Situated to the north and west of the Sumida River, this area has been at the heart of Tokyo since the first shogun, Ieyasu, built his castle and capital where the Imperial Palace still stands today. Destroyed by a series of disasters, including the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the Allied bombing in World War II, the area has reinvented itself several times over.
Ginza and Nihonbashi were commercial centers and are still thriving and prosperous, offering a mix of huge department stores and affluent side-street boutiques. For more down-to-earth shopping, there’s the Jinbocho area for books, Akihabara for discount electronics and software, and the Tsukiji Fish Market for the catch of the day.
Central Tokyo’s continuing political importance is evident in the Hibiya and Marunouchi districts, and the area is also home to two very different shrines: Kanda and Yasukuni. A selection of green spaces provides a respite from the frenetic bustle elsewhere.
- Ginza
- Kabuki-za Theater
- Tsukiji Fish Market
- Hama-rikyu Gardens
- Sumida River Trip
- Shiba Parkand Tokyo Tower
- Nihonbashi District
- Marunouchi District
- Tokyo International Forum
- The Diet Building
- Imperial Palace
- Kitanomaru Park
- Yasukuni Shrine
- Jinbocho Booksellers’ District
- Koishikawa Korakuen Garden
- Kanda Myojin Shrine
- Akihabara Electronics District
