Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ethnic Food in Shin-Okubo
The multiethnicity of the new
Tokyo can be best experienced in
the cosmopolitan, but down-to-
earth, Shin-Okubo district. It is
home to almost every conceiv-
able Asian nationality, hence its
sobriquet, “Little Asia.” Apart from
Chinese eateries, Korean barbe-
ques, and Burmese restaurants,
the area also has several Thai,
Indian, and Malaysian curry spots.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
public, it offers Japanese, French,
and English gardens, an old glass
botanical garden, and a traditional
teahouse. Tests have shown that
the park is consistently two
degrees or more cooler than the
surrounding urban area.
d
Map B4
• 11 Naito-cho, Shinjuku-ku • 3350-0151
• Open 9am-4:20pm Tue-Sun • Adm
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Tokyo Metropolitan
Government Building
Defying time and geology, the
Kenzo Tange-designed Tokyo
Metropolitan Building (Tocho)
stands in the middle of a grove
of skyscrapers that have been
described as everything from a
mini-Manhattan to a row of grave
markers. The building's twin 48-
story towers have observation
rooms. High-speed elevators
carry visitors to the sky lounges
in less than a minute. The 360-
degree views from the top are
superlative.
d
Map A4 • 2-8-1 Nishi-
Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku • 5321-1111 • Open
9:30am-11pm Mon, Wed-Sun
&
Kabuki-cho
Tokyo's premier
sakariba
(pleasure quarter), Kabuki-cho
caters to the city's craving for
indulgence. In the words of the
American author Donald Richie,
this garish, neon-lit district,
“concerns itself with the per-
missive indulgence that the old
Edo kept alive on its stage.”
At night, its dazzling maze of
clubs, cabarets, live-music
houses, bars, and ethnic res-
taurants come to life.
d
Map B3
• Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku-ku
^
Shinjuku Gyoen
Part of the estate of the
Naito feudal clan, this large
garden-park became an imperial
retreat in 1906. Now open to the
*
Hanazono Shrine
With orange
pillars and vermillion
walls, this shrine was
rebuilt several times
since it was founded
in the 16th century.
Its presiding deity
is Yamatotaeru-no-
Mikoto, a 4th-century
warrior. Devotees
stop by to petition the
gods for luck. Rows
Visitors strolling in the lush garden-park of Shinjuku Gyoen
104
A magnate for local events, Hanazono Shrine also hosts a
small flea market every Sunday.
