Far and expensive, but always magical … especially for those who were fed “bread and Anime-Manga” … Tokyo resists in the rankings of the most popular tourist destinations. Not only for the beauty and dynamism that characterizes it, but also because many Western writers have chosen it as their home and tell all its secrets in their best seller books. It is therefore not surprising that the dream of a holiday in Tokyo is increasingly widespread. And Tokyo is always ready to welcome anyone, with its embrace of lights and smiles that have made it a legend.
When to go
The best time to visit Tokyo is spring, between March and early June. Not only because it’s the climatically more pleasant season, with cool breezes and gentle sunshine, but also because it’s cherry blossom season. The unique spectacle of the billions of white/pink petals that fill the city’s gardens and sidewalks lasts only a few days. So, being there in the right place at the right time guarantees the privilege. Avoid summers, which are too hot and humid, and winters; they are cold and often include violent storms.
How to get to Tokyo
Tokyo is served by numerous airports, of which the most important for tourism are Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT). The airports are connected not only to the city’s downtown but also to every single district thanks to the highly efficient city buses and trains. The railways are the soul of Japan, and Tokyo has hundreds of stations. It will therefore not be a problem to move to and from the Japanese capital.
How to move through Tokyo
If you want to stay in Tokyo and spend your holidays getting to know it all, forget the car forever! Driving in Tokyo, if you are not a “native”, is highly discouraged. But alternatively you can choose among dozens of solutions with public and private transport. The urban surface trains, the subway, the buses work perfectly. But you can also use “bike sharing” because moving by bike in Japan is practical and safe, even in a metropolis like Tokyo. Where possible, decide to walk. The hidden corners of the capital cannot be discovered if you go too fast.
What to see
There are literally MILLIONS of interesting things to see in Tokyo. A lifetime is not enough to know it all. Create your personal itineraries perhaps by reading the books of some resident writers (the Italians Marco Togni, Laura Imai Messina, the Japanese Banana Yoshimoto, Haruki Murakami, Yukio Mishima, the American Clark Grover) or by consulting a good tour operator.
Among the many things that you should absolutely admire in Tokyo we suggest: the Imperial Palace with its gardens, Ueno park, Tokyo Tower, Senso-ji temple, Kanda temple and the districts of Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Akihabara. From Tokyo you can move to visit volcano Mount Fuji, and also get to the beaches of Yokosuka, Miiura and Kamakura.
Not far from the capital is the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park, one of the many oases of free greenery that dot Japan, even the most urbanized and apparently “stuffy” metropolis.