Eastern wards of Tokyo

Eastern Tokyo covers the wards of Adachi (足立), Katsushika (葛飾), Edogawa (江戸川), Kōtō (江東) and Arakawa (荒川). Neighboring Sumida (墨田) is covered in its own article.

Understand

Eastern Tokyo is largely residential and industrial, with few tourist attractions of note. Most sights are concentrated in Sumida's Ryogoku neighborhood.

Get in

By rail

To Adachi: Tobu-Isesaki Line, Umejima Station or Gotanno Station. To Koiwa: Chuo-Sobu from Shinjuku and Akihabara in the west or Chiba outside of Tokyo.

See

• 1 Nishiarai Daishi (西新井大師, formally known as Gochisan Henjōin Sōji-ji Temple), 1−15−1 Nishiarai, Adachi-ku, ☏ +81 3-3890-2345. 
• 2 Tokyo Budokan (東京武道館), 3-20-1 Ayase, Adachi-ku (At the south end of the Higashi Ayase Park), ☏ +81 3-5697-2111. A very distinctive architecture by the famous Japanese architect Kijō Rokkaku. 
• 3 Kiyosumi Garden (清澄庭園), 3-3-9 Kiyosumi, Kōtō-ku (4 min from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station on the Toei Ōedo and Hanzōmon lines. From Exit A3, cross the main street. Turn left to the next small street, then right along the wall to the entrance), ☏ +81 3-3641-5892. 9AM-5PM. Not the most famous of Tokyo's gardens, but is quite lovely and uncrowded. Originally created in the Edo period, it took its present form during the Meiji Era, under the ownership of the founder of Mitsubishi. ¥150. 
• 4 Fukagawa Edo Museum (深川江戸資料館, fukagawa edo shiryōkan), 1-3-28 Shirakawa, Kōtō-ku (10 min from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station on the Toei Ōedo and Hanzōmon lines. From Exit A3, turn left. At the next traffic light, turn left again. The museum is ahead on the left, past the entrance to a temple), ☏ +81 3-3630-8625, fax: +81 3-3820-4379. Fresh from a recent renovation, this intimate museum features a wonderfully recreated Tempo-period (1830-1843) neighbourhood - complete with homes, shops, narrow alleyways, and even the local rubbish dump. Wander about, peering in windows and entering buildings furnished with household goods and Edo-period bric-a-brac. Light and sound effects create the illusion of a whole day passing from day to night in the space of a few minutes. Pair it up with a visit to the huge Edo-Tokyo Museum in nearby Sumida ward, just a couple of stops away on the Toei Ōedo subway line. ¥300 adult. 
• 5 Shibamata (柴又). In Katsushika-ku, it features Taishakuten Temple (帝釈天) with its cozy shopping street that rivals Asakusa in liveliness while being much more authentic, lacking the overseas-tourist kitsch. The district's biggest claim to fame is being the setting for "Otoko wa tsurai yo", Japan's longest-running movie series, and the hero of the series, Tora-san, can been seen every block of the way from the life-size statue in front of the train station to caricatures and movie posters in every shop. Down by the river past the temple there is a museum dedicated to the movie series, as well as a hand-rowed boat that carries passengers between the shores (¥100 one way fare), the last of its kind in Tokyo. You might want to cover the 7 gods, a series of temples around the neighbourhood, get a free map at the station. 

Flowers in the park

• 6 Kasai Rinkai Park (葛西臨海公園) (next to Kasai Rinkai Koen Station on the JR Keiyo Line, 10-15 minutes and 210 yen from Tokyo Station. Note that the platforms of the Keiyo Line at Tokyo Station are located a 10 minute walk from the station's other platforms), ☏ +81 3-5696-1331. The largest park in central Tokyo, located just across the Edogawa River from Tokyo Disney Resort. Opened in 1989, the park was built on reclaimed land and developed in an effort to restore and preserve natural Tokyo Bay habitat. The park offers a nice break from the surrounding cityscapes and has a number of walking trails that crisscross the gardens, lawns and beaches. In addition, the park features an aquarium, a ferris wheel, a seabird sanctuary and a viewing tower. There are a number of ferries (waterbuses) that serve the park. During the winter and on weekdays there are four daily departures for Odaiba, with the last one continuing on to Ryogoku. The summer and weekends have more frequent departures. The ferries only operate in the afternoons. Free. 
  • 7 Tokyo Sea Life Park (葛西臨海水族園 Kasai Rinkai Suizokuen), 6-2-3 Rinkai-chō Edogawa-ku (5 minutes walk from JR Kasai Rinkai Kōen Station on the JR Keiyō Line.), ☏ +81 3-3869-5152. Th-Tu 9:30AM-5PM. Tickets sold until 4PM. Closed W if Th is a public holiday.. In the huge 2,200-ton tank, you can enjoy watching bluefin tuna darting swiftly around. The aquarium also exhibits sea birds including penguins, and giant kelp from California, US. The facility sits on the beach of Tokyo Bay and could be reached in half an hour by train from Tokyo station. ¥700 adult (16-64), ¥350 senior, ¥250 student, free under 12. 
  • Bird Sanctuary Center. Tu-Su 9:30AM-5PM. Closed Dec 29-Jan 3. In line with the park's goals as a bay habitat preserve, nearly a third of the park is maintained as a Sea Bird Sanctuary. The area attracts bird lovers and photographers who are free to roam the area, except the marsh areas which are restricted. At the center is a Sea Bird Center with information on the local birds. ¥800. 
  • 8 Diamond and Flowers Ferris Wheel (ダイヤと花の大観覧車), ☏ +81 3-3686-6911. M-F 10AM-8PM, Sa-Su 10AM-9PM. Closed: one or two days per month.. The park's most visible landmark is the Diamond and Flowers Ferris Wheel, so named due to its light shows that give it the appearance of a sparkling diamond or flower. At 117 meter tall it is the second tallest ferris wheel in Japan. The top offers views of Tokyo Bay, Tokyo Disney Resorts, Chiba and as far away as Mt. Fuji. ¥700. 
• 9 Tomioka Hachiman Shine (富岡八幡宮, Tomioka Hachimangū) (2015/06/14), ☏ +81 3-3642-1315. The largest Shintō hachiman shine in Tokyo. (updated Jun 2015)

Do

The Crystal View observatory

• 1 KidZania Tokyo (キッザニア東京), Urban Dock LaLaport Toyosu, North Port 3rd floor 33200 2-4-9 Toyosu Kōtō-ku (8 minutes waik from Toyosu Station on the Yurakucho and Yurikamome lines), ☏ +81 3-3536-8405. "A land of kids, by kids, for kids" - where children can experience their favorite job and learn about the social system while having fun. 

Buy

• 1 LaLaport Toyosu (ららぽーと豊洲), 2-4-9 Toyosu Koto-ku. 

Eat

Monja-yaki

"Monja-yaki" (もんじゃ焼き) is a Kanto-area specialty, similar to okonomiyaki. Once people used to make words with ingredients on the hot plate for fun before eating because "Monja-yaki" means "word ware". Monja-yaki's basic batter is made of water, flour and soy sauce. Ingredients can include cabbage, grated yam, crushed tempura, cuttlefish, shrimp, slices of meat, and so on. Although Tsukishima is Tokyo's best-known neighborhood for monjayaki, it's popular here as well.

• 1 Menkouboutenshou, 5-3-1 Horikiri, Katsushika-ku (1 minute from Horikiri-shōbuen Station), ☏ +81 3-5680-3328. 11:45AM-2AM. 

Drink

• 1 Ageha, 2-2-10 Shin-kiba, Kōtō-ku (5 min from Shin-Kiba stn on Rinkai/Metro Yurakucho). Tokyo's largest club featuring world-class DJs and a distinctive crowd of Japanese youth. Due to its remote location, Ageha offers a free shuttle from Shibuya which takes about 40 minutes. 

Sleep

• 1 Ayase Kokusai Hotel. Convenient to visit East Tokyo. Near Ayase station in Adachi-Ku. It is on the Chiyoda line which means easy access to central Tokyo, it takes about 30-40 minutes to Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. 

Go next

Routes through East

Tokyo/Taito ← Kinshichō ←

W  E

→ Ichikawa → Chiba