Tokyo is visited by about 1.3 million tourists per day. There are plenty of high-spots in this megatown, from historic spots to subculture experiences, but changing the viewpoint, you will get to see the other side of the city. Certainly, it is interesting to visit Asakusa or Japanese gardens such as Hama-rikyu to touch the deep Japanese culture, but the reality of Tokyo can be enjoyed in an easier way using a bus tour.

These days, navigation services are available in English, Chinese and Korean, making the trip fully enjoyable even for solo travelers. Among these bus tours, "Sky Bus Tokyo" is particularly handy, driving one round from Tokyo Station to the areas around the imperial palace. The bus can be easily spotted; a red double decker with an open top.

Sky Bus is the popular sightseeing bus operating regularly, used by approximately 500 thousand passengers since the start of the operation in 2004. With the concept of "cheap, near, and short," participants can sit on the bus and enjoy a fifty-minute drive around imperial palace surrounded by the mote, Ginza with famous department stores and boutiques, and Marunouchi, the business town with the top companies in Japan. The time schedule is one bus per hour from 10am to 6pm. The fare is 1,500 yen per adult (over 12 years old), and 700 yen per child (4 to 12 years old). Reservation can be made from a week in advance. In addition, "Classic Sky Bus Tokyo," resembling the streetcar in San Francisco, started its service in the same route from August 2009.

The seat is on the second level of the double-decker bus, and taking a seat in the open-air seat without ceilings, you can enjoy a fresh bus cruise under the sunlight on sunny days. Though the imperial palace is in the very middle of Tokyo, it is a place where nature full of green is unexpectedly preserved.

Here is a brief explanation of the course.

The bus starts in front of Mitsubishi Building near the South exit of Tokyo station. After reaching the imperial palace through the office buildings in Marunouchi area, the bus runs counterclockwise seeing the mote with lines of willow tree on the left hand side. The imperial palace is located at a site where Edo Castle, Tokugawa Shogun's residence was built. Unfortunately the donjon has disappeared, but up to today, the stone walls and some parts of keeptowers remain within the premise as a historical heritage.

Along the mote, after passing by Otemon and Hirakawamon, the bus drives in front of the National Museum of Modern Art and through Uchibori Street, then by the Supreme Court and head off to the Diet.

The pavement along the mote is famous as a jogging course and many runners are seen day and night. There are many trees around the course, especially from Chidori-ga-fuchi to the Diet where transition of the season can be enjoyed throughout the year.

Turning left in front of the Diet, the bus proceeds onto the government office area in Kasumigaseki. Going pass Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the bus reaches Sakuradamon-mae and then to Harumi Street. The next highlight is Ginza. Turning left at the corner of Ginza 4th Avenue Crossing, the bus enters Ginza Street with lines of major department stores such as Mitsukoshi, Matsuzakaya, and Matsuya; a famous sightseeing spot where tourists visit at least once. After going one round, the bus returns in front of the imperial palace again.

Though the duration of the ride is less than an hour, tourists can sit down on the tour bus and take a look at some live aspects of Japan from historical sites to the cutting-edge business towns, which will make you feel like gaining a lot of experience at once. It is soon the best season for the bus tour. For your information, raincoats are available when it is raining.

"Sky Bus Tokyo" HYPERLINK

http://www.skybus.jp/home/index.html