City guide · 東京 Tokyo
Tokyo
From the fishing village of Edo to a world city: old temples, neon and working-class shitamachi in one city
Tokyo lives in several eras at once: incense at Sensō-ji, the forest of Meiji Jingū, the crowds at Shibuya Crossing and the electronics stores of Akihabara. It is the most common starting point for a first trip to Japan, and worth leaving time to explore its old shitamachi districts slowly.
History
How the city came to be
Tokyo was once called Edo. Ōta Dōkan built Edo Castle in 1457; in 1603 Tokugawa Ieyasu established his shogunate here, and by the mid-18th century Edo had grown from a small fishing village into one of the world's great cities, with more than a million people. After the Meiji Restoration of 1868 the emperor moved from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed 'Tokyo', meaning 'eastern capital'. Tokyo was devastated twice — by the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 and by air raids in the Second World War — and rebuilt twice; in 1964 it became the first city in Asia to host the Summer Olympics.
- 1457Ōta Dōkan built Edo Castle
- 1603Tokugawa Ieyasu established his shogunate in Edo
- Mid-18th centuryEdo passed a million people and became one of the largest cities in the world
- 1868Meiji Restoration: Edo was renamed Tokyo and became the new capital
- 1923The Great Kantō Earthquake devastated Tokyo
- 1945Second World War air raids destroyed Sensō-ji and large parts of the city
- 1964Hosted Asia's first Summer Olympic Games
Stories
Stories of the city
Legend · Sensō-ji
The Kannon statue pulled from the Sumida River
According to the 'Sensō-ji Engi' and other records, in 628 two fishermen brothers, Hinokuma Hamanari and Takenari, netted a statue of Kannon while fishing in the Sumida River, and Sensō-ji was founded. In 645 the monk Shōkai, following a revelation in a dream, made the statue a hidden Buddha, and it has never been shown since. It is said to be a golden statue about 5.5 cm tall, but because it is never shown, no one knows what it really looks like.
History · Sensō-ji
The 1945 firebombing of Tokyo
On 10 March 1945 Tokyo was hit by incendiary bombing, and Sensō-ji was burned down. The main hall seen today was rebuilt after the war.
History · Meiji Jingū
A forest planted by people from all over Japan
Meiji Jingū is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken; the site was chosen near the iris garden the couple often visited to view flowers, and the deities were enshrined on 3 November 1920. The 70-hectare forest around the shrine was planted with about 120,000 trees of 365 species donated from all over Japan; much of the material and labour for its construction was also donated.
History · Edomae sushi
Hanaya Yohei's 'fast food'
Early sushi was 'narezushi', fish fermented with rice for months to preserve it, with the rice thrown away when eaten. Today's nigiri-zushi is generally credited to Hanaya Yohei in Edo around 1824: seafood placed directly on hand-pressed vinegared rice, made and eaten on the spot without waiting for fermentation. This quick, cheap way of eating became fast food for the townspeople of Edo.
1 more stories on the individual pages.
People
People connected with Tokyo
Muromachi period · 1432–1486
Ōta Dōkan
Builder of Edo Castle, warrior and poet
1 related places
Sengoku to Edo period · 1543–1616
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Founder of the Edo shogunate
1 related places
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Sengoku to Azuchi-Momoyama period · 1537–1598
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
The first commoner to become kampaku (imperial regent)
1 related places
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Sensō-ji
Beneath the great lantern of the Kaminarimon: where Edo charm meets Tokyo's everyday bustle
teamLab Borderless Azabudai
'A museum without a map': light flowing, merging and being reborn in a borderless space
Shibuya Crossing
Three thousand people cross on a single green light: urban performance art at the world's busiest crossing
Meiji Jingū
A 700,000-m² 'urban forest' in the middle of the city, a tranquil sanctuary of Shinto culture
Tokyo Tower
The 333-m 'red tower of Shōwa', an undying romantic beacon for generations of Japanese
Akihabara Electric Town
An 'Electric Town' that 'changed careers' from post-war electrical black market to otaku mecca — the spiritual homeland of anime and manga devot…
Ameyoko, Ueno
A downtown Tokyo 'bazaar' that grew out of the post-war black market: 400 shops squeezed under the elevated railway make a street-life symphony.…
Tokyo Disney Resort
Asia's first Disney resort: the classic fairy tales of the 'Land' and the globally unique romance of the 'Sea', with just a wall between them. T…
East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (site of Edo Castle)
Edo Castle, built by Ōta Dōkan in 1457, later became the residence of the Tokugawa shoguns; today the Honmaru area is open free as a garden.
Local life
Food and local daily life
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Before you go
Rules to know in Tokyo
Take off your shoes when you see a genkan (entrance step)
- Take off your shoes at the entrance of homes, some restaurants, temples and hot-spring facilities
- If unsure, look for a shoe rack or slippers at the entrance
- Stepping onto tatami or indoor wooden floors in shoes
It is seen as very rude.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette
No phone calls on trains and the shinkansen; queue to board
- Put your phone on silent; on the shinkansen, take calls in the area between carriages
- Queue at the marked spots on either side of the train door, and let people off before you get on
- Give priority seats to older people, pregnant women and passengers with limited mobility
- Talking on the phone or playing sound aloud in the train
Not illegal, but you will get looks and a reminder from the conductor.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette
If you have tattoos, check the rules before using a hot spring
- Before you go, email the facility to ask about its rules
- Small to medium tattoos can be covered with skin-coloured patches (some onsen sell them)
- Choose a tattoo-friendly onsen, or book a private bath (kashikiri-buro) in advance
- Ignoring 'no tattoos' signs and getting in anyway
Most onsen do not allow guests with tattoos to bathe, but rules vary by facility and are often more relaxed for foreign visitors.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: tattoo rules and etiquette at onsen
Wash your body thoroughly before getting into a hot spring
- Before getting in, sit on the small stool in the washing area and wash your whole body with the shower or a bucket, leaving no soap
- Leave your small towel at the edge of the bath or fold it on your head
- Getting into the bath without rinsing first
- Dipping your towel in the bath water
- Leaving a used towel in the washing area
Not illegal, but other guests and the staff will see it as very rude. Most onsen require you to be fully naked in the bathing area.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: a beginner's guide to onsen
There is no tipping in Japan
- Say thank you with 'arigatō gozaimashita'
- Pressing loose change on staff
Japan is a no-tipping country and bills usually include service; if you press a tip on staff, some will politely refuse.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese table manners
An izakaya's otoshi is a cover charge
- Accept the otoshi as an appetiser
- Arguing with staff about it or asking for it to be taken back
There is no penalty: before you order at an izakaya, a small dish of otoshi always arrives. It doubles as the cover charge and cannot be chosen or swapped.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: drinking in Japan