Insight Guides City Guide Tokyo

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Print ISBN: 9781786717191
• eBook ISBN: 9781786718556
• Edition: 7
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Tokyo is one of the most fast-paced cities in Asia. Keep up to speed with City Guide Tokyo - a comprehensive guide to getting the most out of this extraordinary city. Experience the mega-wattage of neon lights in Shibuya, take a soothing dip at Odaiba's Oedo Onsen and marvel at the resplendent Senso-ji Temple with a guide that explores all these sights and more using detailed, narrative text, easy-to-use maps and stunning full-colour photography.
City Guide Tokyo fully explores the history, people and culture of the city, so you can discover everything you need to know to appreciate kabuki theatre, learn the difference between sushi and sashimi and delve into the world of manga and anime. In-depth chapters cover all of Tokyo's wards and suggest excursions to surrounding regions; fashionistas should head for stylish Harajuku, night owls can make a beeline for bustling Roppongi, history and architecture buffs will adore the Old Tokyo of Asakusa, whilst those seeking fresh air and gorgeous scenery will want to explore Mount Fuji. The Best Of section helps you to prioritise what to see and the Travel Tips offer essential advice on what you need to know before you go and how to get around the city once you are there.
Insight Guides has over 40 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as picture-packed eBooks to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture together create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information

A

Accommodation

Choosing a hotel

There is never a shortage of places to stay in Tokyo. Accommodation ranges from deluxe Western-style hotels and no-frills business lodgings to budget ‘capsule hotels’. Tokyo’s top hotels are among the finest in the world in terms of facilities and service. The older establishments especially exude a distinctive Japanese ambience. Business hotels target Japanese salarymen rather than foreign businessmen, providing bedrooms that are clean and functional, but barely big enough to contain the bed.

Traditional Japanese inns, or ryokan, provide a very different experience. At their best (and most expensive), they epitomise the essence of Japanese hospitality. You sleep on futon mattresses on tatami mats, bathe in a traditional bath, and are served exquisite kaiseki ryori meals in your room by attendants in kimono.

On an altogether different level, there are budget Japanese-style inns (minshuku) that give a taste of the traditional but at a fraction of the cost of a top ryokan. These simple family-run lodgings offer personalised service and simple accommodation, and give a close-up view of how many Japanese live.

Capsule hotels offer basic bunk-style accommodation in enclosed cabins just big enough to sit up in. They are not an option for long-term stays (you can’t store luggage), but are good in an emergency. There are capsule hotels in most areas where salarymen go carousing. Most are for men only, but a few have floors reserved for women.

Hotel areas

For the sake of simplicity, many visitors choose to stay at places close to the circular Yamanote Line, where many of the main sights are located. Many of the bigger Yamanote stations like Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Tokyo are transportation hubs linked to overground and subway lines that will take you to other sights within or outside the city.

Stations like these are mini-cities in their own right, offering a vibrant package of activities that include shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Each has its own distinctive character. While you may choose an area for a notable feature that interests you (Ueno for museums, Shibuya for fashion, Roppongi for nightlife), these micro-cities work hard at providing something for everyone. Central Tokyo (Roppongi, Akasaka, Nihombashi and Ginza) tends to be more expensive and cater to the business market, while areas such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno and Ikebukuro tend to have a greater choice.

Prices and bookings

Western-style hotels charge on a per-room basis, but at traditional ryokan inns and pensions, customers are charged per person, with the rate usually including dinner and breakfast. Many larger hotels also offer non-smoking rooms and women-only floors. All hotel rates include eight percent consumption tax. Luxury hotels may impose a 10 to 15 percent service charge. If your room costs over ¥10,000 per person per night, there’s also a Tokyo Metropolitan Government tax of ¥100 per person per night (¥200 per person if the room costs over ¥15,000).

Useful websites include Japan Hotel Association (www.j-hotel.or.jp), Japanican (www.japanican.com), Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association (www.ryokan.or.jp) and Japan Guest Houses (www.japaneseguesthouses.com).

Note: budget travellers should book in advance for February, when thousands of students descend on the city for university entrance exams.

Addresses

Tokyo is one of the most complex cities in the world. Even the Japanese get confused when trying to get from A to B, which is why businesses often print little maps out on cards, websites and advertisements.

However, with a little knowledge of how the streets are laid out and numbered, you should be able to negotiate the city without too much frustration. Apart from main roads, very few streets have names. Addresses traditionally follow a big-to-small system, with the ku (ward) listed first, then the cho or matchi (district) and then the chome (an area of a few blocks), the block itself and the number of the building within that block. A typical address rendered in Japanese might read like this: Minato-ku, Hamamatsucho, 3-8-12, Riverfield Hotel, 4F. However, the English rendition of Japanese addresses often follows a different order, most commonly the one used throughout this guide: Riverfield Hotel, 4F, 3-8-12 Hamamatscho, Minato-ku; here, 3 is the number or the chome, 8 is the number of the block and 12 is the number of the building within that block.

Note: in Japan the ground floor equals the first; also look out for floor numbers often shown on the outside of the building.

Admission charges

Practically all museums and public galleries in Tokyo charge an admission fee – anything from ¥200 to ¥1,500 depending on the size and nature of the institution. If you are planning on visiting a lot of museums then investing in the GRUTT Pass (www.rekibun.or.jp/grutto) is recommended. This ¥2,000 ticket provides free or discounted entry to 80 public, national and private institutions, including all of Tokyo’s major museums. It is valid for two months after first being used and can be bought at participating venues and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government tourist information centre in Shinjuku (for more information, click here).

Age restrictions

The age of consent is 18, the same age it is legal to drive. If you are hiring a car in Japan, though, you must be over 21 and have an international driving licence. The legal age for drinking alcohol is 20, but this is not strictly enforced. For smoking the legal age is also 20.

B

Budgeting for your trip

Tokyo has a reputation for being one of the most expensive cities in the world, but after over 15 years of economic stagnation, the cost of living index in capitals like London and Paris have caught up, and in some cases exceeded, that of Tokyo. Compared with other Asian capitals though, Tokyo remains the mos...

Table of contents

• Tokyo’s Top 10 Attractions
• Editor’s Choice
• Introduction: Tokyo Enigmas
• Tokyoites
• Decisive Dates
• Creating the Eastern Capital
• Festivals
• Insight: Festivals and Street Performances
• Cuisine
• Tokyo After Dark
• Fashion and Design
• Architecture
• Insight: The Art of Landscaping
• Introduction: Places
• Imperial Palace, Marunouchi and Nihombashi
• Yurakucho, Ginza and Shiodome
• Ikebukuro
• Shinjuku
• Aoyama and Omotesando
• Harajuku and Shibuya
• Roppongi
• Shinagawa
• Ueno, Yanesen and Hongo
• Asakusa
• Suidobashi, Ochanomizu, Kanda and Akihabara
• Sumida River
• Insight: The Sport of Sumo
• Tokyo Bayside
• Excursions
• Transport
• A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information
• Understanding the Language
• Further Reading
• Tokyo Street Atlas