Tokyo (prefecture)

This article is about the prefecture of Japan. For the 23 special wards that foreigners (and many Japanese) think of as the "city of Tokyo", see Tokyo.

Tokyo Metropolis (東京都 Tōkyō-to) comprises the city of Tokyo, most of the plain of Kanto, and a chain of islands that extends thousands of kilometers south.

Cities

Equal in status to the other 46 prefectures, the whole of Tokyo Metropolis is designated the capital of Japan. However, when people think of "Tokyo", they're generally thinking of:

🌍 Tokyo — 23 special wards that form the core of the sprawling metropolitan area

Tama Region

The following are all suburban cities outside the city core, which are collectively known as the Tama Region (多摩地域 Tama-chiiki).

🌍 Chofu — home to Jindaiji Temple and the Jindai Botanical Gardens
🌍 Fuchu — Many shrines, temples, historical sites, and relics. Ōkunitama shrine, Tama. river, Mt. Sengen, Tokyo horse race course, Suntory Brewery's Musashino plant, Wholesale market, Fuchu city museum park
🌍 Hachioji — offering Mt. Takao, one of best little escapes from Tokyo
🌍 Inagi
🌍 Kodaira
🌍 Koganei — Koganei Park, Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
🌍 Kokubunji
🌍 Komae
🌍 Kunitachi
🌍 Machida — a bustling youthful shopping town and quiet greenbelt park
🌍 Mitaka — home of famed animator Hayao Miyazaki's "Mitaka Ghibli Forest Museum"
🌍 Musashino — including Kichijoji, an arty suburb known for the cherry blossoms of Inokashira Park
🌍 Nishitokyo
🌍 Ome
🌍 Okutama — a picturesque mountain town at the western end of the prefecture
🌍 Tachikawa
🌍 Tama — the self-proclaimed "Home of Hello Kitty" and her theme park, Sanrio Puroland

Islands

Tokyo prefecture also includes a large number of small islands, some over 1,000 km from the mainland. They are collectively called the Tōsho Region (島嶼地域 Tōsho-chiiki).

Izu Islands — a quick getaway from Tokyo, featuring volcanic hot springs and wild dolphins
Ogasawara Islands — if you really want to get away from it all (and have time to spare)

Understand

GO>TOKYO is a well-maintained sightseeing guide site for foreigners by the government. The site includes a search page for restaurants with multi-language menus.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Get in

Tama region

JR Chuo Line from Shinjuku or Tokyo to most places in the Tama region including: Kichijoji, Kokubunji, Tachikawa, Hachioji, and Okutama
Private Keio line to Southern Tama region to: Chofu, Fuchu, Tama zoo park, Hachioji, and Mt. Takao
From Shinjuku Station and Yoyogi-Uehara Station on the Odakyu Line, go to Machida.

Islands

By plane

All Nippon Airways (ANA). Daily flights from Haneda Airport to Oshima (35 min ¥13,170), Miyakejima (45 min ¥13,170) and Hachijojima (50 min ¥19,870). (updated Jan 2016)
New Central AirService. Three flights a day from Chofu Airport to Oshima (35 min ¥9500), Kozushima (45 min ¥15,870), four flights a day to Niijima (40 min ¥13,700). To get Chofu Airport, take the Keio line Local Service from Shinjuku to Nishi-Chofu. (updated Jan 2016)