Heart of Tokyo, Ginza and Akihabara

Tokyo's historic center was built around the Imperial Palace and the vast park that surrounds it. Around it are all the districts of a traditional city: business, shopping, culture and leisure.

Kasumigaseki. The small district of Kasumigaseki is home to government ministries and the capital's main administrative buildings.

Yotsuya. The Yotsuya district closes the loop around the Imperial Palace. It's a student district, notable above all for St. Ignatius Catholic Church, which was donated by Brooklyn City Hall and the Catholic University of St. Sophia, founded in 1914.

Ginza. Ginza is one of Tokyo's best-known, most adored and most expensive districts. This district consists of two parallel thoroughfares running southwest to northeast, the Chūō-dōri and the Shōwa-dōri, crossed by a large orthogonal avenue, Harumi-dōri, which runs northwest to southeast. The avenue is closed to traffic every Sunday, so Tokyoites can make the most of every store.

Marunouchi-Nihombashi. This is where the muted world of finance begins, with the broad facades of some large stone buildings. This district is home to the head offices of the major Japanese and international banks, as well as the headquarters of airlines and the main post office.

Akihabara. Today's central district, Akihabara was Edo's north-western gateway. From the 1930s onwards, Akihabara became the place to buy household appliances. In the 1980s, however, household appliances lost their appeal, and Akihabara, also known as Akiba, the electric city, became a center for the sale of computer products and electronics. The district attracted a new population of " otaku ", computer fanatics, as well as video game and manga enthusiasts. Thisotaku culture has shaped the neighborhood.

Akasaka, Roppongi and Shiodome

The central districts of Akasaka and Roppongi form the heart of wealthy, cosmopolitan Tokyo. Tall buildings, Western restaurants and luxurious hotels are the norm.

Akasaka - Nagata-chō. This area is home to a multitude of small districts, including Akasaka - Nagata-chō, where the cream of the financial world is headquartered. During the Tokugawa shogunate, this area was home to the lords who, in 1868, left Edo to return to their homelands.

Shinbashi. To the east of Akasaka lies the small district of Shinbashi. This was once the geisha district. Around the Enbujō theater, you can still see the teahouses and restaurants frequented by these kimono-clad ladies.

Roppongi. Since the 1960s, Roppongi has become the preferred district for foreigners invited by their Japanese partners. Bars and nightclubs have sprung up here, as have top-quality restaurants, thanks to its proximity to embassies and consulates. It's an ideal district for going out and partying.

Shiodome. Once a swampy area, then a railway terminus, Shiodome has become one of the city's most modern districts since a modernization project in the mid-1990s. It now boasts a high concentration of skyscrapers. Close to Ginza, it's not Tokyo's most touristy district, but it's representative of modern urban planning.

Odaiba

A group of artificial islands in Tokyo Bay, Odaiba is a former industrial site redeveloped in the late 1980s. With its wide avenues and seafront, it exudes an air of seaside resort and relaxation. The district has been put in the spotlight, thanks to numerous Olympic events in 2021 and the new Toyosu fish market, which has moved there nearby.

Odaiba. Odaiba was the site of the cannons, placed there by the shogun to protect the city from the threat of Commodore Perry in 1853. Yet it's not for this historical fact that Odaiba attracts crowds of Tokyoites, especially at weekends. Young couples, families, everyone comes to relax in Odaiba. The spacious avenues have the air of an American city, reinforced by the presence of a small Statue of Liberty.

Tennozu-Isle. Artificial peninsula opposite and to the west of Odaiba. The new district built there a few years ago is still not very popular with tourists, but it's promising. The city's ambition is to turn it into a new hub for contemporary art, encouraging the installation of museums, galleries and stores. While most of the island is still fairly quiet, it's very pleasant to stroll along the old docks and enjoy a drink on a terrace by the water.

Shinjuku and Shin-Okubo

Shinjuku. What has been said about Shinjuku? To tell the truth, this district has always had a sulphurous reputation. In the 20th century, this area quickly became the barometer of the changes in Tokyo society. Without a doubt, the station, which attracts 3.5 million passengers a day, is the center of the district. It also serves to sharply divide the district into east and west. In the west, the modern Shinjuku where the big hotels, the administrations, the skyscrapers and the big city hall since 1991 have been settled. To the east, department stores and pleasure districts.

Kabuki-chō. Located in the northeast of Shinjuku, the Kabuki-chō district developed around 1950. If there is one area where prostitution is rampant in Tokyo, this is it. The neighborhood is not dangerous and, by day, it looks like nothing. At night, neon lights and loud music fill the streets, and bars, karaoke bars, love hotels and clubhouses open their doors. In the 1980s, the area had a sulphurous reputation because of the yakuza groups that reigned there, but in recent years the atmosphere has become considerably more relaxed. Beware, however, of touts who can lure you into bars and charge you exorbitant amounts of money.

