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Japan Located in the PacificOcean, it lies to the east of the
Sea of Japan, China, NorthKorea, South Korea and Russia,
stretching from the Sea of
Okhotsk in the north to the East
China Sea and Taiwan in thesouth. The characters that make
up Japan's name mean "sun-
origin", which is why Japan is
sometimes referred to as the
"Land of the Rising Sun". Japan isan archipelago of 6,852 islands.
The four largest islands are
Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and
Shikoku, which together
comprise about ninety-seven
percent of Japan's land area.
Japan has the world's tenth-
largest population, with over
127 million people.
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is a constitutional monarchy where the
power of the Emperor is very limited. As aceremonial figurehead, he is defined by theconstitution as "the symbol of the state and of theunity of the people". Power is held chiefly by thePrime Minister of Japan and other elected membersof the Diet, while sovereignty is vested in the
Japanese people. Akihitois the current Emperor ofJapan; Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, stands asnext in line to the throne.
consists of forty-seven prefectures,
each overseen by an elected governor,
legislature and administrativebureaucracy. Each prefecture is furtherdivided into cities, towns and villages. Thenation is currently undergoingadministrative reorganization by mergingmany of the cities, towns and villages with
each other. This process will reduce thenumber of sub-prefecture administrativeregions and is expected to cutadministrative costs.
Japan has a total of 6,852 islands
extending along the Pacific coast of East
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Asia. The country, including all of theislands it controls, lies between latitudes24 and 46N, and longitudes 122 and146E. The main islands, from north tosouth, are Hokkaid, Honsh, Shikokuand Kysh. The Ryky Islands,including Okinawa, are a chain to thesouth of Kysh. The islands of Japan are
located in a volcanic zone on the PacificRing of Fire.
About 73 percent of Japan is forested,
mountainous, and unsuitable foragricultural, industrial, or residentialuse.As a result, the habitable zones,mainly located in coastal areas, haveextremely high population densities.Japan is one of the most densely
populated countriesin the world.
The climate of Japan is predominantly
temperate, but varies greatly from
north to south. Japan's geographical
features divide it into six principal
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climatic zones: Hokkaid, Sea of
Japan, Central Highland, Seto Inland
Sea, Pacific Ocean, and Ryky
Islands. The northernmost zone,
Hokkaido, has a humid continental
climate with long, cold winters and
very warm to cool summers.
Precipitation is not heavy, but the
islands usually develop deepsnowbanks in the winter.
In the period of rapid economicgrowth after World War II,environmental policies weredownplayed by the government andindustrial corporations. The oil
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crisis in 1973 also encouraged theefficient use of energy due to
Japan's lack of natural resources.Current environmental issuesinclude urban air pollution , wastemanagement, water eutrophication,nature conservation, climate change,chemical management and
international co-operation forconservation.
Japan is one of the world's leadersin the development of newenvironment-friendly technologies,and is ranked 20th best in the worldin the 2010 EnvironmentalPerformance Index. As a signatory ofthe Kyoto Protocol, and host of the1997 conference which created it,
Japan is under treaty obligation toreduce its carbon dioxide emissionsand to take other steps to curbclimate change.
Some of the structural features for
Japan's economic growth developed
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in the Edo period, such as the network
of transport routes, by road and water,
and the futures contracts, bankingand insurance of the Osaka rice
brokers. During the Meiji period from
1868, Japan expanded economically
with the embrace of the market
economy. Many of today's enterprises
were founded at the time, and Japanemerged as the most developed
nation in Asia. The period of overall
real economic growth from the 1960s
to the 1980s has been called the
Japanese post-war economic miracle:it averaged 7.5 percent in the 1960s
and 1970s, and 3.2 percent in the
1980s and early 1990s.
is home to about 127,500,000 people. Today, the countrysuffers from a very low birth rate, making it one of the mostrapidly aging societies in the world.
