Chiyoda. When a neighborhood bears a name meaning “a field of a thousand generations,” the chances are that there is something special about it. The wide Chiyoda area is strategically located in the center of Tokyo and is home to many of Japan’s key political and national institutions, including the National Diet Building, the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan, the Supreme Court, the Tokyo Imperial Palace, and numerous embassies and diplomatic establishments.
The wide Chiyoda area, however, is not all about politics and decision-making. The region is also home to dozens of cultural venues and some of Tokyo’s best-known landmarks: Tokyo Station with its fantastic red-brick architecture; Akihabara, Tokyo’s electronics and pop culture town, and Chidorigafuchi, one of Japan’s most scenic cherry blossom viewing spots in spring, are just a few of the many sites worth noting. Chiyoda and its surrounding neighborhoods are full of vibrant destinations — and being connected in every direction by several rail lines and other public transport, are also some of the capital’s most accessible districts.
On the opposite side of the Sumida River and just a short train ride from central Chiyoda is another cultural hub of Tokyo — the Ryogoku area in Sumida Ward where the country’s gentlest giants reside: the sumo wrestlers. Ryogoku is where visitors can find Kokugikan Arena, the spiritual home of sumo wrestling, and many venues that sustain the livelihood of sumo players. During the Tokyo 2020 Games, Kokugikan Arena was the host of another sport that has been taking Japan by storm over the past decades: boxing.