Downtown Tokyo

[Jack]

When a North American asks "where is downtown Tokyo"? How do you respond?

I have problems defining "downtown" Tokyo much like European cities but unlike those, where you might be able to define "central" Paris or London, it's not possible to do so for Tokyo. One way I've tried to explain this is by drawing a line from Tokyo station to Ikebukuro and anything south of it is "central" Tokyo.

[Buraku]

I don't think Tokyo has a downtown because of the various districts Shinjuku, Akihabara, Roppongi, Bunkyoku, Akasaka Shibuya, bla bla bla and unlike other cities Tokyo never bothered to develop itself much during the Industrial Revolution

but I would define "downtown" as the business area and the place where the hookers live at

[Charles]

Ginza.

[IkemenTommy]

You ask any Japanese and you will always get that vague response: Ueno, Kinshicho, Kameido or "in that area". I know it it's not the same definition of "down town" like the rest of us use.

[r655321]

Anything in the Yamanote Line... Mostly, on the western side of the Yamanote. Albeit, every station is literally its own downtown. That's the great thing about Tokyo.

[GomiGirl]

The thing I always say is that Tokyo is really not one big city but thousands of villages and then larger hubs. For example, each area has a shotengai which really is a village - or the remanants of a village. Then there are larger hubs like Shinjuku, Ueno, Shibuya, Tokyo, Ginza. Each of these are kinda specific really. The financial hub is certainly around the Tokyo/Yurakucho/Otemachi area, the original "fashion" area was Ginza but has now been replaced by Omote Sando area, then there are shopping/commercial hubs like Shibuya and Shinjuku. Then there are the gaijin enclaves like Roppongi, Hiroo, Azabu Juban, Akasaka etc etc. I could go on...

Remember that Tokyo was not the original capital city of Japan - it has been Kyoto, Nara etc in the past. It grew organically after the Meiji restoration etc.

[Charles]

Remember that Tokyo was not the original capital city of Japan - it has been Kyoto, Nara etc in the past. It grew organically after the Meiji restoration etc.

Not really.

The "downtown" of Tokyo is the capital citadel, the Imperial Palace. Asian capitals are traditionally built from scratch, razing anything that was there, so a new city plan can be constructed according to rules of taoist and buddhist architecture. Lands just outside but closest to the citadel were most precious and deeded to the highest ranking nobles.



But of course nobody can go to the Imperial Palace in the center of the town, it was not even marked on most maps (terra incognito?) so there are areas nearby like Ginza that will have to serve as a downtown.

[Takechanpoo]

In east Tokyo Asakusa, Ueno
In west Tokyo, towns along Chuo railway line from Shinjuku to Kichijoji.

[Charles]

In east Tokyo Asakusa, Ueno
In west Tokyo, towns along Chuo railway line from Shinjuku to Kichijoji.

That's not how it works. Pick one. Find a map, stick a pin in it to mark downtown.

Tokyo is a big donut with a hole in the middle where downtown would be.

[IkemenTommy]

In east Tokyo Asakusa, Ueno
In west Tokyo, towns along Chuo railway line from Shinjuku to Kichijoji.

Downtown Kichijoji

Isn't that where you live?

[Greji]

Downtown Kichijoji

Isn't that where you live?

Well, that settles that. Now, where's uptown?

[ketchupkatsu]

I tend to tell people that "downtown Tokyo" is the Nihonbashi area and that around Tokyo station.

I guess somewhere between Kanda and Ginza?

[Greji]

I tend to tell people that "downtown Tokyo" is the Nihonbashi area and that around Tokyo station.

I guess somewhere between Kanda and Ginza?

That's probably correct as the Japanese have always considered the Nihonbashi area as the original "0 Banchi". But I don't know if it would really fit what we FGs would be looking for in a so called downtown area.

[Mulboyne]

That's probably correct as the Japanese have always considered the Nihonbashi area as the original "0 Banchi". But I don't know if it would really fit what we FGs would be looking for in a so called downtown area.

That's right. "Shitamachi" and "downtown" may be literal equivalents but they don't have the same meaning in the context of the original question.

[Takechanpoo]

[Jack]

Anything in the Yamanote Line... Mostly, on the western side of the Yamanote. Albeit, every station is literally its own downtown. That's the great thing about Tokyo.

You are right about that. But the east side like Oosaki, Shinagawa and Shinbashi also qualify. Every station of the Yamanote line seems to have its own downtown. After thinking about it, I guess anything from Tokyo station on the Yamanote Line south to Shinbashi and then the Ginza subway line all the way to Shibuya. Basically there is no downtown as we know it.

[CrankyBastard]

[kusai Jijii]

Fuck Tokyo!
You cunts wanna get your arses down to Kansai. Dats where its at dowgz!;)

[Gilligan]

[Greji]

[quote="kusai Jijii"]Fuck Tokyo!
You cunts wanna get your arses down to Kansai. Dats where its at dowgz!]

I had a young Tokyo GF that decided she was going to move to Osaka, so I shot the bitch....

[Iraira]

[kamome]

I was always told that Tokyo is built like a wheel where the hub is the Imperial Palace and the spokes (streets) emanate out from the palace. So the Imperial Palace is the center of Tokyo but certainly doesn't function as a downtown in the Western sense.

Maybe the area in Shinjuku where the municipal government buildings are situated constitutes the downtown, since that is where the seat of local government is. In most cities, local government buildings and courts generally are in that city's "downtown" district.

[pheyton]

Depends on who you ask. To an anime otaku Akihabara is downtown. To a young person Harajuku and Shibuya are downtown. And on it goes.

Just get on the Yamanote sen and you'll always be in downtown.

[Visitor K]

[Greji]

I was always told that Tokyo is built like a wheel where the hub is the Imperial Palace and the spokes (streets) emanate out from the palace. So the Imperial Palace is the center of Tokyo but certainly doesn't function as a downtown in the Western sense.

Maybe the area in Shinjuku where the municipal government buildings are situated constitutes the downtown, since that is where the seat of local government is. In most cities, local government buildings and courts generally are in that city's "downtown" district.

That was the basis of the road system. The roads that are the spokes coming out of the hub are Kaido's i.e. Koshu Kaido, Ome Kaido and those that run in concentric circles around the Hub are dori's, i.e. Kannana, Kan pachi, Mejiro Dori, etc.

[Kagetsu]

Wow... Didn't know that. (Never really thought about it too much to be honest).
Thank you. ^_^

[MeinJapanLongTime]

I always skip the whole downtown thing and mention that Tokyo is a prefecture, more like a county. It bypasses the entire question and then talk about the sort of places one would want to go and see while they are here--like all the previous places already mentioned.