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Ueno-Asakusa-Ryogoku - Tokyo Hotels .com

Stroll through the past down Ueno's streets, where Japanese people used to flood in from the north to start a new life in Tokyo. Ueno captures history with five-story pagodas and the Toshogu Shrine. On Ameyoko Street you can purchase everything from ornate jewelry to small pet fish in an open air market, like those found throughout Asia. Ueno also hosts the Tokyo National Museum, the National Science Museum, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and the Tokyo Ueno Zoo.

The neighboring Asakusa district continues this area's tribute to the past with the Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo and the most impressive. The Sensoji Temple is surrounded by streets filled with traditional artisans, sushi shops, and the smell of incense, which combine to preserve the feeling of old Japan. This spot also hosts the annual Setsubun Mamemaki (Bean Throwing) at Sensoji Temple in February, and the Hozuki (Ground Cherry) Market in July.

For the past 300 years, Ryogoku has been the site of the most venerated sport in Japan -- sumo wrestling. In this area, tournaments are held at the Kokugikan Sumo Hall, while wrestlers live, eat, and train in nearby sumo-beya, or sumo quarters. At some of these "sumo stables," it is possible to catch early morning practices. Chanko-nabe restaurants in this area offer the specialty stew traditionally eaten by sumo wrestlers, so watch what you order or prepare to enter the arena! The Edo-Tokyo Museum is also located in Ryogoku, and offers a look at life in Tokyo from the seventeenth century through present day