As of 2008, 46.4 percent of energy in Japanis produced from petroleum, 21.4 percent
from coal, 16.7 percent from natural gas, 9.7
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percent from , and 2.9percent from . Nuclear power
produced 25.1 percent of Japan's electricity,as of 2009.
Dozens of Japanese railway companiescompete in regional and local passengertransportation markets; major companiesinclude seven JR enterprises, KintetsuCorporation, Seibu Railway and Keio
Corporation. Some 250 high-speedShinkansen trains connect major cities and
Japanese trains are known for their safetyand punctuality.
There are 173 airports in Japan; the largest
domestic airport, Haneda Airport, is Asia's
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second-busiest airport. The largestinternational gateways are Narita
International Airport, Kansai InternationalAirport and Chbu Centrair InternationalAirport. Nagoya Port is the country'slargest and busiest port, accounting for 10percent of Japan's trade value.
Japan enjoys full religious freedom basedon Article 20 of its Constitution. Upperestimates suggest that 8496 percent ofthe Japanese population subscribe to
Buddhism or Shinto, including a largenumber of followers of a syncretism ofboth religions. However, these estimatesare based on people affiliated with a
temple, rather than the number of truebelievers.
Japanese culture has evolved greatly fromits origins. Contemporary culturecombines influences from Asia, Europe
and North America. Traditional Japanese
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arts include crafts such as ceramics,textiles, lacquerware, swords and dolls;
performances of bunraku, kabuki, noh,dance, and rakugo; and other practices, thetea ceremony, ikebana, martial arts,calligraphy, origami, onsen, Geisha andgames. Japan has a developed system forthe protection and promotion of both
tangible and intangible Cultural Propertiesand National Treasures.Sixteen sites havebeen inscribed on the UNESCO WorldHeritage List, twelve of which are ofcultural significance.
The vast majority of Japan's
citizens (99%) speak Japanese
as their primary language.
Japanese is in the Japonic
language family, and seems to
be unrelated to Chinese and
Korean. However, Japanese has
borrowed heavily from Chinese,
English, and other languages.
In fact, 49% of Japanese words
are loan-words from Chinese,
and 9% come from English.
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Japanese cuisine is based on combiningstaple foods, typically Japanese rice ornoodles, with a soup and okazu
dishes
made from fish, vegetable, tofu and the like to add flavor to the staple food. In the earlymodern era ingredients such as red meats
that had previously not been widely used inJapan were introduced. Japanese cuisine isknown for its emphasis on seasonality offood, quality of ingredients and
presentation. Japanese cuisine offers a vastarray of regional specialties that usetraditional recipes and local ingredients.
Traditionally, sumo is considered Japan'snational sport. Japanese martial arts such as
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judo, karate and kendo are also widelypracticed and enjoyed by spectators in thecountry. After the Meiji Restoration, manyWestern sports were introduced in Japan andbegan to spread through the educationsystem. Japan hosted the Summer Olympicsin Tokyo in 1964. Japan has hosted theWinter Olympics twice: Sapporo in 1972 andNagano in 1998.
Baseball is currently the most popularspectator sport in the country. Japan's topprofessional league, Nippon ProfessionalBaseball, was established in 1936.
blends Edoand Meiji Period architecture throughout its106 rooms. The villa was erected in Nikko in1899, using parts of a residence that
originally stood in Tokyo.
Japan likely was settled about
35,000 years ago by Paleolithic
people from the Asian mainland.
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At the end of the last Ice Age,
about 10,000 years ago, a
culture called the Jomon
developed. Jomon hunter-
gatherers fashioned fur
clothing, wooden houses, and
elaborate clay vessels.
According to DNA analysis, the
Ainu people may be descendents
of the Jomon.
The first strong central
government developed in Nara
(710-794); the aristocratic
class practiced Buddhism and
Chinese calligraphy, while
agricultural villagers followed
Shintoism.
