In this article, I will talk about the popular areas of Tokyo and show photos of the areas in which we managed to visit. I will consider the areas in terms of accommodation and in terms of attractions.
When I planned the trip, I could not find any intelligible information about where to stay. I hope that my article will help you navigate in the areas of this metropolis.
The article will discuss the following areas:
Ginza
Marunouchi
Akihabara
Ueno
Roppongi
Shinjuku and Shibuya
Ikebukuro
Odaiba
Map of Tokyo Districts
In the diagram below, I roughly drew where the areas are, so that you immediately have an understanding.
Ginza District in Tokyo
I’ll start with the Ginza. Ginza is considered the most expensive and elite area of Tokyo. It is here that the bulk of luxury boutiques and expensive restaurants are concentrated. The Ginza district is located near Tokyo Station, from the Imperial Palace, and on foot you can walk to the Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market.
When booking hotels and a hostel (we spent one night in a capsule hotel) I was guided by the fact that from here you can walk to Tokyo Station and go out in the evening just for a walk. In fact, if you do not plan to go to expensive shops and restaurants every evening, I see no reason to stay in Ginza. Outwardly, Ginza, although a beautiful “luxury” district, is not very similar to “the same” Japan with neon signs and kawaii Japanese characters. In addition, it is not so close to get to Tokyo with a suitcase – 15-20 minutes. It is better to use transport (we reached one station on the Yamanote Line, which is covered by the JR Pass ).
Nevertheless, if you decide to stay in Ginza, I will write the hotels we stayed in, both of them are not bad, therefore, I can recommend them:
Sotetsu Fresa Inn Ginza Sanchome – 3 *, from $ 100 per night (double room).
The Prime Pod GINZA TOKYO is a capsule hotel on floors 14-16, from $ 50 for 1 capsule, separate capsules, floors too. A small breakfast is included: coffee and a hot dog (for capsule hotels, read a the article )
Marunouchi District, Tokyo
Marunouchi District – This area is not at the hearing, in fact, is located between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace. I want to say right away that the Tokyo Imperial Palace is not a tourist attraction that you should be guided by when choosing a place to live. The Palace itself can be accessed only on certain dates, and the territory of the Palace is not open all. And on Monday it turned out to be a day off and all the gates were closed.
Probably, the Kanda station area (between Tokyo and Akihabara) can be attributed to this area, the hotel was booked the first way here. It seemed to me more convenient than in Ginza:
Tosei Hotel Cocone Kanda – hotel 3 *, 95 $ per night (double room).
Find a Hotel in Marunouchi >>>
See also the article “Prices in Japan: Hotels, Products, Transportation”
Akihabara district in Tokyo (anime district)
We rise higher. Akihabara District. This is the first area where you will plunge into the “same” Japan. Akihabara is also called the anime district. There are a lot of neon signs, cafes, fast food, anime shops, 18+ shops, six-seven-story halls with slot machines, and generally not clear shops.
Akihabara is also considered an electro district. If suddenly, like me, you forgot that you need adapters for Japanese outlets, you can buy them in this area – go to the huge shopping centers for electrical goods and ask for an “adapter”. Here, in these shopping centers you can buy a variety of equipment. I bought a camera.
Important: if you plan to buy expensive equipment, do not forget to bring your passport (deduct taxes from the amount) and a VISA card. They make an additional 5% discount on it!
It is in Akihabara that there are a lot of anime girls who will lure you to cafes, game halls and maybe somewhere else :))) About shopping in Japan read here .
The area is quite cheerful, we often came here for a walk, therefore, you can choose a hotel here. In addition, there are only a few stops from Akihabara Station, both from Tokyo Station, and from Ueno Station (Tokyo’s second main station).
Ueno District in Tokyo
The Ueno District is the area of Tokyo’s second main station, Ueno. The place is quite busy, plus from the station you can get to the airport (in detail here). You can also use the JR Ueno station on the Yamanote Line (this is the ring line in Tokyo, owned by JR and covered by the JR Pass – you can get to Tokyo and Shibui, for example). Around the station are the same neon signs and many cafes. A park is located not far from the station. Alternatively, you can settle here.
See also “Wisteria Park in Japan. Ashikaga Flower Park”
Roppongi District in Tokyo
Roppongi district – the area inside the “ring” of the Yamanote Line, you can get there by public transport only by subway, the JR Pass will not work.
See also “TOP 10 Tokyo Attractions”
On the one hand, this is the business district of Tokyo. Many office buildings, company representative offices are located here. On the other hand, Roppongi is known for its nightlife: bars, clubs, restaurants. Once it was even considered a “hot-tempered” area. In the afternoon, this is a fairly ordinary boring area with glass and concrete buildings.
Shinjuku District, Harajuku District, and Tokyo Shibuya District
The Shinjuku and Shibuya districts are perhaps the funniest, liveliest and most rave places in Tokyo. Honestly, I would not even separate them, since one smoothly passes into another. There are many shops, cafes, bars, gaming rooms, neon signs.
And, of course, this is the main center of Japanese fast food. Hawaiian fast food: rainbow candy floss, ice cream in the form of animals, pancakes, donuts, etc. all this can be found here. Appearances and passwords in this article .
Focus on the Harajuku station – next to it is the most instagram street Takeshita Street and other fast-food streets.
Here is a small diagram
Shibuya Station is known, firstly, for the Hachiko Monument.
And secondly, the busiest intersection in the world, which was probably taken off by all bloggers.
Here is one of the videos:
In general, these are also bright and cheerful areas close to the JR line station, so I would consider them as a place to stay in Tokyo.
Ikebukuro District
According to the map, it seems that this is a remote area, and somehow he is not at the hearing. In search of Japanese super-combs we drifted into the area. When we went there, I thought it was the outskirts of the city, and we would go there alone along the deserted streets. There it was! The area is no worse than Shibuya and Akihabara! Life is in full swing! A lot of shops, gaming halls, promoters shout from everywhere, a lot of people. So, this is a very good option to stay here, or just come to have fun.
Odaiba District in Tokyo
This area is located on the bulk island, the area is quite new. Surprisingly, until 1990, this area was used …. as a landfill! And now this is an island – a city of the future with futuristic buildings around which reigns clean and tidy (as, however, everywhere in Japan). We were not in this area, and I would not consider it as a district of residence. But if you have extra time in Tokyo, then you can come here to see what a landfill can turn into in a civilized country.
This is not all areas of Tokyo, but the most popular for tourists. What sights to visit you decide, as well as where it is better to stay in Tokyo. For choosing a hotel, I recommend the areas of Akihabara and Shibuya.
I hope this article helped you make the right choice!
Let the trip to Tokyo bring you only positive emotions!
