Lacking a defined center and encompassing a number of areas with a distinctive flavor, Tokyo has often been described as a city of cities. At Tokyo's heart is old Edo, with the Imperial Palace grounds and public parks and gardens. Asakusa is another area that gives a glimpse of a Tokyo that is fast disappearing; there one finds cobbled streets and small shops selling traditional wares, all centered on the beautiful Sensoji Temple, Tokyo's oldest. At the opposite pole of extreme modernity is Akihabara, which is renowned for its plethora of supposedly discounted electronic
Tokyo, a cosmopolitan city, is the center of Japanese finance, government, and culture. ()
goods and which becomes flooded with people at the release of the latest software. Shinjuku is the site of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office, housed in a 48-story building with twin towers that is just one of many such structures in Shinjuku that makes the area the part of Tokyo that most resembles a modern American metropolis. There one also finds Shinjuku Station, Japan's (and perhaps the world's) busiest train station with well over a million passengers catching trains there each day. In contrast to its skyscrapers' clean lines and the open spaces surrounding them, Shinjuku also includes Kabukicho, a sometimes seedy entertainment district. Shibuya is another area with a huge train station, department stores, eateries, and bars, though Shibuya is a bit cleaner than Shinjuku and considerably trendier, with hordes of young people crowding its streets. But Shibuya cannot compete with the opulence of the Ginza, Tokyo's preeminent shopping district and the site of many upscale restaurants, galleries, and bars.