Japan's unique culture
developed rapidly in the Heian
era, 794-1185. The imperialcourt turned out enduring art,
poetry and prose. The samurai
warrior class developed at this
time, as well.
Samurai lords, called
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"shoguns," took over
governmental power in 1185, and
ruled Japan in the name of the
emperor until 1868. The
Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333)
ruled much of Japan from Kyoto.
Aided by two miraculous
typhoons, the Kamakura repelled
attacks by Mongol armadas in
1274 and 1281.
A particularly strong emperor,
Go-Daigo, tried to overthrew
shogunate rule in 1331,resulting in a civil war
between competing northern and
southern courts that finally
ended in 1392. During this
time, a class of strong
regional lords called "daimyo"increased in power; their
control lasted through the end
of the Edo period, also known
as the Tokugawa Shogunate, in
1868.
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In that year, a new
constitutional monarchy was
established, headed by the
Meiji Emperor. The power of the
shoguns was broken.
After the Meiji Emperor's
death, his son became theTaisho Emperor (r. 1912-1926).
His chronic illnesses allowed
the Diet of Japan to
democratize the country
further. Japan formalized its
rule over Korea and seizednorthern China during World War
I.
The Showa Emperor, Hirohito,
(r. 1926-1989) oversaw Japan's
aggresive expansion during
World War II, its surrender,
and its rebirth as a modern,
industrialized nation.
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The Toshogu is the mausoleum ofTokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the
Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japanfor over 250 years until 1868. The shrineis dedicated to the spirits of Ieyasu andtwo other of Japan's most influentialhistorical personalities, ToyotomiHideyoshi and Minamoto Yoritomo.
The lavishly decorated shrine complexconsists of more than a dozen Shinto andBuddhist buildings set in a beautiful forest.Initially a relatively simple mausoleum,
Toshogu was enlarged into thespectacular complex seen today byIeyasu's grandson Iemitsu during the firsthalf of the 17th century.
Countless wood carvings and largeamounts of gold leaf were used todecorate the buildings in a way not seenelsewhere in Japan, where simplicity hasbeen traditionally stressed in shrinearchitecture.
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The Taiyuinbyo is the mausoleum of thethird Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, the
grandson of Ieyasu. The Taiyuinbyoresembles the Toshogu in its layout andlavish decorations, but it is intentionallykept more modest than the Toshogu.
Rinnoji is Nikko's most importanttemple. It was founded by ShodoShonin, the Buddhist monk whointroduced Buddhism to Nikko in the
8th century.The temple's main building, theSanbutsudo, houses large, goldlacquered, wooden statues of Amida,Senju-Kannon ("Kannon with athousand arms") and Bato-Kannon("Kannon with a horse head"). Thethree deities are regarded asBuddhist manifestations of Nikko'sthree mountain kami ("Shinto gods")enshrined at Futarasan Shrine.
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was founded in 782 by
Shodo Shonin, the Buddhist monk who
introduced Buddhism to Nikko and who
also founded nearby Rinnoji Temple.
Futarasan Shrine is dedicated to the kami
("Shinto gods") of Nikko's three most
sacred mountains Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyoho
and Mt. Taro. Two more Futarasan
Shrines stand at the shore of Lake
Chuzenji and on the summit of Mount
Nantai.
The stands atthe entrance to Nikko's shrines and temples, andtechnically belongs to Futarasan Shrine. The bridgeis ranked as one of Japan's three finest bridgestogether with Iwakuni's Kintaikyo and Saruhashi in
Yamanashi Prefecture.
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is a large
wholesale market for fish, fruits and vegetables
in central Tokyo. It is the most famous of overten wholesale markets that handle the
distribution of fish, meat, produce and flowers
in metropolitan Tokyo. Tsukiji Market is best
known as one of the world's largest fish
markets, handling over 2,000 tons of marine
products per day. It is scheduled to move to anew site in Toyosu by spring 2015.
