Culture, cuisine and sport: what the Japanese capital Tokyo has to offer

Konnichiwa, Tokyo! This year’s Allianz Women’s Tour (follow it here in our live blog!) takes FC Bayern Women to the Japanese capital for the first time. fcbayern.com shows you what makes the world’s largest metropolitan area so unique, which sights you must take in, and which sports are particularly popular in Tokyo.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Tokyo, which translates as ‘Eastern Capital’, is situated in the Kanto region of the Japanese main island of Honshu. Today’s cosmopolitan city grew out of Edo Castle and the surrounding fishing villages in 1446, and has since expanded to cover an impressive area of 628 square kilometres. Due to its sheer size, the city of Tokyo is divided into 23 independent wards, which are home to a total of over 9.6 million people. Although the 23 wards form the heart of the Japanese capital, Tokyo Prefecture – comprising Tokyo City together with the towns and municipalities of the Tama region and the southern Izu and Ogasawara Islands – constitutes the centre of the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area. As well as being the seat of the Japanese government, this region also includes the cities of Saitama, Chiba, Yokohama and Kawasaki, each with a population of over one million, and is thus home to just under 38.5 million residents.

Tokyo’s most famous sights and landmarks

Nowhere else can one admire the spectacular blend of tradition and modernity quite as well as in Tokyo. Modern landmarks such as Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Skytree, as well as the Edo Imperial Palace with its historic imperial gardens in Chiyoda and the Asakusa Kannon Temple, attract up to 8 million tourists every year. This makes the Japanese capital one of the 20 most visited cities in the world and, as such, the cultural, commercial and educational centre of Japan. The Kasumigaseki district, situated to the south and west of the Imperial Palace, is home to various government buildings. In addition to the Kantei, the area is home to the Prime Minister’s official residence, the Parliament and the supreme court, amongst others. Tokyo is also home to Japan’s oldest and, at 110,000 square metres, largest museum – the Tokyo National Museum.

What makes Tokyo so unique

Tokyo is renowned worldwide for its diversity and cultural riches. With over 60,000 restaurants, the capital offers a seemingly endless array of dining options. Alongside Tokyo’s cuisine and numerous fine-dining restaurants, it's the local yatai (street food stalls) and izakaya (pubs) that are particularly popular. Japan’s capital is also home to the Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest fish market in the world. Another of the city’s landmarks is Shibuya Crossing, which, with 2,500 people crossing at any one time, is considered the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. The statue of Hachiko, the ‘faithful dog’, outside Shibuya Station is regarded as one of the most famous meeting points in the whole of Japan. As well as its sights, Tokyo is best known for its quirky spots. The Japanese capital is regarded as the epicentre of anime, manga and tech culture.

A sports-mad city

As well as cuisine and culture, sport also plays an important role in the lives of both visitors and residents of Tokyo. Among the Japanese, sumo is regarded as the national sport, although football and baseball also enjoy great popularity. Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants – also known as the ‘New York Yankees of Japan’ – are the Japanese record baseball champions, whilst the record football champions, the Kashima Antlers, also hail from the city. The Tokyo metropolitan area is also home to eight other J1 League clubs: FC Tokyo, RB Omiya Ardija, Tokyo Verdy, JEF United Ichihara Chiba, Yokohama F. Marinos, the Urawa Red Diamonds, Kawasaki Frontale and Kashiwa Reysol. After 1964, Japan’s cultural and economic capital hosted the world’s biggest sporting event – the Summer Olympics – for the second time in 2021. The National Stadium, built in 1964, was completely renovated for the games, which were originally scheduled for 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and took place without international spectators.

Bayern’s connection with Tokyo

Tokyo has also often proved a lucky venue for FC Bayern: after the legendary Bayern side of 2001 were crowned Champions League winners in the final in Milan against Valencia, the German record champions went on to win the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo that very same year. Thanks to a golden goal from ‘Sammy’ Kuffour in extra time, the German record champions ran out 1–0 winners against Argentina’s Boca Juniors at the old National Stadium. 22 years after their triumph in Tokyo, the two-time Intercontinental Cup winners from Munich returned once again to the Japanese capital. This time, the Bayern stars played two friendlies at the now-new National Stadium, losing 2-1 to Manchester City and beating Kawasaki Frontale 1–0.

Now, following their trips to the USA in 2021 and Mexico in 2023, FC Bayern Women are heading to Asia for the first time, with the highlight of the Allianz Women’s Tour set to be the game against RB Omiya Ardija at Tokyo’s ‘Nack5 Stadium’ in Saitama.

Get all the latest news on the Allianz Women’s Tour in our live blog: