Tokyo Fukutoshin
An overview of Tokyo's seven official urban sub-centers, called fukutoshin, some more important than the others.
Tokyo's Seven Sub-Centers: the Fukutoshin 副都心
Centers...
"Toshin" in Japanese means "metropolitan center." And Tokyo's historical and physical center is the Imperial Palace Tokyo (or "Kokyo"), which forms a clear bull's eye on the Tokyo map.
The Marunouchi district just east of Kokyo was Tokyo's original central business district, with the land having been sold by the government in 1890 to the financier, shipping industrialist and founder of the Mitsubishi Group, Yataro Iwasaki, who then began development there.
Tokyo Station opened in Marunouchi in 1914, built specifically as Tokyo's central station, and further cementing the area's centrality. Tokyo's first wards were clustered around the Imperial Palace and new wards grew outwards from there.
...and Sub-Centers
But by the 1950s, in the midst of Japan's post-war economic miracle, Tokyo had grown too big to have a single designated center. "Sub-metropolitan centers," or "fukutoshin," around the periphery of Tokyo were thereby designated both in recognition of how the capital had developed and with the aim of facilitating the distribution of functions throughout it.
Today, the lmperial Palace, Marunouchi, and Tokyo Station feature very little indeed in most Tokyoites' daily lives. The Imperial Palace is the preserve of busloads of tourists and of joggers who take advantage of the uninterrupted course around its 5km-long perimeter. Marunouchi is a business district that is empty by nightfall, and Tokyo Station is a terminal for long-distance travel only. And, especially with the migration of Tokyo's metropolitan government from Yurakucho to Shinjuku in 1990, the fukutoshin have really come to dominate life in Tokyo.
The neon skyscrapers of Shinjuku offer Tokyo's most vibrant night views
"Shibuya Scramble" intersection in front of Shibuya Station
The Big Three: Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya
The three districts of Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Shibuya are the main fukutoshin of Tokyo, so designated in 1958. They are connected by the Yamanote Line which loops around Tokyo, the Saikyo Line, the Shonan-Shinjuku Line and the most recently completed of Tokyo's subway lines, the Fukutoshin subway line (the "Fukutoshin" here referring to these big three fukutoshin districts only).
Shinjuku
Shinjuku is Tokyo's busiest fukutoshin, and the gateway to the west, to the Tama district of greater Tokyo and northern Kanagawa prefecture via mainly the Keio and Odakyu lines - but also now to Yokohama by way of the Shonan-Shinjuku Line. Shinjuku shopping is unrivaled in Tokyo, and Shinjuku is also Tokyo's entertainment capital. Western Shinjuku has Tokyo's biggest cluster of skyscrapers, both hotels and corporate headquarters - pride of place going to to the towering Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, or Tocho.
Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro, the northernmost of the three, is Tokyo's gateway to the north-west via the Tobu Tojo and Seibu Ikebukuro lines. Ikebukuro has been a major shopping and commercial center for a long time, with large department stores and malls, including its massive Sunshine 60 complex. In recent years, Ikebukuro has also earned a growing reputation as a center of pop culture (manga, anime, cosplay and dojinshi).
Shibuya
Shibuya is all about fashion and entertainment - which all means Shibuya shopping. "Shibuya Scramble" is the world-famous intersection in front of Shibuya Station that is one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world, and the Hachiko statue by Shibuya Station is one of Tokyo's best-known rendezvous spots. In terms of transportation, Shibuya connects Tokyo to Yokohama and beyond by way of the Tokyu Toyoko line.
Pagoda and Main Hall of Sensoji Temple, Asakusa, Tokyo
The view from in front of Kinshicho Station (with Tokyo Skytree in background)
The Sub Four
The remaining four fukutoshin are named Ueno-Asakusa, Kinshicho-Kameido, Osaki, and Rinkai. These four areas were designated over two decades later than the "big three" - in 1982, except for Rinkai which was designated in 1995 - and still play second fiddle to them.
Ueno-Asakusa
The Ueno-Asakusa area was Tokyo's most thriving area a long time ago, but is still important, especially for tourism, and has grown in significance with the recent addition of the nearby Tokyo Skytree. Ueno - a little north of the electronics and pop culture mecca of Akihabara - is best known for its big, beautiful Ueno Park: a haven for culture vultures with its numerous museums, temples, and gardens - as well as for its multifarious and multicultural shopping. Asakusa - a little east of Ueno - is very much a center of Tokyo tourism, maintaining the carefree old ways and looks of Tokyo in a bygone age.
Kinshicho-Kameido
Kinshicho was also once one of Tokyo's most bustling and prosperous districts, but is no longer a gem in the capital's crown. However, Kinshicho has been making steady efforts over the past few years to spruce up, and its proximity to the Tokyo Skytree, Akihabara and Ryogoku only help it. Kameido is a minor commercial center adjacent to Kinshicho best known for its charming temple for scholars.
Odaiba, the main part of Tokyo's newest, "Rinkai" fukutoshin
Osaki
Osaki in Shinagawa ward is also one of Tokyo's official fukutoshin, probably because it is the biggest commercial and high-rise residential area in south-west Tokyo. Like Kinshicho, Osaki lacks the magnetism usually associated with a city center - and its significance is further diluted by being relatively isolated and very much the haunt of locals only. Of much greater interest to the traveler and fun-seeker is the nearby area around Shinagawa Station.
Rinkai
Rinkai refers to the Odaiba area, on Tokyo Bay. While important for leisure and tourism, Rinkai is by no means a full-fledged business district, yet more than warrants its fukutoshin status for its pulling power, with a variety of Odaiba attractions - including lots of shopping - both night and day.
Tokyo Map
See a map of Tokyo, including the seven fukutoshin. Search for specific places in the larger map.
View Tokyo Map in a larger map
