Brief Background
Marunouchi takes its name from “within the circle” and dates back to the 14th century and is located between the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station. Many of the most well-known companies, such as Mitsubishi, have headquarters in this area. As a result, this area of Tokyo has become an important commercial and financial sector of the city.
What Can You Find Here?
You can see the area in one day or less. If you are looking for shopping, many of the high-end designer shops are located within the main boulevard of Marunouchi Naka Dori.
The Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, which opened in 2010, contains three floors featuring 19th century Western style art. Recently the museum has showcased work on loan from the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. The museum costs 500 Yen for adults, and is open everyday except Monday. The English style gardens outside the museum provide a relaxing atmosphere and place to relax for a few minutes during your trip.
The Tokyo International Forum hosts the Oedo Antique Market on the first and third Sunday of the month. When not in use, this space is a convention center and is another place that contains shops, cafe, and restaurants to check out. Photographers love the glass exterior and numerous architectural marvels inside. The building itself is modeled after a glass ship.
If you are seeking a kabuki, ballet, or opera, you may want to search the listings of the Imperial Theater Teikoku Gekijo. It was the first Western theater that opened in Japan. In the same building, the Idemitsu Museum hosts Japanese style art.
