The City of Tokyo is one of the world's biggest international centers. It is enormous and fast-paced. The Port of Tokyo is really a collection of many cities that have grown together to form a busy metropolis. Its districts are different in character, ranging from ultra-modern to traditional. There is something for everyone in the Port of Tokyo. The city is an experience in itself, and there are far too many attractions and activities available to visitors than can be described in this article. For details on the many opportunities in the Port of Tokyo, please visit the city's tourism website.
The Port of Tokyo has a humid subtropical climate. Its summers are hot and humid, and its winters are mild with cool spells. Summers are relatively wet, and winters are drier. Snow does fall each ear, but it is sporadic and light. The Port of Tokyo is an urban heat island, and its presence affects the weather. It is hit by occasional typhoons, and it has been struck by some powerful earthquakes, the last one in 1923. Temperatures range from an average high of almost 31 °C (87 °F) in August to an average low of 2 °C (36 °F) in January and February. The rainiest months are June and July, and humidity exceeds 70% from June until September.
Visitors to the Port of Tokyo will want to check out the Fune-no-kagakukan (the Museum of Maritime Science), a building shaped like a ship. Built on the theme of the sea, ships, and sea travel, the museum contains models and exhibits covering several floors, and it has an elevated viewing deck. Visitors will see a great collection of models of wooden ships from the Edo period as well as warships, submarines, ferries, supertankers, and container ships. Outside, the Japanese Antarctic observation vessel, Soya, and the Yotei Maru ferry are on display. In the summer, sea kayaking classes, swimming, and seawater experiments are available to the public. The museum is located on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay called Odaiba, and it is near the container port. Touring the museum takes about two hours. Children can operate radio-controlled boats in a pond. This is a great family destination.
The Meiji Shrine is one of the biggest and most sublime in the Port of Tokyo. Visitors should rinse their hands and sip (without swallowing) cleansing water before entering the shrine. On weekends, visitors may get to see a Japanese wedding ceremony. The shrine is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife who died in 1912 and 1914. The shrine was built in 1920 to house their respected souls. It was destroyed during World War II but rebuilt quickly. The shrine is in a wooded area next to Yoyogi Park in the Port of Tokyo, and festivals and events are celebrated at the shrine all year.
The Port of Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market (the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market) is a large and famous market with about 1600 stalls offering a wide range of sea life that includes blue fin tuna, deep-sea crabs, live shellfish, eels, and salmon. Since the place has lots of seawater, visitors should wear appropriate boots or shoes. The market is a busy place where visitors and photographers are tolerated as long as they stay out of the way of ongoing business. To see the auctions, arrive very early in the morning. The market is open until 1 pm, but many of the shops close at 10. The fish market may be as old as the early 16th Century when Tokugawa Ieyasu invited fishermen to Edo, his new capital, so that they could supply Edo Castle. As the population grew, so did the market. The modern market was constructed as a central wholesale market after the 1923 earthquake destroyed most of the city's vegetable and food markets.
Gaming lovers will want to visit Tokyo Joypolis, Sega's indoor amusement park. First opened in the Port of Tokyo in 1994, Joypolis features arcade games and rides based on Sega's popular games. The over 20 attractions include a Speed Boarder thrill ride, a simulated Wild Jungle, combat games, simulated card games as well as new attractions based on popular TV shows. Covering three floors, new games and rides are constantly being added. The Port of Tokyo's Joypolis will delight both children and adults.
Travelers who want to visit the Port of Tokyo by sea can find a list of scheduled cruises on the Cruise Compete website.
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