Osaka
Osaka is the biggest city in the Kansai region. By train, it takes about 30min to get there from Kyoto.
city
Shiodome
Shiodome (汐留) is an area in Minato located next to Shinbashi and the Hamarikyu Gardens. Shiodome is one of Tokyo’s most modern areas. The best known feature of the neighbourhood is the Shiodome Sio-Site, a collection of skyscrapers containing mostly businesses, hotels, and restaurants.
Tokyo walk: Asakusa / Oyokogawa Shinsui Park / Kinshicho / Kiba / Toyosu
After visiting Senso-ji, I went for a walk in the area of Tokyo east of the Sumida River.
New Year's Eve 2013 at the Tokyo Tower
On the evening of the last day of 2013, I went up again to the Tokyo Tower observatory to watch the sunset.
Odaiba
Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It is home to the No. 3 Battery Park (“Dai-San Daiba”), numerous shopping malls, a ferris wheel, a beach (no swimming allowed though…), the Fuji TV building (photo above) and the Miraikan museum, as well as hotels, offices and residential towers. Part of the island is used as a port for cargo ship operations.
Tsukuba
After returning from Mount Tsukuba, I took some time to stroll around Tsukuba before getting back to Tokyo. The city is known for the so-called Tsukuba Science City and its large number of world-class research institutes, including the University of Tsukuba, the High-Energy Accelerator Lab (KEK), the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and the Geographic Information Authority. It was also host to the Expo'85 World’s Fair and still retains some landmarks built for the occasion.
Tokyo Imperial Palace
The Tokyo Imperial Palace is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in Chiyoda City and close to Tokyo Station. The actual residence cannot be visited but the site houses the Imperial Palace East Gardens and other interesting spots.
Nishi-Shinjuku
Nishi-Shinjuku (literally West-Shinjuku) is a skyscraper business district west of the Shinjuku train station, in Tokyo.
Ryogoku
Ryogoku is a neighbourhood of Sumida City in Tokyo. It is considered the center of the professional sumo world, with the Kokugikan sumo arena and numerous sumo stables located in the area. Other places of interest include the Edo-Tokyo museum (photo above) and Yokoamicho Park.
