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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The 9th International Model Railroad Convention - Tokyo Big Sight, Koto-ku, Tokyo - August 8th (Fri)-10th (Sun), 2008 Various model trains from around the world are gathered for this special occasion. From hand-sized trains to steam locomotives, some even burning real coal, a variety of trains are here, running throughout the venue to entertaining visitors. Visitors can enjoy boarding/running trains, and there are also handicraft classes. http://www.jam.gr.jp/index_en.html

Edogawa-ku Firework Festival / Ichikawa City Firework Festival - Riverbed of Edogawa River, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo / Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture - August 2nd (Sat), 2008 This firework festival is held on the first Saturday of August every year, over Edogawa River between Edogawa-ku of Tokyo and Ichikawa City of Chiba Prefecture. Approximately 14,000 firework detonations will bloom beautifully in the summer night's sky. The display will last about an hour-and-a-half, starting at 7pm. The festival begins with a mixture of sound and light, followed by a number of different fireworks such as a huge "star mine" detonation, firework tricks, etc. http://www.ei-net.city.edogawa.tokyo.jp/event/event2.html (Japanese version only)

Sumidagawa Hanabi - The first venue: From Sakurabashi to Kototoibashi / The second venue: From Komagatabashi to Umayabashi, Tokyo - July 26th (Sat), 2008 The Sumidagawa Hanabi Fireworks display originated as the Ryogoku Hanabi (festival) in 1733 making this display over 270 years old. Today’s version of the display features some 20,000 fireworks and over 900,000 people visit the venues in search of the mid-summer and seemingly impossible to find 'Edo cool.' http://sumidagawa-hanabi.com/index_eg.html

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