Tokyo/Chuo

Chuo (中央) is a central ward in Tokyo. It has been the historical commercial heart of Tokyo since the Edo period, and to this day, is filled with offices, banks, and other institutions that drive the Japanese economy.

Understand
While the name literally means "Center", this ward loses out in prestige (if only very slightly) to neighboring Chiyoda, home to the Emperor among others. Ginza, which is located in Chuo ward and is covered in a separate article, is generally reckoned to have the most expensive real estate on earth and there are plenty of bright lights.

Chuo ward was the former home to the world’s largest fish market, Tsukiji, which processed an unparalleled volume and variety of seafood, in addition to vegetables and other products. While the Inner Market has permanently closed and operations moved to Toyosu, the hundreds of stalls in the Outer Market remain open to the public.

Tourist Information Sites

 * The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.


 * Multilingual local information from the ward government.

Get in
The western edge of Chuo starts on the Yaesu (east) side of Tokyo Station, and if your legs are feeling up to it, you can get pretty much anywhere worth seeing within a 45-minute walk. Otherwise, take the subway.

See




Do

 * Walk around the Tsukiji area to find the remaining 1920s houses that are among the rare ones to have survived World War II. The World Monuments Fund warns against their ongoing destruction.
 * Walk around the Tsukiji area to find the remaining 1920s houses that are among the rare ones to have survived World War II. The World Monuments Fund warns against their ongoing destruction.

Buy
The Ginza, covered in its own article, is one of the world's most famous (and most expensive) shopping districts.



Budget


Past Tsukiji on Harumi-dori is the island neighborhood of Tsukishima (月島, "Moon Island"), known mainly for its many restaurants serving monja-yaki (もんじゃ焼き). This dish is popular in Eastern Japan (Kantō) and is available throughout Tokyo, but is a particular specialty of Tsukishima. Monja-yaki is like the okonomiyaki of Western Japan (Kansai), but the dough is much more runny and the ingredients are finely chopped, leading to what looks like a puddle of vomit. Just remember the essentials: you form the shredded cabbage into a ring on the griddle and pour the leftover liquid in the middle, and you use the tiny spatulas to press the mixed batter onto the griddle until it sizzles, then eat it right off the spatula. (Most shop staff will be more than happy to assist.) Sounds strange, doesn't it? It is. To get here, take the Yurakucho/O-Edo Line to Tsukishima station, and you'll find "Monja Town" aka Nishinaka-dori (西仲通り) extending out from near exit 7, with no less than 70 restaurants crammed into a couple of city blocks.



The northern section of Tsukishima is named Tsukudajima (佃島), and is the origin of tsukudani (佃煮), a way of preserving food by simmering it in a sticky soy and sugar sauce. Tsukudani is still available throughout Japan, but is less common than before, having fallen out of style in most of Japan; it is still commonly available here. Seafood, seaweed (konbu) and various vegetables are the most common ingredients, but if you're looking for something more interesting, try inago (いなご) tsukudani, made from locusts!

Mid-range
Try a sushi breakfast at Tsukiji, primarily for the experience. The fish is guaranteed to be as fresh as possible and the prices, while not cheap, are reasonable given the high quality–figure on ¥2000–4000 for an omakase set of whatever is good today, more if you order drinks or extra pieces. Prices are comparable to a mid-range sushi lunch, while quality is somewhat higher, and are significantly cheaper than a sushi dinner in Ginza, which can easily cost over ¥10,000.

Also consider the omelette rolls (dashimaki tamago). This is another Tsukiji speciality, and egg sushi (tamago nigiri-zushi) is traditionally served alongside seafood sushi.

There are many sushi places in the outer market. These generally open at 08:00 or 09:00. Some of these are businesses of long-standing, dating to the 19th century and now consisting of large chains, though the main shops are still in Tsukiji.



There are also non-sushi options, most notably omelette rolls (dashimaki tamago).



Splurge
There are a wide variety of expensive and extremely expensive restaurants in Ginza; see Tokyo/Ginza.

Drink
The Ginza has a large array of drinking establishments, most of which are also extremely expensive. This is where the Japanese horror stories of US$100 for a beer originate from. Choose carefully, or head elsewhere.