The journey begins! In the course of this year's Audi Summer Tour, the German record champions will first travel to the Japanese capital Tokyo. fcbayern.com has compiled a summary for you of what makes the world's largest metropolitan region so unique, what special attractions the Japanese capital has to offer, and which sports are particularly popular there.
Geographical location & inhabitants of Tokyo
Tokyo as a city in the administrative sense was abolished as early as 1943. Since then, the metropolis has been divided into 23 administratively independent districts covering approximately 622 square kilometres. These form the core of the Japanese capital. Although these districts already have 9.6 million inhabitants, Tokyo is surrounded by other cities with millions of inhabitants. Saitama in the north, Chiba in the east and Yokohama and Kawasaki in the south are four other cities with over a million inhabitants in the immediate vicinity. The Tama region with four million inhabitants lies in the west. Together, these cities and their surrounding areas form the Tokyo metropolitan region with a total of 37.2 million inhabitants.
Tokyo's most famous sights & structures
The 23-district metropolis is peppered with numerous sights. The imperial palace is located in the middle of the city centre. The residence is located on the former site of Edo Castle in the present-day Chiyoda district of the same name in central Tokyo. Another hotspot for tourists and worshippers is the Meiji Shrine in the west of the city. The district of Kasumigaseki, to the south and west of the Imperial Palace, is home to various government buildings. In addition to the Kantei, the official residence of the prime minister, the parliament building and the supreme court are located there. The 333-metre-high Tokyo Tower, another landmark of the city, is located in the southern Shiba Park in the Minato district.
What makes Tokyo so unique
Tokyo is known worldwide for its diversity and cultural richness. This is one of the reasons why the Japanese metropolis is one of the most popular destinations for numerous tourists from all over the world year after year. In addition to its sights, Japan's capital is also known for its quirky locations. The Japanese capital is considered the epicentre of anime, manga and tech culture. Another special characteristic are the numerous cat cafés that can be found on almost every street corner. And the metropolis also has a lot to offer on a culinary level. With more than 60,000 restaurants, the food options in Tokyo are almost endless. In addition to Tokyo cuisine and numerous fine restaurants, the local yatais (street food stalls) and izakayas (pubs) are particularly appealing.
Sports-loving metropolis
Tokyo has already hosted the world's largest sporting event twice. In 1964 as well as in 2021, the Japanese metropolis hosted the summer Olympic Games and attracted thousands of athletes as well as fans to the city's sports facilities. Even leaving aside these two events, the almost 10 million inhabitants in the core of the metropolis are extremely enthusiastic about sports. In addition to the national sport Sumō, football and baseball are extremely popular in Japan. The cultural and economic centre of Japan is home to the baseball teams of the "New York Yankees of Japan" and the record champions Yomiuri Giants. Meanwhile, FC Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy play in the J1 League, alongside record champions Kashima Antlers, JEF United Ichihara Chiba, the Yokohama F. Marinos, Kashiwa Reysol and Kawasaki Frontale. Bayern will face the latter in their second friendly on Saturday, 29 July (12:00 CEST) at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
Bayern's crowning glory in Japan's capital
For every Bayern fan, Tokyo will forever be associated with the 2001 Intercontinental Cup win. Thanks to a golden goal by "Sammy" Kuffour, the German record champions beat Boca Juniors from Argentina 1-0 in extra time. 25 years after the only previous triumph in this competition, the best team in the world once more came from Munich. The final was played in the old national stadium in Japan. This was demolished for the 2020 Summer Olympics and replaced on the same site by the New National Stadium. Bayern will also play their two friendlies in this stadium during their stay in Tokyo.
Find out more about FC Bayern's Audi Summer Tour 2023 here:
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