The sight of the many kinds of fresh fish and
other seafood and the busy atmosphere of
scooters, trucks, sellers and buyers hurrying
around, make Tsukiji Market a major tourist
attractions. In fact, the numbers of visitors haveincreased so much over recent years, that they
have become a problem to the course of
business, as the aging market's infrastructure
was not anticipated to serve as a tourist spot.
Tsukiji Market consists of an inner marketwhere most of the wholesale business and the
famous tuna auctions are taking place, and an
outer market whose retail shops and restaurants
carter to the public. A few restaurants are also
found in the inner market. In order to avoid
interference with business, different rules
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should be followed when visiting the different
areas of the market:
The number of visitors to the, the maximum number which
the market's infrastructure can accommodate. Tourists,who wish to see the auction, have to apply at theOsakana Fukyu Center (Fish Information Center) at theKachidoki Gate, starting from 5:00am on a first-come,
first-serve basis. A first group of 60 visitors will beadmitted to the auction between 5:25 and 5:50, while asecond group of 60 visitors will be admitted between5:50 and 6:15.
Expect that the maximum number of visitors is likely tobe exceeded on busy days, and that some later arrivingvisitors may not be able to see the auction. Successfulapplicants will be able to view the auction from a
designated visitor area. It is not allowed to view theauction from anywhere else or to use flash photographyor to interfere with the business action in any other way.
The wholesale area consists of hundreds of
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small stands in a large, crowded hall, where
buyers and sellers hurry along narrow lanes
with their carts and trucks. It is an exciting area
for tourists to view and photograph the fish and
the action, but it is also an area where tourists
are likely to interfere with the professionals
working there.
Consequently, in order to prevent accidents
and interference with business, tourists are notallowed into the wholesale area before 9am,
when the peak of the business activities take
place. Even when visiting after 9am, tourists are
asked to refrain from bringing any luggage into
the market and to be constantly alert of what is
happening around them to avoid blockingtraffic.
Instead of visiting the inner
market, tourists are encouraged to
visit Tsukiji's outer market,
which is located just adjacent to
the inner market and caters to the
public. The outer market consists
of a few blocks of small retail
shops and restaurants crowded
along narrow lanes. Here you can
find all sorts of food related
goods, knives and fresh seafood
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and produce for sale in smaller
(than wholesale) portions.
A visit to Tsukiji Market is bestcombined with a fresh sushi
breakfast or lunch at one of the
local restaurants. There are
restaurants both in the inner and
outer market area, which are
typically open from 5:00 in the
morning to around noon or earlyafternoon.
The Imperial Palace East Gardens(Kkyo Higashi Gyoen) are a part of
the inner palace area and are open tothe public. They are the former site ofEdo Castle's innermost circles ofdefense, the honmaru ("main circle") andninomaru ("secondary circle"). None ofthe main buildings remain today, but
the moats, walls, entrance gates andseveral guardhouses still exist.
Edo Castle was the residence of the
Tokugawashogun who ruled Japan from
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1603 to 1867. Emperor Meiji alsoresided there from 1868 to 1888 beforemoving to the newly constructed
Imperial Palace.
Mount Takao (Takaosan) is one of theclosest natural recreation areas to centralTokyo, offering beautiful scenery, an
interesting temple and attractive hikingopportunities.
A network of numbered and well markedhiking trails, ranging from the broad and pavedhiking trail number 1 to narrow nature trails,lead up the slopes and through the valleys of
Takaosan. The peak is 599 meters over sealevel and offers views of Tokyo, Mount Fujiand as far as Yokohama on clear days. Thereis a cablecar and chair lift leading halfway upthe mountain. From there, the ascent to thesummit takes about 45 minutes. Hiking the
mountain from its base doubles the walkingtime.
Considered a sacred mountain, Takaosan hasbeen a center of mountain worship for morethan 1000 years. The attractive templeYakuoin stands near the mountain's top.
