14 DAY TRIAL // Many of us have visited Europe and America, but few of us have been to Asia. I must say that the Asian culture has always impressed and intrigued me. Therefore, I'm offering some information on Tokyo in the hope that I might convince you to make it your next location for spending your vacation. There it goes?.
Tokyo is Japan's largest urban area, its capital and also one of the most populated metropolis in the world. The city is situated on the east coast of Honshu Island, the largest of the four main islands in Japan's archipelago.
The city of Tokyo first appeared in history in the 7th century as a village named Edo, located in the area where Sumira River flows into the Tokyo gulf. In 1650, the city was conquered by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Developed into an important commercial, cultural and political center, Edo became the perfect location for the Imperial Court and its name was transformed into Tokyo, which means "eastern capital".
Along the years, Tokyo suffered greatly from disastrous earthquakes and fires, airstrikes during the 2nd World War. In 1964, the metropolis hosted the Summer Olympic Games and the preparations determined the officials to make some improvements on the city: several new streets and hotels were built, as well as the suspended railway that leads to Haneda Airport. Since then, the development continued, the result being what we see today.
The metropolis of Tokyo is constituted of 23 special boroughs, 33 towns and 8 suburbs and covers an area of 2180 square kilometers. In the center of Tokyo we find the Imperial Palace and in its south-west we can see the Supreme Court and the Tokyo Tower, 333 meters high. East of the Imperial Palace is the district of Marunouchi, the biggest business center and Jimbocho, a borough known for its increased number of libraries. The Tokyo Dome is located north of Jimbocho.
The cultural life of Tokyo amounts to a large number of festivals and celebrations. The city has many theatres where both traditional and modern plays are interpreted. But the greatest attraction is Disneyland Amusement Park.
And if you've arrived in Japan, I advise you to also see the Fuji Mountain, because it offers an incredible natural landscape. I guarantee you won't see anything like it somewhere else! This mountain played a very important strategic and cultural role in Japan's history.
Fuji is also a volcano, situated in the southern part of Honshu Island, west of Tokyo, in the Yamashita province. Surrounded by hills, the volcano is impressive due to its height (3.776 meters) and to its conical shape. No matter the angle you look at it, Fuji Mountain is almost identical and that might create a confusion regarding your exact position, you never know on which side of the mountain you really are.
The Japanese consider it a sacred mountain and pilgrimages are periodically made. Before Buddhism appeared in Japan, climbing the Fuji was an obligation for the ones that chose penitence through the Shinto religion. After Buddhism was introduced in Japan, the mountain changed its religion becoming a Buddhist totem. Fuji is seen as a god's reincarnation and that's why any request to the mountain ends with the suffix- san or sama. A famous Japanese proverb says that: "You're wise to reach the peak of the Fuji Mountain once but a fool to do it twice."
Religion is differently perceived in Japan in comparison to the Christian countries as three types of religions exist in a strange interconnection: Shinto's religion - the local Nippon religion, Buddhism - an Indian religion introduced in Japan due to the Chinese influences and finally Christianity, which is a minor but still present religion. Even so, if you ask a Japanese man about his religion, you might have the surprise of him answering he has none.
Well, I hope I got your attention and that you will consider Tokyo as a possibility for a future vacation. Have in mind that I only captured a few aspects of Japan but you have to discover the rest on your own and enjoy it, of course!
