The best known landmark
is Tokyo Tower, which has become a symbol of Tokyo for many
residents of Japan’s other cities and for international
visitors. More than 130 million people have visited since its
opening in
1958. The Tower, located in the center of the city in the Minato-ku
district, is 1,099 feet tall, higher than the Eiffel Tower
in Paris, and has two observation platforms, one at 495 feet
and
one at 825 feet.
Tokyo Tower lights up from dusk to midnight with 164 floodlights.
During spring, autumn, and winter, the lights are orange color
and they change to a silver color in summer. The Tower also
provides restaurants, an art gallery, an aquarium, gift shops
and an information
center.
The best known amusement park is Tokyo Disney Land, which is
located in Chiba prefecture, outside of Tokyo. Tokyo Disney
Land is a well-known amusement park internationally, and millions
of people visit it everyday. This year, through Apr. 2004 it
will hold various events during its 20th anniversary celebration.
Tokyo Disney Sea is a new Disney there park, located next to
Tokyo Disney Land where adventure and imagination are ocean
themed.
There are thousands of shops in Tokyo including department
stores, retails, fashion boutiques, shopping malls, discount
shops, and
outlet shops. Aqua City Odaiba is an entertainment-style shopping
mall that is a combines restaurants and shops. It is located
at Minato-ku by Tokyo Bay.
Aqua City Odaiba is a new hot spot and is popular as a date
and family area. It provides six square miles for various restaurants
including Hawaiian Bowl, Kua'aina, Chinnabon, Pietoro, Anna
Millers,
and Sushi, Tempra, Chinese, French, and Italian cuisines. It
also provides various shops including the Disney store, Sanrio
shop, HMV, Gap, J.Crew, Coach, and Sazaby.
Restaurants are everywhere in Tokyo, especially, in “Shitamachi” area,
which is a traditional residential district. Tsukishima in Shitamachi
area features foods such as “Monjyayaki” and “Okonomiyaki,” which
Chibo at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping center serves. Tsukiji is
a famous area for good sushi, as there is a fish market located
in nearby Ginza. “Chyanko Nabe” is a special steam
bowl for sumo wrestlers. Chyanko food restaurants are located
at Ryougoku. Also, there are thousands of restaurants serving
Chinese, French, Italian, Korean, Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese
cuisines.
Moreover, there are lots of drinking places: bars, beer halls,
Izakayas (Japanese-style bar), and Karaoke bars. Ebisu Beer
Station is a famous German style beer hall, managed by the
Sapporo Beer
Co.
Tokyo’s fashionable suburbs are popular for young people.
These include Roppongi, Ginza, Harajuku, Aoyama, Shibuya, and
Shinjuku. Each town presents a different atmosphere. There are
various hot nightspots in Roppongi including clubs, restaurants,
and bars such as Hard Rock Café Tokyo.
Ginza, famous for buildings in the art nouveau style, has are
many traditional high-class department stores and restaurants.
Harajuku and Aoyama are fashion towns full of various brand-name
boutiques. The younger generation dress in an eccentric style
in Harajuku, while the adult generation dresses in high-fashion
style in Aoyama.
Shibuya and Shinjyuku are entertainment towns. There are varieties
of department stores, restaurants, cafés, bars, movie
theaters, game centers, and clubs. Many teenagers enjoy hanging
out in Shibuya and Shinjuku at night.
Tokyo has a lot of places to visit and is both Japan’s
most a trendy city as well as its preserve of Japan’s
traditional culture and taste. |
