Insight Guides Explore Tokyo (Travel Guide eBook)

By Insight Guides

Pocket-sized travel guides featuring the very best routes and itineraries.

Discover the best of Tokyo with this indispensably practical Insight Explore Guide. From making sure you don't miss out on must-see attractions like the Imperial Palace, Yanaka, Shibuya, Shinjuku National Park and Asakusa, to discovering hidden gems, including the hot springs, the easy-to-follow, ready-made walking routes will save you time, help you plan and enhance your visit to Tokyo.

Practical, pocket-sized and packed with inspirational insider information, this is the ideal on-the-move companion to your trip to Tokyo.

- Over 16 walks and tours: detailed itineraries feature all the best places to visit, including where to eat along the way
- Local highlights: discover what makes the area special, its top attractions and unique sights, and be inspired by stunning imagery
- Insider recommendations: where to stay and what to do, from active pursuits to themed trips
- Hand-picked places: find your way to great hotels, restaurants and nightlife using the comprehensive listings
- Practical maps: get around with ease and follow the walks and tours using the detailed maps 
- Informative tips: plan your visit with an A to Z of advice on everything from transport to tipping
- Inventive design makes for an engaging, easy-reading experience
- Covers: The Imperial Palace, Marunouchi and Gina, Roppongi and Akasaka, Aoyama and Harajuku, Shibuya and Ebisu, Shinjuku, Yanaka and Ueno, Ikebukuro and Mejirodai, Asakusa, Fukagawa and Ryogkoku, Tsukudajima and Toyosu, Odaiba, Kawagoe, Kamakura and Enoshima, Hakone and Nikko

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Oct 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781839051821

Insight Guides

Pictorial travel guide to Arizona & the Grand Canyon with a free eBook provides all you need for every step of your journey. With in-depth features on culture and history, stunning colour photography and handy maps, it’s perfect for inspiration and finding out when to go to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and what to see in Arizona & the Grand Canyon. 

Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With ­top-­quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the world’s most exciting destinations.

Best Routes

The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destination’s many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights, and there are also ex­cursions for those who want to extend their visit outside the city. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments – options are shown in the ‘Food and Drink’ box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more, while a succinct history timeline highlights the key events over the centuries.

Directory

Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with a clearly organised A–Z of practical information, our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafés and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings, plus a handy language guide and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

© 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Recommended Routes For...

Art enthusiasts

Children

Escaping the crowds

Food and drink

Historical Tokyo

Parks and gardens

Science and technology

Shopping

Explore Tokyo

Tradition and culture

Getting around

Life in Tokyo

Diversity and courtesy

Climate

Fabulous festivals

Shaky ground

Escaping the city

National holidays

Food & Drink

Where to eat

What will it cost?

Japanese cuisine

Sushi and sashimi

Hotpots

Grilled food

Noodles

Kaiseki ryori

Finishing touches

Sweets

Coffee and tea

Alcoholic drinks

Rice wine

Shopping

Department stores and malls

Electronics

Fashion

Traditional crafts

Shopping rules

Sports & Entertainment

Sports

Sumo

Baseball

Football

Theatre and dance

Bunraku

Kabuki

Noh

Western-style theatre

Classical music and ballet

Contemporary dance

Butoh

Popular music

Martial arts

National Theatre

Listings

History: Key Dates

Pre-Edo periods

Edo Period (1603–1868)

Meiji Period (1868–1912)

Taisho and Showa periods (1912–89)

Heisei Period (1989–2019)

The Imperial Palace & Around

Yasukuni-jinja

Yushukan

Kitanomaru Park

Around the Imperial Palace East Garden

Wadakura Fountain Park

Hibiya Park

Marunouchi & Ginza

Marunouchi

Idemitsu Museum of Art

Tokyo International Forum

Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum

Artizon Museum

Ginza

Kabuki-za

Shiseido Gallery

Old Imperial Bar

Roppongi & Akasaka

Roppongi

Tokyo Midtown

Nogi-jinja

Gallery Ma

National Art Centre, Tokyo

Roppongi Hills

Tokyo Tower

Zojo-ji

Shakaden

Musée Tomo

Akasaka

Kantei

Hie-jinja

Aoyama & Harajuku

Aoyama

Nezu Museum of Art

Harajuku

Design and shrines

Cutting-edge shopping

Ota Memorial Museum of Art

Yoyogi Park

Shibuya & Ebisu

Shibuya

Hachiko Statue

Tokyo Wonder Site

Interesting shops

Shibuya 109

Shibuya Hikarie

Ebisu

Two museums

Shinjuku

West Shinjuku

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office

Shinjuku Park Tower

Tokyo Opera City

Sumitomo Building

Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Museum of Art

Shomben Yokocho

East Shinjuku

Shinjuku-dori

Takashimaya Times Square

Shinjuku National Garden

Hanazono-jinja

Golden Gai

Kabukicho

Yanaka & Ueno

Yanaka cemetery and environs

Asakura Choso Museum

Yanaka Ginza

Along Sansakizaka

Daien-ji

SCAI The Bathhouse

Yoshidaya Sake-ten

Jomyo-in

Ueno Park

Tokyo National Museum

National Museum of Nature and Science

Two art museums

Tosho-gu

Saigo Takamori Statue

Shinobazu Pond and Benten-do

Shitamachi Museum

Ameya Yokocho

Ikebukuro & Mejirodai

West Ikebukuro

Rikkyo University

Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan

East Ikebukuro

Sunshine City

Zoshigaya Cemetry

Gokoku-ji

Mejirodai

St Mary’s Cathedral

Chinzan-So

Asakusa

Senso-ji

Nakamise-dori

The central compound

Asakusa Hanayashiki

Quirky stores

Tokyo Skytree

Fukagawa & Ryogoku

Fukagawa

Kiyosumi Garden

Three bridges

Fukagawa Fudo-do

Tomioka Hachiman-gu

Ryogoku

Edo-Tokyo Museum

Yokoami Park

Kyu-Yasuda Garden

Ryogoku Kokugikan

Tsukudajima and Toyosu

Tsukudajima

Tsukudako Bridge

Sumiyoshi-jinja

Toyosu Market

Urban Dock LaLaport Toyosu

Odaiba

Tokyo Big Sight

Around Miraikan

DiverCity Tokyo Plaza

Odaiba beach

Rainbow Bridge

Kawagoe

Kumano-jinja

Around Ichiban-gai

Remains of Kawagoe Castle

Taisho Romance Street

Kita-in

Gohyaku Rakan

Kamakura & Enoshima

Kamakura

Tokei-ji

Kencho-ji

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu

Hase

Enoshima

Place to stay

Hakone

Hakone-Yumoto

Hakone Tozan Railway

Fujiya Hotel

Hakone Open-Air Museum

Hakone Art Museum

Owakudani

Around Lake Ashino

Hakone Barrier

Hakone Gongen

Hatajuku

Tenzan Notemburo

Places to stay

Tourist information

Nikko

Tosho-gu

Shin-kyo Bridge

Rinno-ji

Yomei-mon

Ieyasu’s Mausoleum

Futarasan-jinja

Taiyuin-byo

Nikko Tosho-gu Museum of Art

Meiji-no-Yakata

Entry charges

Places to stay

Accommodation

Marunouchi and Ginza

Roppongi and Akasaka

Aoyama

Shibuya

Shinjuku

Yanaka and Ueno

Ikebukuro and Mejirodai

Sunshine City

Asakusa

Tsukiji and Odaiba

Restaurants

Marunouchi and Ginza

Roppongi and Akasaka

Aoyama and Harajuku

Shibuya and Ebisu

Shinjuku

Shinagawa and Meguro

Yanaka and Ueno

Ikebukuro and Mejirodai

Asakusa and Ryogoku

Tsukiji and Odaiba

Kagurazaka, Suidobashi, Ochanomizu, Kanda and Akihabara

Nightlife

Bars

Gay venues

Live jazz

Live popular music

Dance clubs

A-Z

A

Addresses

B

Budgeting

C

Children

Clothing

Crime and safety

Customs

D

Disabled travellers

E

Earthquakes

Electricity

Embassies

Emergency numbers

Etiquette

G

Green issues

H

Health and medical care

Hours and holidays

Public holidays

I

Internet

L

Language

LGBTQ travellers

Lost property

M

Maps

Media

Money

P

Police

Post

R

Religion

T

Telephones

Time zones

Tipping

Tourist information

Transport

Arrival by air

Narita Airport to the city

Haneda Airport to the city

Arrival by road

Arrival by train

Transportation within Tokyo

V

Visas

Language

Useful words and phrases

Getting around

Eating out

Numbers

Days of the week

Technology

Books and Film

Books

Fiction

Non-fiction

Film

Recommended Routes For...

Art enthusiasts

Bounce around Roppongi’s Art Triangle (route 3), then dip into Harajuku’s anarchic Design Festa gallery (route 4) or the contemporary galleries of Fukagawa (route 10).

Getty Images

Children

Youngsters will love riding the monorail and giant Ferris wheel in Odaiba (route 12) and the cable car and fantasy galleons at Hakone (route 15). For toys, there’s also Kiddyland in Harajuku (route 4).

Chris Stowers/Apa Publications

Escaping the crowds

Meiji-jingu’s grounds (route 4) can be a haven of peace, but to escape the crowds fully, head to the Kiyosumi Garden (route 10) or day trip to the hills surrounding Kamakura (route 14) or Nikko (route 16).

Chris Stowers/Apa Publications

Food and drink

Toyosu Fish Market, opened in 2018 (route 11), is a must, as is Isetan’s fantastic food hall (route 6). Journey out to Kawagoe (tour 13) to enjoy traditional dishes in an old Edo setting.