Shin-Okubo. In the 1980s, the opening of South Korean borders on the one hand, and the need for labor on the other, led to a wave of Korean immigration, which settled in the northern part of Shinjuku. The recent boom of the area is due to the growing interest of Japanese in Korean cultural products such as K-pop and dramas. It is a very lively area that always seems to be bustling with activity. The sanitation of Kabuki-chō makes this neighborhood all the more vibrant by contrast.

Ikebukuro

Ikebukuro has always been considered a sort of suburb of Shinjuku, less fun, less crazy and more needy. Times have changed, however, and in recent years Ikebukuro has become a magnet for young female otaku fans of cosplay and manga. The district has a feminine Akihabara feel.

The station is topped by one of the world's largest shopping malls, the Seibu depāto. Not far away is the Sunshine City complex. To the east, chic stores, trendy boutiques and cafés with terraces. To the west, the nightlife attracts a clientele of students and workers.

Shibuya and Harajuku

After Shinjuku,Shibuya is probably Tokyo's most crowded district in a single day. Stores attract a young clientele, restaurants abound and Japanese pop culture is at your fingertips.

Harajuku is the youth district. In the 1980s, it was the meeting place, in Yoyogi Park, for rebels against the Japanese system and straitjacket. After the police intervened and the park was closed, a wave of non-conformist youth took to the streets of Omotesandō on weekends. This was the "bamboo shoot" generation(Takenoko-zoku, named after the Takenoko store that originated the style), which took over the city with sound and color. All this inevitably followed fashion, or preceded it. Piercing, grunge haircuts, trash or destroy - words can't express the energy of these 1950s rock fans. Small groups were formed, between boys or girls, with a magneto set on the asphalt. You can still see some of them (increasingly rare) on weekends at the entrance to the park. Takeshita-dori street and its atmosphere are not to be missed. Harajuku remains a trendy place, but it's gentrifying over time.

Omotesandō is another chic and trendy district. Here you'll find the finest brands and buildings that rival each other in architectural creativity.

Daikanyama is the more upscale, residential part of this part of town. Located just south of Shibuya, Daikanyama's upscale, tree-lined streets are particularly pleasant for a half-day stroll. Still relatively untouristy, this area of the city is full of charm and ideal for a leisurely stroll through cafés, galleries and fashion boutiques.

Shimokitazawa is known as Tokyo's young and vintage district: it's the rootsy counterpart to Harajuku, just west of it in the Setagaya district. Here you'll find hundreds of thrift stores, antique stores, record shops and small, inexpensive restaurants. The topography and narrow streets give this district the feel of a village in the heart of the big city.

Ueno, Yanaka and Asakusa

These districts are often referred to as shitamachi, the lower town. Traditionally, the lower town was opposed to the yamanote, the upper town. The neighborhoods of the lower town were more popular, and the risks of flood and fire more common. As the city expanded, the term shitamachi came to designate the more traditional districts to the north of the city, where the streets are winding and many small shops and workshops are still to be found.

Asakusa. tokyo's "old" district, from the 19th century onwards Asakusa became the fashionable district where a certain dandyism developed, an aesthetic(iki and inase) that was the preserve of both the recluse and the bourgeoisie. Activity flourished around the Sensō-ji temple, where nagaya (long houses where transvestites took refuge) flourished. Asakusa suffered greatly from the earthquake of 1923 and the bombings of the Second World War, but there's still a whiff of another Tokyo.

Ryōgoku. Separated from the rest of Tokyo by the Sumida River, Ryōgoku had been connected to Tokyo in 1659 by the construction of a bridge. If the district used to be considered a little drab, it is now undergoing a profound transformation and a real estate revival. Sumo fans won't want to miss it, as it's home to the Kokugikan, the venue for the boxing events of the 2021 Olympics.

Ueno. It was to Ueno, east of Edo, that peasants or migrants from northern Honshū arrived. The station opened in 1880 as a modest wooden station with a tiled roof. Located in the heart of the lower town, Ueno has retained the popular and slightly old-fashioned feel of the capital's old quarters. A number of the capital's richest museums and galleries can be found in the magnificent park.

Yanaka. Located right next to Ueno, this war-preserved district is cherished by Tokyoites, who nostalgically rediscover the city of the early 20th century. It's packed with temples, old stores and artisan boutiques. Some places are magical, like the "cherry tree tunnel" on Sakura-dōri Avenue, when the trees are in bloom. Despite the increasing number of visitors, it's a place of calm and serenity.