Op deze website (http://www.squidoo.com/top-sights-in-tokyo) vond ik hrt volgende:

My Top 10 Sights In

The city of light that never sleeps where the grass is green and the people are friendly! Oh, and the food is great and public transportation is efficient. (Dit is zeer juist wat deze man hier zegt)

Tokyo is the heart of the biggest metropolitan area in the world, with over 33 million people living their lives in this great urban conglomeration. It is also an excellent city to visit as a tourist. The locals are friendly, the streets are safe, the transportation system is cheap and comprehensive, and there's more to do than anyone could ever hope to do in a life time, let alone on a single holiday.

After living 5 years in Tokyo and having grown to love this huge metropolis, with its magnificent gardens perfect for walking, incredible sights to be found, and picturesque alleyways, temples, and shrines. You can find anything in Tokyo. That is why I've made this page with my top 10 recommendation. I hope that you find it useful!

Wat hier volgt zijn de bevindingen van een Amerikaanse tourist, die wel heel goed op de hoogte schijnt te zijn en een goei vat heeft op Tokyo en de tokioieten

In Tokyo zullen we ons beperken tot het moderne, dus geen tempels en shrines. 1. Park on Sundays, where Tokyoites come to life!

You might have heard that the Japanese society is restrained and collectivist, but once you've experienced on a Sunday (a good time to be there is 12:00-16:00), I can assure you that you will realize that there is more to life in Tokyo than that boring stereotype of a Japanese salaryman. Yoyogi Park provides a place for individual expression beyond what can be found in many western societies.

Access: The park is a short walk from both (from the south) and (from the north), if you have a good map. Or get off the at station (first stop after Shibuya, second stop efter Shinjuku). Find the entrance by following the crowd. also provides access to Meiji Shrine and the Harajuku cosplayand youth subculture hangouts mentioned below, so all three can be visited in one day. Cost: Free!

At the entrance to Yoyogi Park you will find members of the Tokyo Rockabilly Club dancing - they're quite a sight! (and sound!) Inside the park you can experience many different forms of artistic expressions such as bongo drums, guitars, all kinds of dancing, and pets dressed up in ways beyond your imagination. There are also a large number of ordinary Tokyoites going for a Sunday stroll through the park, as well as a multitude of tourists, so you won't look too out of place even in your ordinary clothes.

Cool dogs in hangin' in Yoyogi Park

2. Meiji Shrine

Magnificent architecture surrounded by the silent splendour of a deep forrest in the middle of Tokyo

The north-eastern part of Yoyogi Park are the grounds of Meiji Shrine. This Shinto shrine is dedicated to the Meiji emperor and his wife. It was rebuilt after the war at the same location where it originally stood at its construction in 1915. The shrine itself is a magnificent wooden structure, that in some ways reminds more of a Buddhist temple than the many smaller Shinto shrines that dot Tokyo and all of . But what's even more magnificent is the long, wide entrance path leading up to the shrine, lined with enormous cedar trees and gigantic stone torii (Shinto gates).

Access: Between the south entrance to Yoyogi Park and Harajuku station, you can see the start of the path leading to the shrine marked by a huge stone torii gate. When you see a crowd of cosplaying people and bus- loads of Japanese tourists, you're at the entrance. Cost:Free!

3. Harajuku Cosplay Girls

The well known cosplay (costume playing) guys and girls gather in an open area outside Harajuku station on Sundays. You'll run into them when going between Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine.

4. Asakusa and Sensoji Temple

You might think the subway was actually a time machine when you get off at Asakusa station!

The Asakusa district in east-central Tokyo is like a time slip back to the Edo era (1600-1868). It centers around the magnificent Sensoji Temple with its impressive Main Hall (look up and you'll see a beautiful painting of a dragon in the ceiling!) and Five-story Pagoda. Leading up to the temple grounds is the old-style shopping street Nakamise-dori where you can find both very authentic, traditional Japanese crafts, as well as more touristy things to bring home as presents. At the start of the street is the landmark Kaminari-mon ("Thunder Gate"), which you will be able to see as you exit from the subway.

Access: Asakusa station on the Ginza subway line will put you right at the start of Nakamise-dori. The Ginza line starts in Shibuya, so you can ride it all across town if you happen to be in the Shibuya area. You can also get on in the eponymous Ginza station, for example, or at , which is near by and the closest access point for the JR rail system such as the ubiquitous Yamanote line. TheAsakusa subway line also stops at Asakusa station, but it is further to the south from the Sensoji area, so you will have to walk north for about 2 minutes to get to Kaminari-mon. Cost: Free!

5. Ueno Park Specious Ueno Park has ponds, temples, fountains, museums, and a zoo, smack in the middle of Tokyo!

The specious and refreshing Ueno Park is located slightly north-east of central Tokyo. This park is great for an afternoon stroll, perhaps for winding down after visiting the much more intense Asakusa (above)? But the park actually houses so many activities that one can easily spend a whole day without leaving the park. For instance, the Tokyo National Museum,National Science Museum, and the National Museum of Western Art are all located near each other at the north-east corner of the park. These museums all have great gift shops with authentic souvenirs. Ueno Zoo in the west corner of the park is small, but impressive for such a metropolitan location. The main attraction is the giant panda, but there are a large number of interesting animals.

Access: The park sits on the back of Ueno station, which is frequented by JR lines such as the ubiquitous Yamanote line. The subway Asakusa line and Hibiya line also stop here.Cost: Free access to the park, temples, shrines, and ponds. Zoo: 600 yen for adults, children free. Museums varies.

6. Kappabashi Kitchen Town

Kappabashi is a district filled with shops selling restaurant trade such as the plastic mock-ups of food on display in outside Tokyo shops. It's a really fun place to visit, and great for kitschy souvenirs! Located between Asakusa and Ueno it's perfect for a walk, but can be tricky to find, so a good map is essential.

7. Electric Town

Akihabara is known for being the world center of geek culture. In fact, the electronic townhere dates back to the 50s. You will still find narrow, cramped alleyways running between and inside of buildings selling the most obscure, tiny electronics part that someone might ever need, but you will also find large, modern electronics department stores such as Yodobashi Camera multimedia store, which sells everything in consumer electronics and accessories. In the side-streets, direct-import stores sell various electronics and computer accessories such as memory cards for prices often less than half of what you'll find at the larger chain stores or in your home country. The quality is still just the same, and since this is Japan you can be fairly certain that they're not trying to fool you. I have had only positive experiences buying in the crowded, small alleyway stores (if you manage to push yourself through to the counter). Sub-cultural aspects of geek and anime culture can also readily be found here, such as Maid cafés, where the staff, who are all pretty girls, dress up like maids and provide a bourgeois service level. Cosplaying people dressed up like their favorite manga or anime characters can also be seen walking the streets of Akihabara, and stores selling figurines from these popular comics are plentiful, and well worth a visit even if collecting character models is not your cup of tea - it's an interesting sight.

Access: is just one stop south of Ueno station or one stop north of on the Yamanote line. You can also cross central Tokyo horizontally by taking theSobu line from Shinjuku, which also stops here. The Hibiya subway line also stops here, with exits to the east of the JR station, right at the entrance of the Yodobashi store. Cost:depends on how much electronics you buy. :-)

8. Nishi-Shinjuku Skyscraper District The most beautiful skyline in Tokyo also offers a magnificent view of Mount Fuji!

New York Bar, situated on the 52nd floor of Shinjuku Park Tower (seen to the right in the photo above) was made famous by the movie Lost In Translation. Fortunately, the impact of this modern, commercial sector of Tokyo won't be lost on its visitors. To see the skyline itself, a good place to go is Shinjuku Central Park, (I recommend a map to find it) at the foot of the spectacular twin towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (seen in the center in the photo above). From there you can glance up at the skyscrapers from a calm, green oasis in this jungle of glass and concrete (and don't worry; parks in Japan are relatively safe, unless you're afraid of wild cats, who are usually quite friendly).

The above-mentioned Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building also sports one of Tokyo's best views: both towers (North and South) have observation decks on their top floors (48). The North Tower one has a slightly better view of the vastness of the Kanto plain on which Tokyo is situated, and of other skyscrapers, while the South Tower observation deck sports a magnificent view of Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine, and down towards Shibuya to the south. Both observation decks have a great view of the mountain range to the west, and if the weather permits, spectacular views of Mount Fuji, as well as the sprawl of central Tokyo to the east, including .

Nishi-Shinjuku is also home to the Yodobashi Camera head store, which is actually a number of specialized stores clustered close together in theelectronics district of Nishi-Shinjuku, just outside the West exit of , close to thewest Bus terminal. If you don't have the time or will to go to Akihabara but still want to enjoy some of the splendid electronics shopping that Tokyo has to offer, this is a much more time- efficient place to do it at. Goods can be bought tax free.

Access: Shinjuku station - world's busiest train hub by passenger count - is an experience in itself, especially during rush hours. The Yamanote line stop here, as do the subway Shinjuku, , and Oedo lines. The station is huge so make sure you read the signs and walk towards the West Exit. The subway Oedo line also stops at Tocho-mae station, which is right below the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, so if you take that line, you won't get lost trying to find the observation floor (just go up!). Cost: observation floor is free, the New York Bar from the movie probably charges a decent amount - I've heard that it's 2000 yen in the evening, but might be free or at least cheaper before that, although you'd have to order a drink, and I'm sure it's pricey. But hey, a great view, nice drink, and pleasant atmosphere that starred in a movie might be worth a few yens don't you think?

On your way back, why not stop and have some food in the area around Shinjuku station? It's an area I often go to for food and drinks, as well as shopping. Not as fancy as Ginza, and not as hip as Shibuya, it's a pleasant urban, grown-up area.

9. The Imperial Palace

The green heart of Tokyo or a black hole at the center?

Locations in Tokyo can actually be described like the hours on a clock plus a distance. The center of the clock would then correspond to the Imperial Palace Grounds, which are located smack in the middle of the city. The grounds are estimated to be the world's most valuable real estate, and are said to contain 20% of all large trees in Tokyo. Unfortunately, you cannot see that much of the Palace Grounds themselves nor of the Imperial Household buildings and shrines they contain, so don't expect to catch a glimpse of the Emperor. But the surrounding moat and bridges, such as the splendid and picturesque Nijubashi bridge, and gates, and the public East Park and Kitanomaru Park, which is open to the public and is home to the famous Martial Arts (and Rock Concert) arena.

Access: An esplanade leading up to the East Parkand Nijubashi bridge starts at the Marunouchi Central Exit of Tokyo Station. Don't forget to turn around and have a look at the beautiful exterior ofTokyo Station itself! A large number of subway lines stop at Otemachi station, which lies underground just to the north of Tokyo Station. Thesubway Mita line stop at Nijubashi-mae stationwill also put you right in front of the East Park. From the East Park and Nijubashi bridge you can walk counter clockwise around the moat to get to Kitanomaru Park. From there, is just to your right as you exit the park at Tayasu-mon gate at the north end of the park. Cost: Free!

If you happen to be in Tokyo on either December 23 (the Emperor's birthday) or January 2 (New Year), you have the opportunity to not only tour parts of the inner palace, but also see the Emperor himself and his family on the Palace Grounds. So if you're in town at any of those two dates, don't miss it! I went there once myself on the Emperor's birthday, and it was an exciting little ceremony. Not at all as stiff and governmental as I had imagined, but rather quite happy and cheerful. The audience consisted of mostly old Japanese ladies and young western-looking foreigners.

10. Tokyo Tower Even when the Tokyo Sky Tree is finished, this piece of history isn't going anywhere

The Japanese seem to think that all cities worth their name should have a Tower, and Tokyo Tower at 333 meter is the greatest tower of them all. In Japan at least. It started its career in 1958 as a television broadcast tower, modeled (some would say copied) after the Eiffel Tower, but painted in international signal orange for air traffic safety reasons. There are two observatories in the tower: a large one at 150 meter's (492 ft) height, and a smaller one at 250 meter (820 ft). The view from the lower one is great, and the view from the upper one is outstanding, especially at night, when the whole town lights up! Speaking of light up, the tower itself is also lit up beautifully at night, and can be seen from many location all around Tokyo. Despite being a little bit cheesy (it's an orange copy of the Eiffel Tower, after all), it does serve well as a symbol for Tokyo.

Access: The closest station is Akabanebashi station on the Oedo subway line, from where you should be able to see the tower. Shiba-koen station on the Mita subway lineand Kamiyacho station on the Hibiya subway line are also pretty close. Another nice alternative if you like walking is to take the omnipresent Yamanote line to Hamamatsu-cho station and walk west from there through Shiba Park towards the tower. The tower is rather easy to locate, being as it is an orange, lit-up tower, but I definitely recommend having a good Tokyo map since the location is a little bit off from the main stations. Cost: Main observatory (lower): 820 yen for adults, upper observatory an extra 600 yen. Children about half the price of adults.

Currently, a new, taller television broadcasting tower called Tokyo Sky Tree is being built in Sumida, towards Asakusa but further away, which will replace Tokyo Tower's function as a broadcasting tower in the digital age. The expected opening date is set to spring 2012. However, considering Tokyo Tower's location in central Tokyo and its long history as a landmark symbol for the city, I very much doubt the new tower will lure its visitors away.