The capital of Japan
During our visit to Japan, we set aside 2 days to tour their capital. In this city full of contrasts, you will undoubtedly have fun for a week, but our schedule of 10 days for the whole of Japan did not allow us more. Everyone will really get their money's worth here. Here you will find historic buildings in a typical red color with curved roof edges, state-of-the-art skyscrapers, a video game district or large landscaped parks for rest and relaxation.
Emperor's Palace
Our first steps on a tour of Tokyo led to its very center of Tokyo, the Chiyoda district, where the Imperial Palace is located. The access road leads over a bridge, because the whole area, including the gardens, is surrounded by a moat. Unfortunately, access to the palace itself, which serves as the seat of the current emperor, is not possible. We saw him there from a distance through a moat. Nevertheless, there are many other interesting buildings and places in the area that are worth a visit.
Simon Ironbridge
The most famous Tokyo bridge is the Simon's Iron Bridge leading to the Imperial Palace across the moat. There are actually two bridges, stone in the foreground and iron with blue paint just behind it.
The sacred temple of Sensoji
To our next stop, we moved to the northern prefecture of Asakusa. Among other things, there is the Sensoji Temple, also known as Asakusa Kannon, and is the holiest and most visited temple in Tokyo. At the entrance you will be greeted by the Kaminarimon Gate – the so-called Thunder Gate. At the foot of the gate you will find two guard statues, Fujina – the god of wind, and Raijina – the god of thunder and lightning. This place is also one of the most popular locations for photography, so do not be disappointed with the ubiquitous crowds and try to enjoy the monument anyway.
Smoker
On the square in front of the temple, there is a senko smoker, where believers go to light incense sticks. It is believed that their smoke will protect you from all diseases, so visitors will be purified by the beneficial Buddhist smoke.
Gardens by the temple
To avoid the largest crowds around the temple and gate, head to the local garden. It is smaller than ordinary city parks in Tokyo, but there are still pleasantly fewer people, landscaped greenery and red carp squirming meringues out of the water.
Ueno Park
After spending the morning in the mumraji around the monuments, we went to relax in the shade of Ueno Park, further north in the eponymous part of town. It is one of the large city parks full of greenery and space suitable for relaxation or outdoor sports. Part of the park is a zoo and part is a large lake covered with water lilies, so you can't see an inch of water.
Lake in Ueno Park
The water lily lake confused us a bit when orienting ourselves in the park. According to the map, we were supposed to be large bodies of water, but the ubiquitous greenery of water lily leaves confused us for a while. There are several footbridges across the lake, so you can literally break through the flood of water lilies and admire the already blooming ones up close.
Shinjuku business district
In this district, all enthusiasts of modern architecture, glazed high-rise buildings, skyscrapers and business settlements will find something to their liking. We used the free entrance to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, where we were taken to the 45th floor of one of the towers, where there is free entry.
View from the 45th floor
Upstairs we had a 360 ° view of the whole city and surprisingly it was not too crowded. Since we were not so high in any building yet, we decided to repeat it a moment after dark.
Shibuya crossroad
In Shibuya Prefecture, located in the southwest of the city, we find countless opportunities to satisfy the shopping spree. But we will also find one attraction here, because of which curious tourists from all over the world come here. There is the largest number of pedestrian crossings in one place and thus the most people crossing the road at once.
Hačiko - the story of a dog
If you've seen a film with Richard Gere about a dog who always went to wait at the train station for his master returning from work, even 9 years after his death, Shibuya is the place to find the Hačik memorial. This famous dog, from a real heartbreaking movie, went to wait right in front of this Shibuya train station.
Hamarikyu Gardens overlooking the skyscrapers
Hamarikyu Gardens in the city center are a pleasant oasis of greenery providing both a quiet walk through the park, a visit to the tea house overlooking the lake, and a view of the skyscrapers forming the character of the city. Entrance to the park is charged, but the price is not, at least as far as I remember, exorbitant and the views provided by the garden are definitely worth it. They can even lend you a paper folding parasol, so typical for Japan, for a walk.
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Article: Visit to Japan
Japan offers countless opportunities to travel, but if you are limited in time and still want to see the maximum of these… continue reading