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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Hagoita-ichi Market - Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo - December 17th (Thur)-19th (Sat), 2009 The yearly Hagoita-ichi Market, held from December 17th to 19th in Senso-ji Temple, is a famous seasonal event in Asakusa. The origins of the Hagoita-ichi can be found in a traditional wish for the healthy development of female children as the hagoita is a board supposedly capable of knocking away evil spirits. (Hagoita is a game similar to badminton in which wooden paddles roughly rectangular in shape are used to hit a shuttlecock back and forth.) The current style of the market dates back to the late 1800s in the mid-Meiji Period when hagoita were sold as a major product come the year-end bargain sales held at Senso-ji Temple. The market was first called "Hagoita-ichi" from around 1950. http://www.senso-ji.jp/

Boro-ichi Market in Setagaya - Around Setagaya 1-chome, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo - December 15th (Tue), 16th (Wed), 2009 and January 15th (Fri), 16th (Sat), 2010 Setagaya Boro-ichi Market is one of the most famous and traditional events in Setagaya with a history stretching back more than 400 years. The origin of the event is a market where people gathered to exchange old clothes, tools (boro in Japanese), and agricultural products. In the modern-day Boro-ichi Market, about 700 stalls are lined along Boro-ichi Street (which is also the location of the Daikan-yashiki mansion, an important cultural asset), selling antiques, daily commodities, old books and used game software. This event attracts many people every year. http://www.city.setagaya.tokyo.jp/

Chichibu Yomatsuri Festival - Chichibu Shrine, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture - December 2nd (Wed), 3rd (Thur), 2009 Chichibu Yomatsuri is one of the largest festivals of the Chichibu Shrine, and also counted as one of the "the 3 biggest Hikiyama (float) festivals" in Japan (the Gion Festival in Kyoto & the Takayama Festival in Hida, being the others). The sound of the hayashi orchestra, a parade of six floats and fireworks make this festival very dynamic. A Kagura performance at the Chichibu Shrine, as well as Chichibu Kabuki and the local performing arts held in Chichibu City, are also very enjoyable events. http://www.chichibuji.gr.jp/ (Japanese version only)

Illumination of zelkova trees at Omote-sando ©2009 + VELVETA DESIGN - Omote-sando, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo - December 1st (Tue), 2009-January 10th (Sun), 2010 The roughly 1-km thoroughfare lined with zelkova trees from Meiji Jingu Shrine to Aoyama-dori Street used to be lit up with small fairy lights and attracted many people. This event, called "Omotesando Illumination," is to take place for the first time in 11 years. This time, energy-saving LED lighting is to be used. The zelkova trees will be illuminated with LEDs, reminiscent of tree buds, and shrubbery will be decorated with bells. This is a fusion event of light and sound. http://www.omotesando.or.jp/

Tori-no-ichi - Otori Jinja Shrine, Taito-ku, Tokyo - Ichi-no-tori: November 12th (Thur) / Ni-no-tori: November 24th (Tue), 2009 The Tori-no-ichi Market is a festival held on the Chinese calendar's day of the Rooster during November (two separate days this year). Starting with the sound of taiko drums at 12am, the festival carries on throughout the day, for 24 hours. Participants wishing for good luck and prosperity of their business come to buy the beautifully decorated kumade (rake), hoping to symbolically rake up good luck and happiness with it. http://www.otorisama.or.jp/ (Japanese version only)

Mount Takao - Momiji Matsuri Festival - Mount Takao, Hachioji City, Tokyo - November 1st (Sun)-30th (Mon), 2009 (scheduled) In every autumn, Mount Takao in Hachioji City is covered in seasonally changing leaves of all shades and colors. In this period of celebrations for the famed momiji leaf, large numbers ranging in age from young to old gather to enjoy a variety of events, such as masu-zake (sake) drinking, Tokyo Kokeshi doll performance, monkey entertainment and street performances. You can see the red color of momiji leaves at the mountaintop or from cable cars, and really gain a sense of autumn. http://www.hachioji-kankokyokai.or.jp/guide10.html

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