Tokyo/Chiyoda
From MaxTravelz
Tokyo's Chiyoda (千代田) ward is the center of the city and in many ways the center of all Japan. A mere 12 km² houses the Imperial Palace, the Diet, the ministries of Toranomon, the corporate headquarters of Marunouchi, the controversial Yasukuni Shrine... and still has room left over for the shopping districts of Akihabara, Jimbocho and Kanda.
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Get in
Tokyo Station, the hub for Shinkansen trains as well as the Narita Express to Narita Airport, lies to the east side of Chiyoda. Note that the Shinkansen will drop you off on the Yaesu side, which exits onto Chuo; to get to Chiyoda, you want to cross over to the Marunouchi side, which is something of a sight in itself as it reflects the station's original World War I-era architecture.
It is unclear as to whether or not you'll be able to see this architecture, as the entire station is presently undergoing a multi-year renovation and facelift (scheduled to be completed around 2011).
Many subway lines crisscross the district, of primary importance being the Metro Marunouchi line (to Shinjuku), the Metro Hanzomon line (to Shibuya), the Metro Hibiya line (to Roppongi) and the Metro Chiyoda line (to Harajuku).
See
- The Imperial Palace (皇居 Kokyo), surrounded by a moat and a high wall, occupies the most expensive square kilometer in the world. The inner palace gardens and buildings are closed to the public except on January 2 and December 23, when the imperial family makes a public appearance; foreigners can also apply online to join a guided tour at other times, but you must book well in advance.
- The Imperial Palace East Gardens, however, are open to the public daily except Mondays and Fridays. Kept in impeccable shape, the gardens are particularly beautiful during the March and April plum and cherry blossom seasons. Entrance is free through a number of gates; most visitors use the Otemachi gate near the subway station of the same name.
- Connected to the East Gardens is Kitanomaru Park, offering much of the same and a convenient way to get to Yasukuni Shrine. The park also houses the Nihon Budokan, which regularly stages martial arts competitions.
- Yasukuni Shrine (靖國神社) is a controversial shrine to Japan's war dead, housing the souls of some 2.5 million people killed in Japan's wars — including convicted war criminals executed by the Allies. A favorite haunt of right-wing groups in black loudspeaker-equipped trucks. Open daily and free entrance adjacent to Metro Hanzomon line Kudanshita station, or cross the bridge north from Kitanomaru Park.
- The Yushukan War Memorial Museum (遊就館), adjacent to the shrine, is an odd collection of military paraphernalia (including human torpedoes and letters from kamikaze pilots) and one-sided descriptions of the war. Open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, entry a rather steep ¥800.
- Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral, known locally as Nikorai-do (ニコライ堂), is a beautifully-restored 1800s-vintage Russian Orthodox cathedral located near Ochanomizu Station on the Chuo Line.
- Japan's government center, located around Kasumigaseki and Nagatacho in the southwestern corner of Chiyoda, is full of very un-picturesque buildings. One exception is the Ministry of Justice (exit 5 from Sakuradamon, Yurakucho Line), a beautiful 1800s-vintage building that would make any European capital proud. The National Diet Building (Kokkai-gijido-mae, Marunouchi Line) may also be worth a photo, although its architecture is rather uninspiring compared to other national assemblies' (even the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has cooler-looking accommodations in Shinjuku).
- National Museum of Modern Art (MOMAT), 3-1 Kitanomaru-koen, +81 3-5777-8600 . Closest to Takebashi station on the Tozai subway line, the museum is open from 10.30AM to 5PM daily, 8PM Fri and closed Mon. With a modest permanent collection on display and regularly changing exhibitions, MOMAT is a nice place to kill a couple of hours after you've seen the Imperial Palace across the road. Entry to the nearby Crafts Gallery is included in the price: ¥420 for adults, ¥130 for students and children under 15 free. Admission is also free on May 18, November 3 and the first Sunday of every month. Special exhibits extra.
