JAL Guide to Japan - TOKYO ( City Information )

	City Information

Tokyo, Japan's largest city at the start of the 21st century

Map of the Kanto region

Tokyo was extensively developed following the move to the area of Tokugawa Ieyasu's first Shogunate Government in 1603. The town, which then centered on Edo Castle, was primarily constructed during the 70-year regeneration of Edo that followed and in the years after the demise of the 265-year reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate, as Japan's Meiji Restoration remodeled Japan along more modern lines. Tokyo became the nation's capital city after the Emperor moved east along the Tokaido road from Kyoto.
With a current population of some 12 million, Tokyo is by far the largest city in 21st century Japan and one of the charms of Tokyo is to be found in the combination of the traditional and historical sites sitting side by side amidst the ultramodern urban landscape.
To that end, there are many places in Tokyo with their own unique character: the Shitamachi (older and more traditional) districts in and around Asakusa and Ueno. The shopping zones of Ginza, Aoyama, Shinjuku and Shibuya and of course other well known areas for visitors to shop or eat till they drop such as Nihombashi, Akihabara, Odaiba, Harajuku, Roppongi and Ikebukuro. For visitors and inhabitants, Tokyo has something for everyone.

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Sanno Matsuri (Sanno Festival)

- Hie Shrine, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- June 7 (Thu)-17 (Sun), 2012

Sanno Matsuri was formerly called Tenka Matsuri, a name under which it was known as one of the most outstanding festivals of the Edo period (1603-1868), as well as Kanda Matsuri Festival. During the 200 plus years of the era, various rulers from the Tokugawa Shogunate observed the festival and bowed their heads in worship at the portable shrines they saw carried into Edo Castle. Recognized by such prestigious personages of old Japan, the festival became the most respected of Edo's three main festivals and was also ranked as one of the three great festivals in the nation; alongside the Gion Matsuri of Kyoto and the Tenjin Matsuri of Osaka.

http://www.hiejinja.net/jinja/english/index.html

Sawara Ayame Matsuri (Iris Festival)

- Suigo Sawara Suisei Shokubutsuen (Botanical Garden), Katori City, Chiba Prefecture
- May 26 (Sat)-June 24 (Sun), 2012

About 1.5 million irises of 400 kinds are at their best in the garden, which is the largest botanical garden in the East. Purple, white, pink and blue flowers make picturesque views, and visitors can see them also from boats that operate on canals in the garden.

http://www.city.katori.lg.jp/suisei-syokubutsuen/index.html (Japanese version only)

Sanja Matsuri (Sanja Festival)

- Asakusa Shrine, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- May 18 (Fri)-20 (Sun), 2012

The Sanja Matsuri is the main annual festival of Asakusa Shrine in Tokyo and has been one of the city’s three main festivals since the Edo period (1603-1867). It has long inspired passion in the local Asakusa folk as it is the wildest festival in Tokyo. As part of the celebrations, local residents enthusiastically carry around mikoshi (miniature portable shrines). The Sanja Matsuri is famous not only in Tokyo but also throughout Japan.

http://www.sanjasama.jp/ (Japanese version only)

All information is subject to change without notice.

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