By Jordy Meow – wikimedia

Top 20 Facts about the city of Tokyo


 

Tokyo is Japan’s busy capital city, it portrays a mix of ultramodern and traditional architecture, from  skyscrapers to historic temples. 

It is the largest metropolitan area in the world hosting over 36 million people.

The city is famed for its historic shrines, temples and performing arts that has been practiced for centuries.

There are theaters in the city that celebrate Japanese culture such as the Kabuki and National Non theaters and the Kokugikan hall.

The luxurious Meiji Shinto Shrine in the city is known for its towering gate and surrounding woods. Here are some facts about the city.

1. Imperial palace in the City

The Imperial palace in Japan is a tourist magnet especially on the emperor’s birthday when special sections of it open for the public.

During this time, on January 2nd and February 23rd, tourists get to see members of the imperial family that makes several public appearances on a balcony, the family resides at the palace. 

It is on a former site of Edo Castle in a vast park with huge stone walls and moats. It is a short walking distance from the Tokyo station. 

2. Popular Teen Street Culture in Tokyo

The Harajuku district in Tokyo is famed for its street fashion for teens. This culture has been in Japan for more than three decades.

The fashion showcases some edgy styles the youth embrace in their dressing in the most recent trends. 

Walking down the streets of Shibuya or Akihabara, teens and youth will be seen dressed up as their favorite anime and manga characters.  

Through the fashion trends, the youth and teens in Japan use them to express themselves. 

3. Immerse Yourself in the Bright Lights and Cityscapes

 

Jazael Melgoza -Unsplash

When dusk falls, the city of Tokyo lights up in a neon light spectacle.  Signage and buildings transform to colorful display of lights and adverts. 

Restaurants and shops compete with their bright yellow ad red colored lights that one can be left hazy on where to shop or eat. 

For a spectacular light show, Shinjuku and Shibuya offer the best luminous walkways a gateway to new adventures. 

4. Tokyo City Tuna Auctions at the Tsukiji Fish Market

The tuna auction in Tsukiji fish market is famous among fish lovers and sushi lovers. 

The auction happens bright and early at around 05:30 am. The restaurants at the market get their customers who come to shop and tour the market. 

They sell their fresh tuna straight from the auction floor.

5. The famous Shibuya Crossing

This is the busiest crossing intersection in Tokyo. There are 6 to 7 crossings from either side of the streets.

This street is famous for its beautiful chaos when the lights turn red. People from 7 different directions crisscross the street seamlessly. 

It is estimated that more than 1,000 people cross the intersection at the same time. 

This can be experienced from below while crossing the street or from above, seeing the sudden crisscross of pedestrians and clear streets paving way for cars.

6. Cherry Blossom season in Tokyo

Photo by Yu Kato on Unsplash

When the month of march ends, it ushers in the blooming cherry blossoms.

This season is also known as Hanami a tradition of welcoming feast for spring and appreciating nature’s beauty.

The cherry blossom is the national symbol of Japan and is quite a magical experience. The cherry blossom trees flower between a week or two once a year. 

When the streets in Tokyo and other parts of Japan turn into different shades of pink, the Japanese some out to celebrate.

 It is quite a spectacle cherry blossom themed products also known as Sakura. 

7. Alternative accommodation; Capsule Hotels in Tokyo

Capsule hotels offer accommodation to travelers in small bed-sized rooms that take the shape of a capsule, some know it as pod hotels.  

The capsules are made of a plastic tube with indent shelves and power plugs in them. The pod is built in on the walls and is tall enough for a sitting position.

To create an interesting scene in the pod, the lighting settings allow for brightness and mood adjustments.

The bathrooms are separate. Men and women pods are on different floors.

8. Pussycat cafés in Tokyo

Tokyo has pet-themed hotels that attract both natives and curious tourists.

One such café is the cat cafés that is home to cats and serves humans with some delicious food.  

This trend is quite recent in Tokyo and has steadily been adopted in other parts of Japan and other parts of the world. 

The café first started when landlords would not allow their tenants to keep pets in their tiny apartments. 

With the cafés now available, cat lovers are able to spend time petting the cats outside their homes.  

If you find this surprising, well there are other animal cafés in Tokyo; rabbits, owl, hedgehogs, and even snakes! Choice is yours

9. The Anime center in Tokyo

There is no way Tokyo is mentioned without bringing up Animes and Manga characters that originate from Japan.

