Minato

Overview

Landmarks

• Tokyo Tower

  東京タワーTōkyō Tawā

  The 333-metre orange-and-white broadcasting tower of 1958, with observation decks at 150 m and 250 m.

• Zojo-ji

  増上寺Zōjō-ji

  Head temple of the Jodo school in eastern Japan, with the Sangedatsumon gate of 1622 and the Tokugawa mausoleum.

• Sengaku-ji

  泉岳寺Sengaku-ji

  Zen temple with the graves of the 47 ronin of Ako and their lord, where incense is offered year-round.

• Mori Art Museum

  森美術館Mori Bijutsukan

  Contemporary art museum at the top of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, combined with the Tokyo City View deck.

• National Art Center, Tokyo

  国立新美術館Kokuritsu Shin-Bijutsukan

  Kisho Kurokawa's undulating glass building (2007), one of Japan's largest exhibition spaces, without a permanent collection.

• Nezu Museum

  根津美術館Nezu Bijutsukan

  Collection of pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art in a building by Kengo Kuma, with a large wooded garden.

• Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens

  旧芝離宮恩賜庭園Kyū-Shiba-rikyū Onshi Teien

  One of Tokyo's oldest daimyo stroll gardens, next to Hamamatsucho Station.

• Odaiba and Rainbow Bridge

  お台場Odaiba

  Reclaimed waterfront with a beach promenade, shopping malls and remains of the 1850s batteries, reached across the Rainbow Bridge.

Districts

• Roppongi

  六本木Roppongi

  Art museums by day, international nightlife by night.

• Akasaka

  赤坂Akasaka

  Hotels, restaurants and the Akasaka Palace state guest house on the border with Chiyoda.

• Aoyama and Omotesando

  青山Aoyama

  Designer boutiques, architecture by leading Japanese architects and the Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue.

• Azabu-Juban

  麻布十番Azabu-Jūban

  Old shopping street with traditional food shops in a cosmopolitan residential area.

• Shimbashi and Shiodome

  新橋Shinbashi

  Salaryman izakaya around Shimbashi Station and the office towers built on the site of the first railway terminus.

• Shinagawa and Takanawa

  品川Shinagawa

  Shinkansen station, hotels and offices, with Sengaku-ji nearby.

History

Culture

Festivals

• Gishi-sai at Sengaku-ji

  義士祭Gishi-sai

  On 14 December, the anniversary of the vendetta of the 47 ronin, with a procession in period costume.

• Azabu-Juban Summer Festival

  麻布十番納涼まつりAzabu-Jūban Nōryō Matsuri

  Held in August, with food stalls from all over Japan and from the embassies of the area.

• Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Festival

  神宮外苑いちょう祭りJingū Gaien Ichō Matsuri

  In late autumn, when the ginkgo avenue turns golden.

Food

• Taiyaki

  たい焼きtaiyaki

  Fish-shaped cakes with bean paste; an Azabu-Juban shop has made them since the early twentieth century.

• Sarashina soba

  更科そばsarashina soba

  Pale, refined soba from the buckwheat core, associated with long-established shops in Azabu.

• Shimbashi izakaya

  居酒屋izakaya

  Yakitori and beer in the lanes around Shimbashi Station, the classic after-work district.

• International dining

  Roppongi, Azabu and Hiroo offer one of Tokyo's widest ranges of foreign cuisines, serving the embassy community.

Getting around

• Shinagawa Station is a stop for all Tokaido Shinkansen trains and a station on the Keikyu line to Haneda Airport and Yokohama.
• The Tokyo Monorail runs from Hamamatsucho to Haneda Airport; the Yurikamome runs from Shimbashi across the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba.
• The Hibiya, Oedo, Namboku, Ginza and Chiyoda subway lines serve Roppongi, Azabu, Akasaka and Aoyama.
• JR Yamanote Line stations include Shimbashi, Hamamatsucho, Tamachi, Takanawa Gateway and Shinagawa.

Day trips

• Yokohama

  Chinatown and Minato Mirai, about 20 minutes from Shinagawa.

• Kamakura

  Temples and the Great Buddha, about an hour from Shinagawa by JR Yokosuka Line.

• Ginza and Tsukiji

  Next door in Chuo Ward.

• Shibuya and Harajuku

  A short ride west from Aoyama.

Other cities in the prefecture

Frequently asked questions