Central Tokyo (Imperial Palace, Kasumigaseki and Marunouchi)東京中心部

Kasumigaseki, the heart of national administration and politics, and Marunouchi, the heart of business.

Kasumigaseki, in Chiyoda-ku, has developed as the center of the national government since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government ministries and agencies of the new Meiji Government were established there. The central government was restructured after the end of the WWII, and almost all ministries are now located in the area. In Nagata-cho, to the west of Kasumigaseki, stand the Diet Building, the Prime Minister's Official Residence and the National Diet Library. This is the core area for the administration and politics of Japan.

The head offices of many major world-famous Japanese enterprises are concentrated in the adjacent Marunouchi area near Tokyo Station. It is truly the heart of the business world of Japan. The difference between the daytime and nighttime populations of the area is the largest in Tokyo. On weekdays the area is always crowded with office workers and cars.

To the east of the office area of Marunouchi lies the current Imperial Palace. Located on a vast site where Edo Castle once stood, it is surrounded with stone walls and moats. While visitors are not allowed to go inside the palace itself, three places are open to public, namely Kokyo Gaien (Imperial Palace Outer Garden), Kokyo Higashi Gyoen (Imperial Palace East Garden) and Kita-no-maru-koen Park. You can enjoy cherry blossoms there in spring, fresh greenery in the early summer, and beautiful colored leaves in autumn.