Introduction to: Tokyo

This article is based on a visit made on Wednesday, 23 November, 2016.

Edit 15 June 2018: Added excursions.
Edit 8 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax

My goodness, how could I have neglected to make an Introduction To article on Tokyo when I've spent so much time and made so many memories in that city?  Well, my last holiday in Japan ended with an overnight stay in Tokyo before my flight home, so now would be the best time to get it over with, before it's too late.  Ahem...

Tokyo (東京, Tōkyō, lit. 'east capital') is the capital city of Japan, and the largest city in the world by population.  It was first founded under the name of Edo (江戸, lit. 'estuary').  In the late 16th century, the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu set up shop in the town.  During the ensuing two and a half centuries, known as the Edo Period, Edo steadily grew in financial and political influence, effectively becoming the unofficial capital of Japan.  In 1868, the young Emperor Meiji moved his own seat of power from Kyoto to Edo, bestowing upon the city its new status and new name.  Tokyo's fortunes have risen even further since then, despite numerous setbacks.  The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and fire-bombings during World War II, have both destroyed many of Tokyo's historical properties.  After the war, Tokyo rebuilt itself as a keystone member of the world economy, punctuated especially by hosting the Summer Olympics in 1964.

Main Attractions

1) Tokyo Skytree: The world's tallest broadcast and observation tower.

2) Asakusa and Senso-ji Temple: A historic neighbourhood clustered around a Buddhist temple.

3) Ueno Park: A public park famous for its zoo, museums, and springtime cherry blossoms.

4) Edo-Tokyo Museum: A museum focused on the history of the Tokyo city and region.

5) Akihabara: The ultimate shopping destination for electronics, manga, and anime goods.

6) Tokyo Dome City: The area surrounding the huge stadium, including an amusement park, and a nearby landscape garden.

7) Imperial Palace and East Gardens: The private residence of the Imperial Family, with an adjacent public park.

8) Ginza: A ritzy shopping district, and home to the Kabuki-za theatre.

9) Tokyo Disney Resort: A resort area encompassing two theme parks: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, plus hotels and a shopping complex.

10) Odaiba: A commercial and entertainment district on man-made islands.

By Volfgang [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

11) Tokyo Tower: A broadcast and observation tower constructed in the post-war years.

12) Roppongi: A nightlife hot spot popular with foreign residents.

13) Shibuya: A popular shopping and nightlife district, built around a famous road crossing.

14) Harajuku: The epicentre of Japanese youth fashion.

15) Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park: A green oasis right next to Harajuku, with a Shinto shrine in the middle.

16) Shinjuku: A hub of business, pleasure, and transportation.

17) Nakano: The original hub of anime-related shopping.

18) Ghibli Museum: A whimsical museum about the animation studio of the same name.

19) Ikebukuro: A "lighter and softer" version of Shinjuku.

Orientation

A map of Tokyo Prefecture.  The 23 main wards are coloured in violet.
By Tokyoship (Source:Lincun ) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The Tokyo metropolis is divided into 23 wards (区, ku), arranged in a roughly circular cluster at the edge of Tokyo Bay.  Think of them like the arrondissements of Paris.  This area occupies the easternmost third of Tokyo Prefecture, shown above; the western portion is commonly referred to as the Tama region.  Also, far south of Tokyo itself, there are two clusters of islands which, for some reason, are still administered as part of Tokyo Prefecture.  The Izu islands are 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of Tokyo, and the sub-tropical Ogasawara islands are a whopping 1,000 km (620 mi.) away.  Some of the neighbouring prefectures, such as Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa, are also counted as part of the Tokyo metropolitan area.  But for all intents and purposes, I will focus this article on just the main 23 wards.

Tokyo can perhaps be described as a cluster of individual city centres.  Most of them are connected by the JR Yamanote (JY) line, which runs in a loop connecting major stations such as Tokyo, Shinjuku, Ueno, Shibuya, Shinagawa, Ikebukuro, and more.  The Chuo (JC) and Chuo-Sobu (JB) lines bisect the Yamanote loop on an east-west axis.  Some other lines parallel the loop from north to south: the Keihin-Tohoku (JK), Tokaido (JT), Utsunomiya and Takasaki (JU) on the east side, through Tokyo Station, and the Saikyo (JA) and Shonan-Shinjuku (JS) on the west, through Shinjuku.  Virtually every train line going through the city, including all subway lines, connects with the Yamanote loop at least once at some point.

The following railway companies operate in the Tokyo area.  For more information on them, please read my article "Know Your Trains: Greater Tokyo Area".

• JR East operates local lines, including the Yamanote (JY), Chuo (JC), Chuo-Sobu (JB), Keihin-Tohoku (JK), Sobu/Yokosuka (JO), Tokaido (JT), Utsunomiya/Takasaki (JU), Joban (JJ), Saikyo (JA), and Shonan-Shinjuku (JS) lines, plus the high-speed Tohoku, Joetsu, and Hokuriku Shinkansen to the north.
• JR Central operates the high-speed Tokaido Shinkansen to the south.
• Tokyo Metro operates nine of the city's subway lines: the Ginza (G), Marunouchi (M), Hibiya (H), Tozai (T), Chiyoda (C), Yurakucho (Y), Hanzomon (Z), Namboku (N), and Fukutoshin (F) lines.
• The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, or Toei, operates the other four subway lines: the Asakusa (A), Mita (I), Shinjuku (S), and Oedo (E) lines.  They also operate the Arakawa ⬛ tram and the Nippori-Toneri Liner ⬛ automated train, both in the northern parts of Tokyo.
• Keikyu (KK) operates five lines from Shinagawa to regions in the south and southwest, including Yokohama and Haneda Airport.
• Keio (KO) operates seven lines from Shinjuku and Shibuya to regions in the west, including Mount Takao.
• Keisei (KS) operates seven lines from Ueno to regions in the east, including Narita Airport.
• Odakyu (OH) operates three lines from Shinjuku to regions in the southwest, including Odawara, Hakone, and Enoshima.
• Seibu operates thirteen lines from Shinjuku (SS) and Ikebukuro (SI) to regions to the west, including Kawagoe and Chichibu.
• Tobu operates twelve lines from Asakusa (Skytree (TS), Isesaki (TI), Nikko (TN), and Urban Park (TU) lines, et al.) serving regions to the north, including Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen.  The separate Tojo (TJ) line, departing from Ikebukuro, serves regions to the northwest, including Kawagoe.
• Tokyu operates eight lines from Shibuya and Meguro to regions in the south, including Yokohama: the Toyoko (TY), Meguro (MG), Den-en-Toshi (DT), Oimachi (OM), Ikegami (IK), Setagaya (SG), Tamagawa (TG), and Kodomo-no-Kuni (KD) lines.
• The Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company operates the Tsukuba Express (TX) line, from Akihabara to Tsukuba in the northeast.
• The Tokyo Monorail (MO) runs from Hamamatsucho to Haneda Airport.
• The Yurikamome (U) automated train runs from Shimbashi to the islands of Odaiba.
• The Rinkai (R) line runs from Osaki to the islands of Odaiba.

Many of the rail companies in Tokyo also operate bus networks in their focus areas.  For example, Toei runs buses in the city centre, Odakyu and Keio to the west, and Keikyu to the south.  There are also various free passes which allow unlimited travel on a particular network.  Here are a couple of the most useful ones.

• The Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass (or "Tokunai Pass"), ¥760, covers regular JR trains within the main 23 wards, for one calendar day.  This includes the Yamanote and Chuo lines.  Note that there are several famous tourist spots which lie outside the coverage area, such as Tokyo Disney Resort, the Ghibli Museum, and both Narita and Haneda airports.  It may be purchased from ticket vending machines at JR stations.  More information: (English)
• The Tokyo One-Day Ticket (or "Tokyo Free Pass"), ¥1,600, covers regular JR trains within the main 23 wards, plus all Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines, for one calendar day.  However, it is a bit overpriced and hard to make a good value of.  It may be purchased from ticket vending machines at JR stations.  More information: (English)
• The Tokyo Subway Ticket covers all Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines.  Unlike other passes, it is valid for 24-hour (¥800), 48-hour (¥1,200), or 72-hour (¥1,500) periods as opposed to calendar days.  Only non-Japanese citizens may buy this pass.  It may be purchased at Narita and Haneda airports, and at Bic Camera, Sofmap, and Don Quijote stores across the city.  More information: (English)
• The Common One-Day Ticket for Tokyo Metro & Toei Subway, ¥900, also covers the Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines.  Unlike the Tokyo Subway Ticket, it is valid for one calendar day, and may be purchased by Japanese citizens as well as foreigners.  It may be purchased at ticket vending machines at Tokyo Metro and Toei stations.  More information: (English)
• Tokyo Metro (¥600 for 24 hours) and Toei (¥700 for 1 day) also sell passes for their respective networks.  More information: Tokyo Metro: (English) Toei: (English)

Access

By air, Tokyo is served by two major airports.  Narita International Airport (IATA code: NRT) is 60 kilometres (37 miles) to the east, and handles mostly international and some domestic flights.  For more information on access to/from the airport, please read my article "Narita Airport and How to Get There".  Haneda International Airport (IATA code: HND) is 16 kilometres (10 miles) to the south, and handles mostly domestic and some international flights.  For more information on access to/from the airport, please read my article "Haneda Airport and How to Get There".

By land, all Shinkansen lines (counting through services) start/end at Tokyo Station.  The Tokaido line to the south also stops at Shinagawa, and the Tohoku, Joetsu, and Hokuriku lines to the north also stop at Ueno.  As an example of time and fares, a one-way trip on the Tokaido Shinkansen to or from the Kyoto/Osaka area takes under 3 hours (4 hours for Kodama services), and costs over ¥13,500 for reserved seats.  The same journey by regular trains would take at least 9 hours, require at least 4 transfers, and cost over ¥8,000-8,500.

Excursions

1) Yokohama: Japan's second-largest city, a port which opened in the mid-1800s to the nation's first international trade in centuries.
Access: JR Tokaido line from Tokyo to Yokohama Station (25 minutes, ¥480, JR Pass OK).

2) Kamakura: A coastal town with a wealth of historical shrines and temples, including the giant outdoor Buddha statue of Kotoku-in.
Access: JR Yokosuka from Tokyo to Kamakura Station (60 minutes, ¥940, JR Pass OK).

3) Hakone: A popular hot-spring resort in the forested mountains south of Mt. Fuji.
Access: Odakyu "Hakone" limited express from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto Station (75-90 minutes, ¥2,330).

4) Fuji Five Lakes: A collection of resort towns built around five lakes north of Mt. Fuji.
Access: Fujikyu highway bus from Shinjuku to Kawaguchi-ko Station (2 hours, ¥1,850) (Schedule), or from Tokyo Station (2 hours, ¥2,000) (Schedule).

5) Kawagoe: A former castle town with a preserved warehouse shopping district.
Access: Tobu Tojo line from Ikebukuro to Kawagoe Station (30 minutes, ¥480).

6) Nikko: An idyllic city with natural and historic sites, including the lavish mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Access: Tobu "Kegon" limited express from Asakusa to Tobu-Nikko Station (110 minutes, ¥2,750 on weekdays / ¥2,860 on weekends).