Visitors pray there to Shinto-Buddhist
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mountain gods (tengu) for good fortune.Statues of the gods, one with a long nose andone with a crow beak, can be found at the
temple and all over the mountain.
The grounds of were
originally the residence of an Edo era
merchant, and eventually changed
ownership to a feudal lord who turnedthem into a garden. During the Meiji
Period the founder of Mitsubishi bought
the garden to entertain his guests. It was
contributed to the city of Tokyo and
opened to the public in 1932.
A highlight of the Kiyosumi Teienlandscape
garden are the many stones set around
the grounds. Landscape stones are highly
sought after and valuable, and some of the
ones in the garden are famous stones that
were acquired from all across Japan.
When strolling the garden's grounds be sure
to venture across the stepping stone paths
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that are set in the water. This is called
"isowatari", and from the stones you can
see fish and turtles under the surface of
the pond as well as reflections of the
garden in the water.
Halfway around the garden is the teahouse
styled Ryotei, a traditional Japanese
restaurant, that appears to hover over
the water from across the pond. Near the
garden entrance is the Taisho Kinenkan, a
memorial hall ofEmperor Taisho.
Nihonbashi, literally meaning
"Japan Bridge", is a city district
of Tokyo, just north of Ginza and
northeast of Marunouchi and Tokyo
Station. The bridge, after which
the district is named, has been
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the mile zero marker for Japan's
national highway network since the
early Edo Period.
Formerly a wooden bridge, the
Nihonbashi was reconstructed in
stone during the Meiji Period, and
was covered by an expressway in
the 1960s. You can cross a partial
1:1 replica of the original wooden
bridge in the Edo-Tokyo Museum inRyogoku.
or more popularlyknown asAsakusa Kannon Temple, isnamed after the Kannon or Goddess of
Mercy to whom the tall main hall isdedicated. This temple is said to havebeen founded in the 7th century bythree fisherman, who discovered intheir nets one day a tiny image of
Kannon only 5 cm in height.
with its huge
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red latern and the wooden imagesof the Thunder and Wind Gods,
powerful guardians of the SensojiTemple.Kaminarimon Gate its alsoknown as thesymbol of Asakusa.
Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine. And it isdeeply rooted in the way of Japanese life.Shinto has no founder, no holy book, and noteven the concept of religious conversion, but
Shinto values for example harmony withnature and virtues such as "Magokoro(sincereheart)". In Shinto, some divinity is found asKami(divine spirit), or it may be said that thereis an unlimited number ofKami. You can seeKami in mythology, in nature, and in humanbeings. From ancient times, Japanese people
have felt awe and gratitude towards such Kamiand dedicated shrines to many of them. Thisshrine is dedicated to the divine souls ofEmperor Meiji and his consort EmpressShoken (their tombs are in Kyoto). EmperorMeiji passed away in 1912 and Empress
Shoken in 1914. After their demise, people
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wished to commemorate their virtues and tovenerate them forever. So they donated100,000 trees from all over Japan and from
overseas, and they worked voluntarily tocreate this forest. Thus, thanks to the sincereheart of the people, this shrine wasestablished on November 1, 1920.
is one ofTokyo's 23 wards,
and Shinagawa Station is one of the city'sbusiest stations. Its convenience as a
transportation hub has attracted many
hotels, offices, restaurants and shops to
the area. Shinagawa has been catering to
travelers since the Edo Period (1603-1867),
when it was the first stop on the mainroad linking Tokyo with Kyoto.
Yokohama is Japan's second largest city
with a population of over three million.Yokohama is located less than half anhour south ofTokyo by train, and is thecapital ofKanagawa Prefecture.
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Towards the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867), during which Japan maintained apolicy of self-isolation, Yokohama's port
was one of the first to be opened toforeign trade in 1859. Consequently,Yokohama quickly grew from a smallfishing village into one ofJapan's majorcities.