Do
Buy
Central Chiyoda doesn't offer much in the way of shopping, but the eastern side has three specialist areas:
- Akihabara for electronics of all kinds, covered in a separate article.
- Jimbocho (Metro Hanzomon/Toei Shinjuku/Toei Mita Jimbocho station), for books — mostly but not entirely in Japanese though
- Kanda and Ochanomizu (JR Yamanote Kanda station, Chuo Ochanomizu station), for musical instruments and sports equipment.
Eat & Drink
- Among the expensive clubs and restaurants spilling over from the Ginza, an offbeat dining option is the yakitori stalls under the train tracks near JR Yurakucho station. A throwback to old Tokyo, this is where businessmen unwind with grilled yakitori chicken on a stick and a couple of cold Asahi beers after a hard day. More expensive than you might expect though, expect to pay at least ¥2000 for a few beers and a half dozen skewers.
- Yorimichi Teien on the south side of Chiyoda (adjacent to exit 11 at Tameike-Sanno Station: look for it on the landing before street level) is a mid-range restaurant and watering hole offering a wide variety of Japanese food (sushi, yakitori, teppan-yaki) and drinks (including a large sake menu) at fairly reasonable prices (sushi and yakitori ¥50-150 per piece, teppanyaki dishes ¥400-800, drinks ¥500+). You are given a tag with a number on it upon entry, your bill is tallied up as you order from the various stalls, and you pay when you leave. Note that because there are no handy picture menus here, some knowledge of Japanese (or, at least, the names of food items) is almost obligatory.
Sleep
Mid-range
- Tokyo Station Hotel, Marunouchi 1-chome 9-1, tel. 3231-2511, . Currently closed for renovations; re-opens in 2011.
If you ever wanted to sleep in a train station, then this might be the place to do it. This convenient hotel makes up a part of the 1914 red-brick building that is the terminal station of all but one of the country's Shinkansen lines. It is within easy walking distance of the Imperial Palace, and you can simply walk out of the lobby and make a U-turn to catch a train like the Yamanote line. Citibank ATM is a few minutes' walk away in Ōtemachi. Before being closed for renovations, the rates were ¥11600/15000/17300 singles, ¥19600/26600/30000 twins, ¥26600 double, ¥34700 triple (including taxes). 10% discount with an active Japan Rail Pass or JR East Rail Pass.
Luxury
- Imperial Hotel Tokyo. Uchisaiwaicho 1-1-1, tel. 3504 1111, . Never mind upstarts like the Park Hyatt, this is the grand old dame of Tokyo's hotels with 116 years of history behind it and legendary service fit for an Emperor. The hotel overlooks Hibiya Park and is only a short walk from the Imperial Palace and the Ginza. Room rates are unsurprisingly steep at ¥35,700 and up, with few discounts on offer.
- The New Otani. Kioicho 4-1, tel. 3265-1111, . The flagship of the international New Otani chain, and one of the largest hotels in Tokyo, with a variety of shops and restaurants under its roof. Convenient for business travellers, as it is located within an easy walk of Akasaka, Nagatacho, and other international business districts; less convenient for tourists, although somewhat close to Roppongi, Shinjuku, and other play areas. Standard rooms start around ¥36,000.
Contact
- As of October 2002, the Tokyo Tourist Information Center has moved from Yurakucho's International Forum to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku.
Stay safe
Menacing black vans with fluttering "Rising Sun" flags and Imperial chrysanthemum logos screech militaristic propaganda around the Yasukuni Shrine. With xenophobic right-wing attitudes financed by the yakuza (Japan's mafia) and tacit police cooperation, foreigners may get baleful looks from the young sunglassed toughs running the show, but they are not a real danger unless actively provoked.
Get out
The glitzy stores of the Ginza and the business district of Akasaka (not a bad choice for lunch) are within easy walking distance from southern Chiyoda.
External links
- Chiyoda City
- Map of Central Tokyo (Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau)
- Promenades in Chiyoda-ku