Tokyo has become the tourist destination for Anime and Manga lovers worldwide.

While in Tokyo, there are museums, shops and cafés that sell anime and manga merchandise.

One such place in Tokyo is Akiharaba famous for otaku (geek) culture and is frequented by loyal anime fans.

10. Pokémon centers in Tokyo

Pokémon or pocket monsters is a Japanese anime series game where the players raise a pocket monster and train it to fight other monsters. 

It is a popular game where the players, through a map go Pokémon hunting quite popular among the fans. 

The biggest Pokémon center was opened in Japan in 2018 in a historical center in the city.

The location of the center is conveniently a short walk distance from Tokyo station.

This series is loved by fans of different age groups world over.

11. Tokyo is technically not a city

Most people refer to Tokyo as a city, but it is formerly known as a metropolitan prefecture which is different from a city.

There are 23 special wards in Tokyo governed by the metropolitan government.  

These wards or districts are each unique in characteristics and this has made them famous worldwide. The Japanese refer to these wards as a city.   

12. The Tallest Tower in Tokyo

By Kakidai -wikimedia

Tokyo City has a tall tower that serves as a broadcasting and observation tower in Sumida.

The sky tree was named the tallest in the world in 2010, it is 333 meters tall. There is an observation point on top that gives a breathtaking view of the city down below.

13. Purchase almost Anything from a vending machine

The vending machines in Tokyo have almost every product that one can think of. They are available in the city almost every 12 meters. 

Hamburgers, fish broth, umbrellas, cold drinks, milk, fruits and even action figures can be purchased from the vending machines.

It is clearly the vending capital of the world.

14. Eiffel Tower in Tokyo

By Volfgang – wikimedia

While it may not be referred to as the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower was inspired by the original Eiffel Tower in Paris. 

The Tokyo tower was finished in 1958, 78 years after the original tower was erected.

Although it is 13 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower, the Tokyo towers is half the weight of the Eiffel Tower due to the material used in its construction.

15. Top dollar steak in Tokyo

Tokyo city is famed for its Michelin star restaurants and themed restaurants.

The dining experience is definitely something that visitors to the city look forward to.

One such restaurant is Aragawa, a famous steak restaurant in Shinbashi district of Tokyo. 

They serve the best beef steak in Tokyo and have a signature dish that attracts foodies worldwide. 

The average meal served at the restaurant costs 800 USD. 

16. Tax-free shopping for foreigners

Tokyo is a shoppers’ paradise and loved by many tourists and travelers. 

Tourists are not charged taxes in licensed stores when purchasing goods over 5000 yen. 

One has to produce their passports to be exempted from paying taxes. 

17. Tokyo’s missed opportunities

Tokyo was set to host the 2020 summer Olympics in July, this was postponed due to the novel Coronavirus pandemic that brought the entire world to an almost halt.

It was the second time the Olympic Games scheduled for Tokyo got postponed.

In 1940, Tokyo was to host the Summer Olympics in October then World War II happened.

Tokyo had to forego playing host.  Helsinki, Finland was to be the new venue but that too was postponed.

The summer Olympics was later held in 1964 in Tokyo. 

The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be held from 23rd July to 8th August 2021.

It will still be referred to as the TOKYO 2020 Olympics.

18.  Tokyo City is Safe

Every city in the world has its share of pockets of crime. Although this might be true for Tokyo too, reported crimes are relative.  

The streets of Tokyo are quite safe during the day and night with police booths positioned at different corners in the city. 

19. Earthquake preparedness in Tokyo

The city of Tokyo has been hit by four earthquakes, with 1923 being the worst to ever hit the city. 

The city hold’s earthquake drills annually on the anniversary of the 1923 earthquake.

It also has open fields that in the city maintained to accommodate the people left homeless after an earthquake.

20.  Tokyo is Japan’s finance center

Major finance corporations in Japan have their headquarters in Tokyo. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is located in Kabutocho.

Tokyo suffered from the economic boom in Japan in the 80s when it rivaled the US and Europe as a global financial center. 

The boom affected the prices of land and raised the value of yen.

Although the economy equalled in the early 90s, real estate in Tokyo remained to be the most expensive in Japan and globally.

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