Tokyo Hotels - Japan

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <h2 align="center">Tokyo Hotels</h2> <p>Find a hotel in Tokyo, Japan. Get the best discounts on <a href="http://www.hotels-travelnow.com/asia/japan/">Tokyo hotels</a> - up to 70% off the regular rate. Make reservations online. Japan travel information.</p> <p><b>Akasaka Prince Hotel</b></p> <p><b>New Takanawa Prince Hotel</b></p> <p><b>Century Southern Tower Hotel</b></p> <p><b>Shinjuku Prince Hotel</b></p> <p><b>Akasaka Excel Hotel</b></p> <p><b>Dai Ichi Inn Ikebukuro</b></p> <p><b>Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay</b></p> <p><b>Roppongi Prince Hotel</b></p> <p><b>Oakwood Residence Aoyama</b></p> <p><b>Makuhari Prince Hotel</b></p> <p><b>Ana Hotel</b></p> <p>On the edge of the Orient, TOKYO - the last great conurbation before the yawning chasm of the Pacific Ocean - is one of the world's most perplexing cities. On the one hand, gaudily hung about with eyeball-searing neon and messy overhead cables, plagued by seemingly incessant noise, often clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic and packed with twelve million people squashed into minute apartments, it can seem like the stereotypical urban nightmare. Yet behind the barely ordered chaos lie remnants of a very different way of life. Step back from the frenetic main roads and chances are you'll find yourself in a world of tranquil backstreets, where wooden houses are fronted by neatly clipped bonsai trees; wander beyond the high-tech department stores, and you'll find ancient temples and shrines. In this city of 24-hour shops and vending machines, a festival is held virtually every day of the year, people regularly visit their local shrine or temple and scrupulously observe the passing seasons. And, at the centre of it all, is the mysterious green void of the Imperial Palace - home to the emperor and a tangible link to the past.</p> <p>In many ways Tokyo is also something of a modern-day utopia. Trains run on time; the crime rate is hardly worth worrying about; shops and vending machines provide everything you could need (and many things you never thought you needed) 24 hours a day; the people wear the coolest fashions, eat in fabulous restaurants and party in the hippest clubs. It's almost impossible to be bored here and first-time visitors should be prepared for a massive assault on the senses - just walking the streets of this hyperactive city can be an energizing experience. You'll also be surprised how affordable many things are. Cheap-and-cheerful izakaya (bars that serve food) and noodle shacks far outnumber the big-ticket French restaurants and high-class ryotei , where geisha serve minimalist Japanese cuisine, while day-tickets for a sumo tournament or a Kabuki play can be bought for the price of a few drinks. Many of the city's highlights are even free: a stroll through the evocative Shitamachi (low city) area around Asakusa and the major Buddhist temple Senso-ji ; a visit to the tranquil wooded grounds of Meiji-jingu , the city's most venerable Shinto shrine, and the nearby teenage shopping mecca of Harajuku ; the frenetic fish market at Tsukiji ; the crackling, neon-saturated atmosphere of the mini-city Shinjuku - you don't need to part with lots of cash to explore this city.</p> <p>Even if you don't arrive in Tokyo, chances are you will end up here or pass through on your way to other parts of Japan, since the capital is the major transport hub . Every day, scores of Shinkansen (bullet trains) speed up to the far north of Honsho or south to Kyushu, while flights, buses and ferries connect Tokyo to the far-flung corners and islands of the Japanese archipelago.</p> <p>The only time Tokyo is best avoided is during the steamy height of summer in August and early September, when the city's humidity sees its citizens scurrying from one air-conditioned haven to another. October and November, by contrast, are great months to take in the spectacular fireburst of autumn leaves in Tokyo's parks and gardens. Temperatures dip to freezing in the winter months, though the crisp blue skies are rarely disturbed by rain or snow showers. April is the month when Tokyoites love to party beneath the flurries of falling cherry blossoms - one of the best months to visit the capital. Carrying an umbrella is a good idea during tsuyu , the rainy season in June and September, when typhoons occasionally strike the coast.</p> <p>Legend says that a giant catfish sleeps beneath Tokyo Bay, and its wriggling can be felt in the hundreds of small tremors that rumble the capital each year. Around every seventy years, the catfish awakes, resulting in the kind of major earthquake seen in 1995 in Kobe. There is a long-running, half-hearted debate about moving the Diet and main government offices out of Tokyo, away from danger. Yet, despite the fact that the city is well overdue for the Big One, talk of relocating the capital always comes to nothing. Now, more than ever before, Tokyo is the centre of Japan, and nobody wants to leave and miss any of the action.</p> <p>Tokyo has several restaurant chains worth checking out. For Indian food, Moti , with outlets in Roppongi and Akasaka, and Samarat , in Roppongi, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ueno, are longtime local favourites. For good Italian dishes, head for Capricciosa , with branches all over the city - its sign is in elongated katakana on a green, red and white background. La Verde is another Italian operation that gets good reviews. The Seiryumon Taiwanese/Chinese restaurants are notable for their outlandish decor rather than the authenticity of their food. Among the Japanese chains to look out for are: Tapa , a lively izakaya specializing in ozara (big plate) cuisine; Sushisei , a classy sushi restaurant with branches in Tsukiji, Akasaka and Roppongi; Kushinobo , the folk craft-decorated kushikatsu (deep-fried morsels on skewers) restaurants; and Tsunahachi , which is the place for tempura. The La Bohème , Zest and Monsoon chains (you'll find branches in Harajuku, Shibuya, Nishi-Azabu and Daikanyama) are all run by the same company and can be relied on for value and late-night dining in chic settings.</p> <p>If you can't decide what to go for, make your way to the restaurant floors of the major department stores and shopping malls , such as Ebisu's Yebisu Garden City, where you'll generally find a wide choice of cuisines and dining atmospheres under one roof, often with plastic food displays in the windows and daily specials. Also, don't overlook the good-value family restaurants , such as Royal Host (in Shinagawa and Takodanobaba, among other locations) and Jonathan's , which serve both Western and Japanese dishes and have easy-to-choose-from picture menus; Jonathan's Harajuku branch, on the corner of Omotesando and Meiji-dori, is open 24 hours.</p> </body>