Tokyo consists of the southwestern part of the Kanto region, the Izu Islands, and the Ogasawara Islands. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, and home to over 12 million people live, making it one of the most populous cities in the world.
In the Edo-Tokyo Museum you can look back to the history and culture of Tokyo. Housed in a permanent exhibition centre various large models cover a period of about 400 years from around 1590 when leyasu Tokugawa, the first shogun, entered Edo (the old name of Tokyo) through to 1964, the year of the Tokyo Olympics.
See the best collection of miniature trees and landscaping in the world at the Bonsai Park. The Crafts Gallery has a collection of Japanese and foreign crafts dates back to the turn of the 20th century and for a contrast head to the Ginza and the Sony buildings.
Relax and meditate in the Hama Rikyu Garden or head to the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art - Japan's first.
More gardens can be enjoyed at Koishikawa Botanical Gardens and for a view of Fuji-san head Observatory of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices.
The Sensoji Temple dates back to the 7th century when, according to legend, fishermen built it to house a gold statue of Kannon they rescued from the sea and the Sumo Museum houses a unique collection of artefacts, photographs, ancient scrolls and folding screens depicting this Japanese national sport.
There are large-scale downtown areas, including the sleepless Shinjuku that has become the "new city centre of Tokyo," Asakusa which is reminiscent of the traditional Edo (the former name of Tokyo), and Shibuya that starts the trends for the fashionable young Japanese.
Tokyo is not only the political and economical centre of Japan, it has also emerged as a centre of the world economy and culture. There are a number of attractions in Tokyo that should not be missed.
