Tokyo travel guide by district
From the temples of Asakusa and the gardens of the old lords to the crossings of Shibuya and the towers of Shinjuku. Learn Tokyo’s 23 wards, find the places worth traveling for, and get to know the city in ten short sections.
- Population
- About 14 million (Tokyo Metropolis, 2020 census)
- Area
- About 2,200 km² (metropolis), 627 km² (23 wards)
- Wards
- 23 special wards, all mapped here
- Language
- Japanese
- Capital since
- 1868, when Edo became Tokyo
- Best months
- Late March to May, and October to November
Twenty-three special wards
Chiyoda
The Imperial Palace and its moats, the National Diet, the ministries of Kasumigaseki, Tokyo Station and Marunouchi, plus the electric town of Akihabara.
The wards are the old city of Tokyo, each with its own mayor, from Chiyoda around the Imperial Palace out to Setagaya, Nerima and Edogawa. Select a ward to read it, then play the map and try finding all 23. The second round goes west into the Tama cities of Musashino, Mitaka and Fuchu, and east across the river to Urayasu.
A little Tokyo before you go
Geography & significance
A metropolis with many centers.
Tokyo can mean the 23 central wards, Tokyo Metropolis or a much wider urban region extending into neighboring prefectures. These boundaries include different populations. A figure for Greater Tokyo should therefore identify its geographic definition and reference year. Tokyo has had no single city government since 1943. Tokyo Metropolis is a prefecture led by an elected governor, and the 23 special wards of the old city each have their own mayor and assembly, alongside 26 cities and several towns and island villages.
Tokyo sits near the junction of the Pacific, Philippine Sea and North American plates, so small quakes are felt every few weeks. Strict building codes, drills every 1 September and early warnings on every phone reflect the risk of another great quake. The shogun’s engineers began filling the shallow bay in the 17th century, and landfill has since created most of Koto’s waterfront, Odaiba and Haneda Airport. Much of eastern Tokyo is low land between rivers, protected by walls and floodgates.
Commonly asked2 questions
- Why do population figures for Tokyo vary between sources?
- Tokyo can mean the 23 central wards, Tokyo Metropolis or a much wider urban region extending into neighboring prefectures. These boundaries include different populations. A figure for Greater Tokyo should therefore identify its geographic definition and reference year.
- What is unusual about how Tokyo is governed?
- Tokyo has had no single city government since 1943. Tokyo Metropolis is a prefecture led by an elected governor, and the 23 special wards of the old city each have their own mayor and assembly, alongside 26 cities and several towns and island villages.
The places you came to see
Senso-ji
Tokyo’s oldest temple, entered through the Kaminarimon gate and the stalls of Nakamise street. Come early or after dark to see it calm and lit.
Fifteen landmarks, museums, parks and waterfront stops. Essential is our starting shortlist for a first visit; worth a detour helps you go further. These are editorial priorities, not visitor-number rankings.
Keep going one place deeper
When you have had your fill of Tokyo, the country around it has a guide of its own, and so does the language you will hear on its streets.
District boundaries: OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL. Ward and city boundaries retrieved September 2026, clipped to the OpenStreetMap coastline and simplified for display. All 23 special wards and eight neighboring cities are shown. This learning map is not a survey or a boundary authority. Boundary source and license. Guide references: Tokyo Metropolitan Government, GO TOKYO, the official travel guide, Tokyo Metropolitan Government statistics. Check official attraction sites for current admission and access details. Photographs are from Wikimedia Commons and credited on each one.