Chris Stowers/Apa Publications

Historical Tokyo

Circuit the Imperial Palace (route 1), learn about the city’s history at the Edo-Tokyo Museum (route 10) and get a grand overview at Tokyo National Museum (route 7).

iStock

Parks and gardens

Chinzan-so (route 8) is a magnificent traditional garden. The Imperial Palace grounds and Hibiya Park (route 1) are worth seeing, as is Shinjuku National Garden (route 6). Yoyogi Park (route 4) is great for people watching.

Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications

Science and technology

Check out the Miraikan in Odaiba (route 12), Tokyo’s best science museum, while in Shinjuku (route 6) there’s the NTT Intercommunication Centre.

Getty Images

Shopping

Fashionistas should set their compasses for Ginza (route 2), Aoyama and Harajuku (route 4), and Shibuya (route 5). For local crafts, Asakusa (route 9) and Yanaka (route 7) have rich pickings.

Chris Stowers/Apa Publications

Explore Tokyo

The world’s largest megalopolis is not the most obvious place to discover on foot. However, walking through Tokyo is the best way to experience the city’s fascinating history, electrifying hyperactivity and pockets of serenity.

At first glance, Tokyo comes across as a haphazard urban experiment in danger of spinning out of control. Closer examination reveals an organically evolved spoke-and-ring system with the Imperial Palace at its centre. The city’s central 23 wards (ku) are home to 9.3 million people and interact like a huddle of micro-cities, each wired up by a complex but highly efficient system of underground and overground railway tracks.

Tokyo Prefecture (Tokyo-to) covers 2,188 sq km (845 sq miles), including 27 smaller cities, 14 towns and 27,000 islands, while the wider metropolitan area has a population exceeding 38 million. From neighbouring prefectures, millions more head into the centre every day to work and play – you will seldom escape the crowds, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t also be able to find havens of peace and tranquillity.

Tradition and culture

For all its modernity, Tokyo is a city imbued with the past, where the traditions and culture of Edo (Tokyo’s pre-mid-19th-century name) are cherished. Between its Postmodernist architecture and elevated expressways lie hundreds of temples, shrines and Buddhist statues. You can find the city’s premier Buddhist temple in Asakusa, the top Shinto shrine Meiji-jingu in Harajuku and the controversial shrine Yasukuni-jinja near the spacious grounds of the Imperial Palace, the peaceful eye at the centre of Tokyo’s storm.

Tokyo skyline

iStock

Even though it lacks the greenery of other major cities, Tokyo has a number of formal gardens – often remnants of old Edo estates – where you can enjoy quiet contemplation and the passing of the seasons with beautiful flower displays. There’s also a wide range of craft shops and schools for the traditional arts that help maintain skills honed over centuries. Look carefully and you will begin to see how this illustrious heritage is reflected in the designs and meticulous attention to detail of Tokyo’s skyscrapers, transport system, modern-art galleries and even hi-tech electronics.

Getting around

Even though the city is spread out, getting around is easily done using the subway and the Japan Railways (JR) Yamanote line. The latter’s egg-shaped track takes roughly an hour to complete a full loop around the inner city. Many of Tokyo’s top sights, as well as major hotels and nightspots, are located at or near one of its stops. Partly shadowing the Yamanote beneath ground, but describing a wider circle that takes in areas east of the Sumida River, is the Oedo subway line.

Places outside the Yamanote line tend to form part of Shitamachi (‘Low City’), such as Asakusa and Ryogoku, or represent the modern face of the city, such as the futuristic landfill island of Odaiba.

Islands of garbage

Tokyo has come up with an ingenious solution to deal with the mountains of garbage generated by its millions of citizens. Tokyo Bay is home to the euphemistically named Dream Island (Yume no Shima), which is composed entirely of rubbish. Started in the 1960s, Yume no Shima has since been covered by topsoil and now hosts a sports park, tropical greenhouse and waste facility. The building of further ‘Dream Islands’ in Tokyo Bay continues, although it is feared that this could end up affecting shipping lanes in the future.

In the past few decades the city’s garbage-disposal rules have become increasingly stringent. Visitors can do their part by separating their rubbish into burnables (kitchen waste, cloth and paper), non-burnables (plastics, metals and ceramics) and recyclables (PET bottles, newspapers, cardboard and batteries). You will find dump-bins for each kind of waste in most public facilities, including railway and subway stations.

Life in Tokyo

Visitors to Tokyo are likely to receive the impression of a well-fed, stylishly dressed and orderly society. Despite recent recessions and Japan’s 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster, Tokyo’s standard of living remains high – to the outside eye it appears hardly reduced from the giddy days of the late 1980s – and the city is now busy gearing up for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Nevertheless, one segment of the population that has grown in recent years is the homeless, some vagrants, many of them elderly or victims of economic hard times. Remarkably, their ‘homes’ – cardboard boxes and blue tarpaulin tents in the city’s major parks – are kept neat and tidy.

Diversity and courtesy

Although Japan