Marunouchi - 丸の内

Located between the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station, Marunouchi (丸の内) is one of Japan's most prestigious business districts. During the Edo Period, Marunouchi (literally "within the enclosure") was located within the outer moats of Edo Castle and contained the residences of some of Japan's most powerful feudal lords. Together with neighboring Otemachi, Marunouchi is now home to the headquarters of many of Japan's most powerful companies, particularly from the financial sector.

Over the last decade, Marunouchi has been receiving a major facelift, led by the Mitsubishi Estate company, which owns a lot of the land in the district. Many older office buildings were replaced by new skyscrapers with offices on their upper floors and a variety of shops and restaurants on their lower floors. These newly opened shopping and dining complexes have revitalized the formerly unexciting business district and are drawing an increasing number of non business visitors in recent years.

Shops: 11:00 to 21:00 (until 20:00 on Sundays and national holidays)
Restaurants: 11:00 to 23:00 (until 22:00 on Sundays and national holidays)
Closed: No closing days

Opened in 2002 just in front of Tokyo Station, the Marunouchi Building (Marubiru) is one of the districts landmark buildings. Shopping and restaurants can be found on the lower six floors, while the top two floors (35 and 36) offer nice restaurants with a view over the city.

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Shops: 11:00 to 21:00 (until 20:00 on Sundays and national holidays)
Restaurants: 11:00 to 23:00 (until 22:00 on Sundays and national holidays)
Closed: No closing days

The Shin Marunouchi Building (Shin Marubiru), was opened in 2007 opposite the Marubiru as another landmark building outside of Tokyo Station. It features over 150 shops on its lower five floors and about 40 restaurants on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors. The 7th floor is surrounded by a publicly accessible balcony.

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Shops: 11:00 to 21:00 (until 22:00 Sundays and national holidays)
Restaurants: 11:00 to 23:00 (until 22:00 Sundays and national holidays)

Opened in spring 2013, Kitte (Japanese for postal stamp) is a shopping and dining complex on the lower floors of the JP Tower next to Tokyo Station. The first four floors feature over 70 stores selling mostly fashion and interior goods, while the top two floors contain restaurants and a rooftop garden with views out over Tokyo Station. The Tokyo Central Post Office is located on the ground floor with its facade preserved from the previous building.

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Shops: 9:00 to 21:00
Restaurants: 11:00 to 23:00
Closed: No closing days

Opened in 2004, Oazo is a shopping, dining and hotel complex facing the Marunouchi North Exit of Tokyo Station. Four of Oazo's 18 floors are occupied by the Maruzen bookstore with a large foreign language section, while the top ten floors constitute the Marunouchi Hotel.

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Shops: typically 11:00 to 20:00
Restaurants: typically 11:00 to 23:00

Spanning the length of the Marunouchi district, Nakadori Avenue is a tree lined shopping street running between the large shopping and office buildings. The street is lined by cafes, fashion boutiques and other shops, and gets closed to motorized traffic during lunch time.

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Shops: 11:00 to 21:00 (until 20:00 on Sundays and national holidays)
Restaurants: 11:00 to 23:00 (until 22:00 Sundays and national holidays)

One of the newer shopping and dining centers in Marunouchi, Brick Square is located along Nakadori near Marubiru. The building's lower two floors feature specialty shops, fashion boutiques, cafes and restaurants, while the 2nd and 3rd floors feature trendy restaurants and bars. The 4th floor houses a fitness gym. The Ichigokan Museum is also part of the Brick Square grounds.

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Shops: 11:00 to 23:00 (until 22:00 Sundays and national holidays)
Restaurants: 11:00 to 23:00 (until 22:00 Sundays and national holidays)

Tokia is a shopping and dining center in the lower floors of the Tokyo Building, which aims to be an evening spot where people can gather after work to enjoy good food and music in a fun atmosphere. As such it is filled with a variety of trendy restaurants and bars that cater to the after work crowd.

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Tokyo Station City, the only "station-city" in the world, blending history, tradition, culture, art, science, business, and advanced technology.

With an air of history and dignity, the red-bricked station building is the heart of the Marunouchi district and has been restored to its original form, now looking just as it would have appeared when first built. An important cultural property, the station building bustles with people and houses a train station, a hotel, an art gallery and more. In addition to its role as a space for transit, the open area in front of the station has also been redeveloped as an urban plaza suitable for a multitude of purposes.

First Avenue Tokyo Station is a three-floor commercial and retail establishment featuring some 120 stores and restaurants on the first basement floor and first floor (connected directly to the Yaesu exits of Tokyo Station) as well as on the second floor.

Featuring stores operated directly by three of Japan's leading confectionary manufacturers, Tokyo Okashi Land is Japan's first confectionary-themed retail zone.

Tokyo Character Street features various character-specific stores for well-known Japanese anime and other characters. Gift Plaza offers traditional Japanese confections in Tokyo and popular sweets. Tokyo Ramen Street offers some of the best-known ramen (Chinese noodle) shops in Tokyo. Gourmet Plaza features various other restaurants.

Tokyo Imperial Palace, the residence of Japan's Imperial Family, stands on the former site of Edo Castle. The outer area of the palace grounds with its moats and walls can be reached in a five minute walk from Tokyo Station and be seen freely. Some of the inner grounds of the palace can be seen by joining a pre-arranged guided tours.