The Heart of Tokyo - Chiyoda City
Located in the heart of Tokyo, Chiyoda City covers 4.49 square miles and is home to over 40 thousand people. This compact area has a lot to offer visitors and residents alike and is worth taking the time to explore.
The Imperial Palace, home to the Emperor and Empress of Japan, and its ground encompass almost 12% of the city’s area. Head to the Imperial Palace Plaza and take in the gates, bridges and keeps that offered protection to the palace in previous centuries or take a leisurely stroll through the peaceful and well manicured Imperial Palace East Garden.
Tokyo Station was originally constructed in 1914 and is currently undergoing a facelift which won’t be complete until 2013. The area around the station is a bit of a mess with all of the construction going on but it’s still worth a visit as the fence surrounding the construction area is filled with historical notes and photos of the station from it’s inception through the renderings of what it will look like in 2013.
The Shin-Marunouchi Building, or Shin-Maru as it is affectionately called by the locals, is a great place to stop for lunch. This modern skyscraper is home to more than three floors of great restaurants, some of which offer views of the Imperial Palace grounds or the Tokyo Station, serving Japanese and other world cuisines.
The moat surrounding the Imperial Palace is home to one of the most famous cherry blossom viewing areas in Tokyo but is beautiful year-round. You can even rent a row boat and paddle around the moat on a sunny afternoon in the spring and summer.
You could also arrange a tour of the National Diet, Japan’s house of parliament, take in one of the great museums or just take a stroll through the area.