Photo: Landsat view of Tokyo Metropolis.

Tokyo, officially Tokyo Metropolis, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located
on the eastern side of the main island, Honshu. Tokyo's government also administers the
twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, which governed as a city. The Tokyo Metropolitan
Government is located in Shinjuku City.

The population of the special wards is over 8 million people, with the total population of the
prefecture exceeding 12 million. The prefecture is the center of the Greater Tokyo Area,
the world's most populous metropolitan area with 35 to 39million people, and the world's
largest metropolitan economy. Tokyo is the seat of the Japanese government. The Imperial
Palace stands in the center of the city area of Tokyo.

Tokyo went on to suffer two major catastrophes in the 20th century. One was the Great Kanto
earthquake in 1923, and the other was the Second World War. The bombing of Tokyo in
1944 and 1945 destroyed most city area. Tokyo is completely rebuilt. In the late 1980s,
the real estate price rose sky-rocked during a real estate and debt bubble. The bubble,
however, burst in the early 1990s, many companies, banks and individuals were caught with
a mortgage-backed debt while real estate was shrinking in value.
Source: Wikipedia.


Double-bridge Nijubashi leading to the main gate over the moats, photographed in November 2011.

(L) Akasaka Palace Tokyo functions as the State Guesthouse today, photographed in November 2011.
(R) Hanazono Shrine, Shinto shrine is located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

A tranquil moat with a lot of grass and algae, near Akasaka-Mituke

Sanno-Hiei Shrine at Akasaka

(L) Torii of Meiji Shrine (R) Temizusha, purification through a hand-washing basin

(L) Ema, votive tablets for a special personal prayer (R) The Main Meiji Shrine


Meiji Shrine and Inner Garden
Autumn around the Imperial Palace

(L) Bank of Japan (M) Cherry bloom at Benkeibori ( Akasaka-Mitsuke )
(R) Loquat was found along a walkway of Ichigaya, Tokyo, photographed in June 2010.

(L) Cherry blossom time at the outside moat, near Ichigaya
(R) A moat beside of the Imperial Palace, which was photographed in April 2009.

A moat beside of the Imperial Palace in late March to early April 2009
　
(L) An outdoor Koto concert was held in front of the National Theater. (R) A moat beside of the Imperial Palace:
Both pictures were taken in April 2012.

Inner Garden of Imperial Palace in spring time


Rikugien Garden: The weeping cherry tree in 2016

Carps, bridge and spring verdure at Rikugien Garden in 2016

(L) Ginkgo Trees in front of Tokyo Station (R) A closed forest on a breakwater in Tokyo Bay

(L) Shiodome City Center, the headquarters of ANA and Fujitsu, in Minato City, Tokyo
(M) JAL headquarter building is located in Shinagawa City, Tokyo. JAL is still suffering from the world-wide recession.
(R) Rainbow Bridge on the Tokyo Bay with Tokyo Tower, is in the center,
which was photographed from an aircraft to Haneda Airport in September 2009.

Sensouji Temple, Asakusa
Ueno Zoo, Tokyo

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Stress-Free Travel



Suica is a rechargeable contact-less smart card used as a fare card on train lines in Japan.
Launched in 2001, the card is usable currently in almost all area of Japan. The card is
also increasingly being accepted as a form of electronic money for purchases at stores
and kiosks, especially within train stations. Far over 30 million Suica cards are in circulation.

The card incorporates contact-less radio-frequency identification technology developed
by Sony, called FeliCa. The same technology is also deployed in the Edy electronic cash
cards used in Japan and the Octopus card in Hong Kong. These cards are available at card
vending machines at the train stations that allow Suica. A new card costs 2,000 yen, which
includes a 500 yen deposit that will be refunded if the card is returned. The remaining
1,500 yen is immediately available for train rides, and more money can be charged on to
the card in 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 3,000 yen, 4,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 10,000 yen
increments at similar ticket vending or fare-adjustment machines displaying the Suica
logo inside each station.


(L) 24-hour pass for Tokyo-Metro lines.
(R) One-day pass for Toei Subway

A 24-hour pass costs 600 yen for the entire lines of Tokyo-Metro lines. If you buy it around
the noon, you can enjoy the main central area of Tokyo in the whole afternoon and the
following morning hours in a very low cost, without wasting valuable time.
Toei subway one-day pass costs 700 yen, good for the entire lines of Toei subway.
One-day ticket is available at Tokyo-Metro and Toei subway lines at the fee of 1,000 yen.
This ticket allows unlimited rides on Tokyo subway lines for one day.

At which hotel, would you like to stay in Tokyo?

A summary of smoking-room rate studied in local hotels of Japan
Smoke-free Hotels in Japan
Smoke-free Hotels in Tokyo
Smoke-free rental condominium in Tokyo

H
Smoking Restriction at Hotels in the World: Actual Survey
The ratio of a smoking guest room to the total hotel rooms was calculated,
based on-the-spot investigation.


　東京案内
2009年9月執筆　2011年10月加筆 　2013年4月加筆 2015年11月加筆 　2016年3月加筆 　2019年11月加筆
執筆　医学博士　宮本順伯
★ This Web site is link-free..
This information was provided by the Smokefree Hotel and Travel.
The article was written in September 2009, and last revised in November 2019,
by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., PhD.
Information was added in November 2019.