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The principal city of Japan, Tokyo, is perhaps one of the most exotic and attractive places on earth. It is one of the rare places in the world where ancient culture and modern technologies live side by side. Castles whose history is counted by centuries are silhouetted against sky scrapers, traditional colorful kimono, fans and umbrellas can be seen from behind the crowd of people in XXI century suits and dresses. Restaurants give you the impression that you are eating something unearthly. Blooming sakuras make you feel like walking on a cloud. People are friendly and outgoing.

Tokyo is located on the Kanto plain facing the Pacific Ocean coastline of the Honshu island.

Tokyo prefecture is composed of 23 districts, 7 suburban settlements and 8 villages with the total quantity of inhabitants reaching 30 million. Administratively Tokyo prefecture includes also the isles of Idzu and Ogasawara. The total area of the prefecture is 2,156.8 square kilometers, 615.8 of which make up the area of the city itself.

The history of the city of Tokyo goes back to 1457. it started from feudal castle in small settlement of Edo and was a home to shogun until late XIX century.

Until 60s Tokyo was an industrial city, nowadays the majority of the industrial plants has moved into suburban areas.

Within the flow of the latest years Tokyo has become a world?s most important financial center whose yearly turnover can be compared to that of Wall Street stock exchange. 

Tokyo is the main transporting hub of the country with two international airports; one can reach the airport he or she needs by one of the numerous railway lines or special highways with an elaborate system of multilayer interchanges.

Tokyo is an important culture center of the world. The city comprises 400 art galleries as well as several dozens of museums (a short list follows). Visiting one of them is an absolute must for those wanting to get acquainted with the Japanese culture more closely:

Tokyo National Museum

National Museum of Western Art

Edo-Tokyo Museum

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in Kiba

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in Ebisu Garden Place

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan

Kokugikan Sumo Museum

Fukagawa-Edo Museum in Koto Ward

Japanese Sword Museum

Tokyo Opera City

Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills

Museum of the Imperial Collections

Gotoh Museum

Shitamachi Museum

Tokyo Naval Science Museum

The city has been ruined almost to the dust twice in the XX century, once during the earthquake in 1923 and the other in the course of American bombing in 1945. This caused an extensive upsurge of building works. The must-see list of architecture spots features Ginza shopping district, Imperial Palace visitor area, Observation Deck on the 45th Floor of the Tokyo Government Twin Towers building, Shinjuku suburb, Shinjuku Railway Station Complex

Sony Store in Ginza - well worth a visit to view many NEW products, Subway train trip on the JR Yamanote loop line (Approx 29 stations including Tokyo and Shinjuku) and Tokyo Bay area, Disneyland and Aqua Park.

You can stay in one of the following hotels: Keio Plaza, Hyatt Regency, The Ritz Carton, Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt, Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo, Marunouchi, Grand Hyatt, Westin, Seiyo Ginza, Peninsula, Four Seasons Chinzanso, Conrad, Imperial, Ana InterContinental Tokyo, Strings, Intercontinental Tokyo Bay, Royal Park, Cerulean Tower Tokyo, Okura Tokyo Bay, Nikko, The Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo.