Op deze website (http://www.squidoo.com/top-sights-in-tokyo) vond ik hrt volgende: My Top 10 Sights In Tokyo 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. Yoyogi 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 Yoyogi Park 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 Shibuya(from the south) and Shinjuku (from the north), if you have a good map. Or get off the Yamanote line at Harajuku station (first stop after Shibuya, second stop efter Shinjuku). Find the entrance by following the crowd. Harajuku station 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 Japan. 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 Ueno station, 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. Akihabara 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: Akihabara station is just one stop south of Ueno station or one stop north of Tokyo station 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).