tokyo 101

tokyo is an enormous city made up of many unique neighborhoods. Japan also has a lot of unique cultural norms. we created this resource to provide some information about tokyo and its many neighborhoods as well as certain Japanese customs we think you should know.

geography lesson

tokyo is located in central Japan on tokyo bay. It has a comparable latitude to Los Angeles and has very hot, humid summers and mild winters.

tokyo is often considered the largest city in the world. The greater tokyo area has a population larger than Canada! tokyo is also the capital of Japan and the seat of the emperor. The 23 special wards (in purple) are the center and heart of the city.

central tokyo is made up of the five central wards of Chiyoda city, Shinjuku city, Shibuya city, chou city, and minato city.

five central cities

  • Chiyoda is the heart of Central Tokyo and is known as the political and financial center for all of Japan

    Notable things:

    • The Imperial Palace (Great gardens to walk around and the emperor of Japan actually lives there!)

    • Otemachi (A business district where a lot of hotels are. This is a nice area to stay because it is out of the hustle and bustle)

    • Yurakucho (This small area has hundreds of bars and restaurants built beneath the train tracks. Worth checking out!)

    • Marunouchi (This area is near Otemachi and includes the Tokyo Station. There is also a walking street called Marunouchi Naka-dori that is beautiful and has great shopping)

    • Tokyo Station (A huge complex with a million restaurants)

    • Akihabara (This is the video game district. Huge stores with claw machines and anime)

  • Chuo is a small ward south east of Chiyoda and is known as the commercial center of Tokyo

    Notable things:

    • Ginza (This is the main shopping area. Imagine Rodeo Drive but an entire neighborhood. Ginza Six, Hankyu, and Mitsukoshi Ginza are great shopping malls in this area. Check out the food court in the basement of Mitsukoshi it will blow your mind!)

    • Tsukiji (This area has the famous Tsukiji Outer Market which was once the main fish market, but now holds hundreds of shops and food stalls)

  • Shibuya is the cultural center of Tokyo and is one of the busiest and liveliest areas of Tokyo

    Notable things:

    • Meiji Jingu shrine (A massive tree-lined park with a large Shinto shrine in the center)

    • Yoyogi Park (A public park with beautiful walking paths and a great place to see cherry blossoms in the spring and foliage in the fall)

    • Ometesando (A large shopping street/area that starts right as you exit Meiji Jingu/Yoyogi park)

    • Cat Street (A winding walking street that you enter from Ometesando)

    • Shibuya Crossing (A very popular tourist destination. Think Times Square)

    • Shibuya Parco (A great shopping mall near Shibuya Crossing)

    • Daikanyama (Often called ‘the Brooklyn of Tokyo’ this area is filled with cool shops and cafes)

  • Shinjuku is one of the most popular areas of Tokyo. It has a great mix of shopping, nightlife, historical areas, and restaurants.

    Notable things:

    • Golden Gai (An immensely dense maze of small bars)

    • Hanzono Shinto shrine (A shrine with a Sunday flea market that backs up to Golden Gai)

    • Isetan Shinjuku department store (Great shopping mall across from Golden Gai)

    • Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (A large public park with beautiful gardens. Like Tokyo’s Central Park)

    • 3D cat billboard (Exactly like it sounds! A popular tourist destination outside of Shinjuku Station)

    • Omoide Yokocho (A picturesque alleyway adjacent to Shinjuku Station full of bars and restaurants)

    • Kagurazaka (A quiet neighborhood with cobbled streets and great shopping and restaurants. Often referred to as ‘Little Paris’ as it has a large French population and many French restaurants)

  • Minato is a large business district in the southern part of central Tokyo. It has a lot of tourist sites and museums

    Notable things:

    • Tokyo Tower (Tokyo’s orange answer to the Eiffel Tower)

    • Azabudai Hills (A newly built city within a city. Great outdoor spaces, shopping, and restaurants)

    • Zojo-ji Buddhist temple (A beautiful temple with great views of Tokyo Tower)

    • Nezu Museum (A small pre-modern art museum with a beautiful garden)

    • Mori Art Museum (A large contemporary art museum)

  • A few other areas of Tokyo worth seeing:

    • Shimokitizawa (An area in Setagaya city just west of Shibuya that is known for its Bohemian feel and abundance of vintage clothing stores)

    • Rikugien Gardens (A gorgeous Japanese garden in Bunkyo city just northeast of Shinjuku)

    • Kiyosumi Gardens and Fukagawa Fudo-do Buddhist temple (A beautiful Japanese garden and a Buddhist temple that has a multi-daily fire ceremony. They are within walking distance from each other in Koto City just east of Chuo)

cultural norms of Japan

the Japanese people are extremely polite and respectful of others and their surroundings. With that in mind below are just a few things to keep in mind to be a good guest in tokyo:

  • People are very quiet in public. You will almost never hear someone talking loudly on their phone, raising their voice, or generally being loud. This is particularly true on the train and in the train stations where people are generally silent

  • People don’t really eat or drink on the street or on the go. This is why there are almost no public trash cans (you can find them at convenience stores sometimes). Even at coffee shops the norm is to drink your coffee there, but you can take things to go if you want)

  • No tipping at restaurants

  • Cars drive on the opposite side of the road here and thus people walk on the other side of the sidewalk. Same with escalators — stand on the left side, walk on the right side. in general, Follow what other people are doing