Tokyo , the capital of Japan, is one of the most vibrant, special and dazzling cities on the planet. A city that, as a metropolis, has more than 40 million inhabitants, being Japan the most important prefecture. It is located on the island of Honshu, the largest of the archipelago that makes up the Japanese nation, and is located in the Kanto region, in the center of the island. Throughout the 20th century, Tokyo has become an ultra-modern city, a symbol of the brutal evolution that Japan has undergone after the Second World War. Economic, political, social and cultural center of the country, it is well known for having appeared in numerous films and works of fiction, both Japanese and foreign, since its architecture, its modern and traditional spirit and its imposing size They have attracted the most famous artists of the last decades, giving them unrivaled inspiration for their works.
Visiting Tokyo is discovering a kind of alternative universe in which everything is possible. Like New York, the city never sleeps, and you can find all kinds of entertainment or restaurants open at any time of the day, so you can enjoy the Japanese capital without rest. Of course, being such a huge city also has its disadvantages, such as the great distance between some places and others. Of course, Tokyo has one of the safest and most efficient subway networks in the world, a kind of underground city that in a matter of minutes is capable of taking us from one end of the city to another. However, we wanted to highlight those places that are really essential when visiting Tokyo. We already warned that you will have to spend at least a couple of days in the city to see even a part of it, but since you are going to Japan, what less than saving two or three days just for its capital, right?
Akihabara
One of the things that most attracts the attention of Japan is how they have become a technological powerhouse in just a few decades, surpassing even countries where the electronic tradition was greater. If you are an inveterate lover of everything that has to do with technology, mobile devices, game consoles and others, you cannot miss the Akihabara neighborhood , one of the most popular in the city, and considered as the neighborhood of electronics. Here you can find not only stores of this type, but also huge posters and luminous screens in the buildings that will leave you speechless. It’s like taking a trip to the near future in which everything is much more advanced.
Akihabara also has many of the best manga stores in all of Japan, places that would make fans of this type of comic drool. Shops with toys and video game reproductions , huge facilities where you can find millions and millions of manga that will surely never make it out of Japan, even themed cafes with some of your favorite anime … In Akihabara everything is possible, and enjoying this temple of electronics and culture will be one of the essential visits on our way through Japan. If you really like these gadgets, we warn you that once you enter the neighborhood you will not want to leave, eager to visit all the stores of this style , so leave a lot of free time for Akihabara.
The viewpoints of Tokyo
A city as immense as Tokyo has spectacular views, as long as we dare to get to the right places … With huge skyscrapers , many of them open to the public, it is not difficult find viewpoints in Tokyo to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the vastness of the city. We recommend going up to the Torre Mori , an imposing mass of more than 200 meters high that has a viewpoint no less than on the 52nd floor. Although the views are glazed, it is very worth enjoying Tokyo like that.
It is also interesting to visit the viewpoint of the Metropolitan Government Building , one of the highest in the city. And of course, the famous Tokyo Tower , very similar to the Eiffel Tower, and which has a viewpoint 250 meters high. Still not enough for you? Well, we encourage you to visit the Skytree Tower, the tallest structure in the entire country, with more than 600 meters. You have two options, a viewpoint at 350 and another at more than 470 meters high … Of course, watch out for vertigo.
The Sensoji tempo
Temples are an indivisible part of Japanese popular culture, and the oldest in all of Tokyo is the Asakusa Kannon , popularly known as Sensoji Temple, another of those unavoidable visits if we are in the Japanese capital. More than 1,400 years illuminate this sacred place, which is unofficially the most frequented spiritual place in the world .
Its colorful entrances, its five-story pagoda and its special charm makes us automatically choose it when we are in the Asakusa neighborhood, where it is located. The imposing doors, as colorful as they are exotic , are photographed thousands of times every day, becoming a symbol of the most traditional Japan in the heart of Tokyo, a city of contrasts, as we have already seen.
The Shibuya neighborhood
For many, the Shibuya area is the purest essence of modern Tokyo, a huge neighborhood with hundreds and hundreds of shops of all kinds, from manga and electronics stores to restaurants with all the meals we could imagine , many of them open 24 hours a day so that any traveler can have a good hot and totally homemade ramen whenever they need it. We find fashion stores, with very daring and special clothes, and also a lot of discos and pubs where enjoy the Tokyo night until we can’t take it anymore . Shibuya has earned the reputation of being the most exciting neighborhood in the city, and of course, that reputation is deserved.
Between huge shopping centers, restaurants of all kinds and long avenues, Shibuya hides a very special place that is frequented especially by tourists. It is the famous statue of Hachiko , a small puppy that remained faithful to its owner for years, visiting him in the hospital and then in the grave when he died. The story of Hachiko has been made into a movie on several occasions, and in Tokyo it is a myth, so taking a photo with this monument is also one of the things to cross off our list when we visit the capital of Japan. A very special place, as we have already seen, where there is fun and entertainment for all tastes .