Until today, Yokohama remains popularamong expats, has one of the world'slargest chinatowns and preserves someformer Western residences in the Yamatedistrict.
Shinjuku is one of the 23 citywards of Tokyo, but the name
commonly refers to just the large
entertainment, business and
shopping area around Shinjuku
Station.
Shinjuku Station is the world's
busiest railway station, handling
more than two million passengers
every day. It is served by about a
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dozen railway and subway lines,
including the JR Yamanote Line.
Shinjuku is also one of Tokyo's
major stops for long-distancehighway buses and city buses.
refers to the area around Tokyo's
Harajuku Station, which is between Shinjukuand Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. It is the
center of Japan's most extreme teenage
cultures and fashion styles, but also offers
shopping for adults and some historic sights.
The focal point of Harajuku's teenage culture
is Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street) and its
side streets, which are lined by many trendy
shops, fashion boutiques, used clothes stores,
crepe stands and fast food outlets geared
towards the fashion and trend conscious
teens.
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In order to experience the teenage culture at
its most extreme, visit Harajuku on a Sunday,
when many young people gather around
Harajuku Station and engage in
, dressed up in crazy
costumes to resembleanimecharacters, punk
musicians, etc.
is a large public
park next to Ueno Station in central Tokyo. The
park grounds were originally part of KaneijiTemple, which used to be one of the city'slargest and wealthiest temples and a familytemple of the ruling Tokugawa clan during theEdo Period. Kaneiji stood in the northeast ofthe capital to protect the city from evil, muchlike Enryakuji Temple in Kyoto.
During the Boshin Civil War, which followed theMeiji Restoration in 1868, Kaneiji suffered
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nearly complete destruction in a battle betweenthe victorious forces of the new Meijigovernment and loyalists of the overthrown
shogunate. After the battle, the temple groundswere converted into one of Japan's first Westernstyle parks and opened to the public in 1873. Astatue of Saigo Takamori, one of the generals inthe Battle of Ueno, stands near the park'ssouthern entrance.
The is a new television broadcastingtower and landmark ofTokyo. It is the centerpiece of theTokyo Skytree Town in the Sumida City Ward, not faraway fromAsakusa. With a height of 634 meters (634 can
be read as "Musashi", a historic name of the Tokyo Region),it is the. A
large shopping complex with aquarium is located at itsbase.
The highlight of the Tokyo Skytree is its two
which offer spectacular views out over Tokyo. Thetwo enclosed decks are located atrespectively, making them the
A second set of elevators connects the Tembo Deck to the450 meter high . Dubbed "the world's highest
skywalk", the Tembo Gallery consists of a sloping spiral ramp that gains height as it circles the tower. The
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construction of the steel and glass tube allows visitors tolook down from the dizzying height of the tower and outover theKanto Regionto spectacular distances.
At the top of the spiral ramp is a more conventionalobservation deck floor with lounging areas and tall windows from which to look out over Tokyo. This floor isofficially located at 451.2 meters and constitutes thehighest point of the observation decks.
is a fantasy theme parkin Tokyo Disney Resortthat is unique to Japan. Inspired by the myths and legends of the sea,Tokyo DisneySea is made up of seven themed ports of call:Mediterranean Harbor, Mystery Island, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast,Lost River Delta, Port Discovery and American Waterfront.
While suitable for all ages, Tokyo DisneySea was designed to specificallyalso appeal to a more grown up audience. The park addresses theJapanese visitors' strong interest in good food by providing a widerselection of table service restaurants than Tokyo Disneyland and by
serving alcoholic beverages, which are unavailable at the neighboringpark.
is a theme park based on the
films produced by Walt Disney. It was opened in 1983as the first Disney theme park outside of the United
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States. Modeled after Disneyland in California and theMagic Kingdom in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland is madeup of seven themed lands and features seasonal
decorations and parades.
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