed land." During the Meiji Period, it housed a large foreign settlement. Today it's famous for the Tsukiji Fish Market, one of the largest wholesale fish markets in the world. Nearby are Shiodome, an urban development project with skyscrapers, hotels, and the Caretta Shiodome shopping mall; and Hama Rikyu Garden, considered by some to be the best garden in Tokyo. From Hama Rikyu Garden, sightseeing boats depart for Asakusa in the north.

Asakusa Located in the northeastern part of central Tokyo, Asakusa and areas to its north served as the pleasure quarters for old Edo. Even older, however, is the famous Sensoji Temple, one of Tokyo's top and oldest attractions. Asakusa also has a wealth of tiny shops selling traditional Japanese crafts, most clustered along a pedestrian street called Nakamise Dori that leads straight to Sensoji Temple; the street's atmosphere alone makes it one of the most enjoyable places to shop for Japanese souvenirs. When Tokyoites talk about shitamachi (old downtown), they are referring to the traditional homes and tiny narrow streets of the Asakusa and Ueno areas.

Ueno Located just west of Asakusa, on the northern edge of the JR Yamanote Line loop, Ueno retains some of the city's old shitamachi atmosphere, especially at its spirited Ameya Yokocho food and flea market, which is spread underneath the Yamanote train tracks. Ueno is most famous, however, for Ueno Park, a huge green space comprising a zoo, a concert hall, a temple, a shrine, and several acclaimed museums, including the Tokyo National Museum, which houses the largest collection of Japanese art and antiquities in the world. North of Ueno is Yanaka, a delightful residential area of traditional old homes, neighborhood shops, and temples; several of Tokyo's most affordable Japanese-style inns are located here.

Shinjuku Originating as a post town in 1698 to serve the needs of feudal lords and their retainers traveling between Edo and the provinces, Shinjuku was hardly touched by the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, making it an attractive alternative for businesses wishing to relocate following the widespread destruction. In 1971, Japan's first skyscraper was erected here with the opening of the Keio Plaza Hotel in western Shinjuku, setting a dramatic precedent for things to come. Today more than a dozen skyscrapers, including several hotels, dot the Shinjuku skyline; and with the opening of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office (TMG) in 1991 (with a tourist office and a great observation floor), Shinjuku's transformation into the capital's upstart business district was complete. Separating eastern and western Shinjuku is Shinjuku Station, the nation's busiest commuter station, located on the western end of the Yamanote Line loop. Surrounding the station is a bustling shopping district, particularly the huge Takashimaya Times Square complex and the many discount electronics stores. Shinjuku is also known for its nightlife, especially in Kabuki-cho, one of Japan's most famous -- and naughtiest -- amusement centers; and in Shinjuku 2-chome, Tokyo's premier gay nightlife district. An oasis in the middle of Shinjuku madness is Shinjuku Gyoen Park, a beautiful garden for strolling.

Harajuku The mecca of Tokyo's younger generation, Harajuku swarms throughout the week with teenagers in search of fashion and fun. At its center is Omotesando Dori, a fashionable tree-lined avenue flanked by trendy shops, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes, making it a premier promenade for people-watching. Nearby is Takeshita Dori, a narrow pedestrian lane packed with young people looking for the latest in inexpensive clothing. Harajuku is also home to one of Japan's major attractions, the Meiji Jingu Shrine, built in 1920 to deify Emperor and Empress Meiji; and to the small but delightful Ota Memorial Museum of Art, with its woodblock prints. Another draw is the Oriental Bazaar, Tokyo's best shop for products and souvenirs of Japan. Two Sundays a month, nearby Togo Shrine holds an antiques flea market.

Aoyama While Harajuku is for Tokyo's teeny-boppers, nearby chic Aoyama is its playground for trend-setting yuppies, boasting sophisticated restaurants, pricey boutiques, and more cutting-edge designer-fashion outlets than anywhere else in the city. It's located on the eastern end of Omotesando Dori (and an easy walk from Harajuku), centered on Aoyama Dori.

Ikebukuro Located north of Shinjuku on the Yamanote Line loop, Ikebukuro is the working person's Tokyo, less refined and a bit rougher around the edges. Ikebukuro is where you'll find Seibu and Tobu, two of the country's largest department stores, as well as the Japan Traditional Craft Center, with its beautifully crafted traditional items. The Sunshine City Building, one of Japan's tallest skyscrapers, is home to a huge indoor shopping center and aquarium.

