Tokyo, Japan's largest city at the start of the 21st century Map of the Kanto region Tokyo was extensively developed following the move to the area of Tokugawa Ieyasu's first Shogunate Government in 1603. The town, which then centered on Edo Castle, was primarily constructed during the 70-year regeneration of Edo that followed and in the years after the demise of the 265-year reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate, as Japan's Meiji Restoration remodeled Japan along more modern lines. Tokyo became the nation's capital city after the Emperor moved east along the Tokaido road from Kyoto. With a current population of some 12 million, Tokyo is by far the largest city in 21st century Japan and one of the charms of Tokyo is to be found in the combination of the traditional and historical sites sitting side by side amidst the ultramodern urban landscape. To that end, there are many places in Tokyo with their own unique character: the Shitamachi (older and more traditional) districts in and around Asakusa and Ueno. The shopping zones of Ginza, Aoyama, Shinjuku and Shibuya and of course other well known areas for visitors to shop or eat till they drop such as Nihombashi, Akihabara, Odaiba, Harajuku, Roppongi and Ikebukuro. For visitors and inhabitants, Tokyo has something for everyone.

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Tokyo Marathon Expo 2012 - Tokyo Big Sight, Koto-ku, Tokyo - February 23 (Thu)-25 (Sat), 2012 Tokyo Marathon will be held on February 26 and 32,000 city runners will participate in the full marathon and the 10-km race. Runners start in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Office in Shinjuku and run through in front of the Imperial Palace, Ginza, and Tsukiji, and finish at Odaiba. Prior to the race, a Tokyo Marathon Expo 2012 is held at Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba. Sports-related events take place and sports goods are sold there. http://www.tokyo42195.org/2012_en/

Yunishigawa Onsen Kamakura Matsuri (Yunishigawa Hot Spring Kamakura Festival) - Yunishigawa Onsen Town, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture - January 21 (Sat)-March 20 (Mon/holiday), 2012 A number of kamakura (Japanese style compact igloos) will be constructed for this festival to enable visitors to sit inside and relax. Various events including sledding, BBQs to enjoy inside kamakura, or snowshoe trekking will also be held. The kamakura will be illuminated to give a romantic twist to proceedings after dark (5:30-9 p.m.), and mini kamakura appears on weekends. http://www.yunishigawa.co.jp/recommend/kamakura.html (Japanese version only)

2012 January Grand Sumo Tournament - Ryogoku Kokugikan, Sumida-ku, Tokyo - January 8 (Sun)-22 (Sun), 2012 The January Tournament is always infused with the New Year's festive mood, with many female spectators wearing colorful kimono. The focal point of this tournament is who will beat yokozuna Hakuho, who dominated and won the previous tournament with a 14-1 record. With the recent promotions of Kotoshogiku and Kisenosato to ozeki (second highest sumo rank), there are now five ozseki and each of them will be aiming to be the one that "stops Hakuho." In addition, one seat of box seats (masu-seki) that used to be sold only in a unit of four seats will begin to be sold separately in this tournament, and female only box seats are also available. Enjoy sure-to-be exiting bouts in seats closer to a ring. http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/index.html

Marunouchi Illumination 2011 - Marunouchi Naka-dori Street, Chuo-ku, Tokyo - November 11 (Thu), 2011-February 19 (Sun), 2012 The 1.1-km Marunouchi Naka-dori Street and other places in Marunouchi are illuminated by about 950,000 champagne-gold LED bulbs, which are original color bulbs for this annual event. This year, by using original eco-illumination that cuts power use by 65% from the conventional lighting, power consumption is expected to decrease by around 60% from last year in consideration of the global environment situation and power saving efforts in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake. http://www.tokyo-event.jp/details/62626032.html (Japanese version only)

All information is subject to change without notice.

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