Tokyo is Japan's capital and the country's largest and most important city. Tokyo is also one of Japan's 47 prefectures, but is called a metropolis (to) rather than a prefecture (ken). The metropolis of Tokyo consists of 23 city wards (ku), 26 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages, including the Izu and Ogasawara Islands, several small Pacific Islands in the south of Japan's main island Honshu. The 23 city wards (ku) are the center of Tokyo and make up about one third of the metropolis' area, while housing roughly eight of Tokyo's approximately 12 million residents. Prior to 1868, Tokyo was known as Edo. A small castle town in the 16th century, Edo became Japan's political center in 1603 when Tokugawa Ieyasu established his feudal government there. A few decades later, Edo had grown into the world's most populous city. With the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the emperor and capital where moved from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo ("Eastern Capital"). Large parts of Tokyo were destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and in the air raids of World War II.

Imperial Palace East Garden (Kokyo Higashi Gyoen) are a part of the inner palace area. The East Gardens are the former site of Edo Castle's innermost circles of defense, the honmaru ("main circle") and ninomaru ("secondary circle"). None of the main buildings remain today, but the moats, walls, entrance gates and several guardhouses still exist. Edo Castle was the residence of the Tokugawa shogun that ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867. Emperor Meiji also resided there from 1868 to 1888 before moving to the newly constructed Imperial Palace. A wide lawn and the remaining fundaments of the former castle tower can be found on top of the hill, where the castle's main buildings (honmaru) were located. The castle tower was completed in 1638 as the tallest castle tower in Japan's history. But only a few years later in 1657, it was destroyed by citywide fires and has not been rebuilt ever since. In place of the secondary castle buildings (ninomaru) at the foot of the hill, a nice Japanese style garden has been created.

The Ginza District is one of Tokyo's largest and most famous shopping, dining and entertainment districts, featuring many department stores, shops, restaurants, night clubs and cafes. Unlike the Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku shopping districts, which are frequented mostly by young people, the Ginza is also very popular among the older generations and the wealthy. The Ginza is expensive. It is here, where you can find the infamous $10 cups of coffee.

Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. In Shinto, it is not uncommon to enshrine the deified spirits of important personalities. Emperor Meiji was the first emperor of modern Japan. He was born in 1852 and ascended to the throne in 1868 at the peak of the Meiji Restoration when the power was switched from the feudal Tokugawa government to the emperor. During the Meiji Period, Japan modernized and westernized herself to join the world's major powers by the time Emperor Meiji passed away in 1912. The Meiji Shrine was completed in 1920, and rebuilt after being destroyed in World War Two. It is located in a wooded park area next to Yoyogi Park in Tokyo.

Tsukiji Market is best known as one of the world's largest fish markets, handling over 2,000 tons of marine products per day. The sight of the many kinds of fresh fish, shellfish and other seafood and the busy atmosphere of scooters, trucks, sellers and buyers hurrying around, make Tsukiji Market one of Tokyo's major tourist attractions.

Ueno Park is a large public park just next to Ueno Station. It was opened to the public in 1873, and offers its visitors a large variety of attractions. At the park's south entrance stands a statue of Saigo Takamori, an important personality of the late Edo and early Meiji Period. He played a central role in realizing the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Ueno Park is famous for its many museums, especially art museums, namely the Tokyo National Museum, the Orient Museum, the National Science Museum, the Shitamachi Museum, and the National Museum for Western Art and the Tokyo Metropolitan Fine Art Gallery. Since 1882, Ueno Park is home to Japan's oldest zoological garden. Its main attraction are giant panda bears. The first panda bears where a gift from China on the occasion of normalization of diplomatic relations in 1972. Shinobazu Pond is a large pond in Ueno Park. A temple for the goddess of Benten, is located on the island in the middle of the pond. Toshogu Shrine is a shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo shogunate, which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867. The shrine stands next to the zoological garden. Last but not least, Ueno Park is famous for its more than 1000 cherry trees. During the cherry blossom season, Ueno Park becomes one of the country's most popular and crowded spots for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties.

Shinjuku has everything from dazzling modern skyscrapers and a newly built opera district to crowded discount shops and cozy pubs in back alleys. JR Shinjuku Station is said to be the busiest station in the world, with 760 thousand passengers boarding trains daily. Early on a weekday morning is the best time to view the plight of the Tokyo commuter. Shinjuku is Tokyo's western terminal and the starting point for Odakyu Railway services to Hakone, a mountainous hot-spring resort with a beautiful lake. East of the station is a traditional shopping and entertainment district. To the west of the station lies Nishi-Shinjuku. This area was virtually vacant land until the late 1960s, but now hosts the biggest concentration of high-rise buildings in Japan. Several buildings have observation floors and most have restaurants on their upper levels, affording some of the most spectacular night-time views in the city. Between the station and the skyscrapers lies an area devoted to cut-price cameras, electrical goods, and computers. In 1698, Shinjuku was made the first post town along the Koshu Kaido, the highway designated for travelers heading northwest out of Tokyo.