Akihabara Japan's foremost center for electronic and electrical appliances contains more than 600 shops offering a look at the latest in gadgets and gizmos. In recent years, shops dealing in Japanese animation have also set up shop. A stop on the Yamanote Line, this is a fascinating place for a stroll, even if you aren't interested in buying anything. About a 12-minute walk to the west is Kanda, with many stores specializing in new and used books.

Shibuya Located on the southwestern edge of the Yamanote Line loop, Shibuya serves as an important commuter nucleus. More subdued than Shinjuku and less cosmopolitan than Roppongi, it caters to bustling throngs of students and young office workers with its many shops and thriving nightlife, including more than a dozen department stores specializing in everything from designer clothing to housewares. Don't miss the light change at Shibuya Crossing, reportedly Japan's busiest intersection, with its hordes of pedestrians, neon, and five video billboards that have earned it the nickname "the Times Square of Tokyo" (and a spot in the movie Lost in Translation).

Ebisu One station south of Shibuya on the JR Yamanote Line, Ebisu was a minor player in Tokyo's shopping and nightlife league until the 1995 debut of Yebisu Garden Place, a smart-looking planned community of apartments, concert halls, two museums (one highlighting Sapporo Beer, the other Japanese photography), restaurants, a department store, and a first-class hotel, all connected to Ebisu Station via moving walkway. The vicinity east of Ebisu Station, once a sleepy residential and low-key shopping district, has blossomed into a small but thriving nightlife mecca, popular with expats who find Roppongi too crass or commercial.

Roppongi Tokyo's best-known nightlife district for young Japanese and foreigners, Roppongi has more bars and nightclubs than any other district outside Shinjuku, as well as a multitude of restaurants serving international cuisine. The action continues until dawn. Nearby Nishi Azabu, once a residential neighborhood (many foreigners live here), offers a quieter and saner dining alternative to frenetic Roppongi. Between Roppongi and Nishi Azabu is the newest kid on the block, the eye-popping, 11-hectare (28-acre) Roppongi Hills, Tokyo's largest urban development with 230 shops and restaurants, a first-class hotel, a garden, apartments, offices, a cinema complex, a playground, and Tokyo's highest art museum, on the 53rd floor of Mori Tower. Astonishingly, Roppongi Hills will be upstaged in 2007, when the massive Tokyo Midtown Project opens (along with a Ritz-Carlton hotel).

Akasaka With its several large hotels and a small nightlife district, Akasaka caters mostly to businessmen, making it of little interest to tourists. It does, however, boast some good restaurants; in recent years, so many Koreans have opened restaurants and other establishments here that it has been dubbed "Little Korea."

Shinagawa Once an important post station on the old Tokaido Highway, Shinagawa remains an important crossroads in large part because of Shinagawa Station, a stop on the Shinkansen bullet train and on the southern end of the Yamanote Line loop. Home to several hotels, it has also witnessed a major blossoming of office construction in recent years, making it a serious rival of Shinjuku's business district. Other than the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, however, there's little here to attract sightseers.

Ryogoku Located outside the Yamanote Line loop east of the Sumida River, Ryogoku has served as Tokyo's sumo town since the 17th century. Today it's home not only to Tokyo's large sumo stadium and museum, but also to about a dozen sumo stables, where wrestlers live and train. You can often see the giants as they stroll the district in their characteristic yukata robes. In 1993, Ryogoku became a tourist destination with the opening of the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which outlines the history of this fascinating city.

Odaiba This is Tokyo's newest district, quite literally -- it was constructed from reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. Connected to the mainland by Rainbow Bridge (famous for its chameleon colors after nightfall), the Yurikamome Line monorail, the Rinkai Line, and a vehicular harbor tunnel, Odaiba is home to hotels, Japan's largest convention space, several shopping complexes (including the very fancy Venus Fort), futuristic buildings (including the Kenzo Tange-designed Fuji TV Building), several museums (such as the Museum of Maritime Science and the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation), a hot-spring public bath that harkens back to the Edo era, a monolithic Ferris wheel, and Megaweb (a huge multimedia car amusement and exhibition center sponsored by Toyota). For young Japanese, Odaiba is one of Tokyo's hottest dating spots.