Travel Akasaka

Tokyo Travel Guide: Akasaka

Akasaka (赤坂, literally, 'red slope') is a district of Tōkyō. Situated in the inner city, this area is predominantly characterised by office buildings and public institutions, lying southwest of the Imperial Palace and the government district of Nagatachō. As of the 2005 census, Akasaka's nine neighbourhoods (chome) had a population of 19,180 residents in 2019, though the daytime population swelled fivefold.

Located in the Minato ward of Tokyo Metropolis, Akasaka covers an area exceeding 1.3 square kilometres, bordered by Sotobori-dori to the east and Aoyama-dori to the north. North of Akasaka lies Moto-Akasaka ('Old Akasaka'), home to the Akasaka-goyōchi, an imperial estate including the Crown Prince's residence, and the Geihinkan (赤坂離宮, also known as Akasaka Palace), a state guesthouse. Akasaka borders Aoyama to the west and Roppongi to the south and southeast.

From 1878 to 1889, Akasaka was an independent ward of Tokyo Prefecture and Tōkyō City. In 1947, it was merged with Azabu and Shiba to form the Minato ward. Together with Moto-Akasaka and Aoyama, Akasaka forms a district under the jurisdiction of the Minato Ward General Branch (赤坂地区総合支所 Akasaka-chiku sōgō-shisho).

In the latter part of the Showa period, following World War II, Akasaka-Mitsuke, bordering Nagatacho, became a hub for nightclubs ('New Latin Quarter', 'Copacabana', 'Mikado') and bars, particularly around the site of the Hotel New Japan, which burned down in 1982. Portions of Akasaka remain a stronghold of the Sumiyoshi-kai (住吉会), Japan's second-largest yakuza organisation, headquartered there. However, the district is dominated mainly by corporate headquarters, hotels, and government buildings. Notable landmarks include numerous embassies, such as the United States Embassy, Tokyo Midtown (a high-rise complex on the former Defence Agency site), Suntory Hall, and the 18th-century Hikawa Shrine.

Other famous buildings are the Akasaka Park Tower, the modern TBS headquarters, the New Otani hotel, next to Akasaka Mitsuke station, with its beautiful Japanese gardens and a revolving restaurant at the top, the Prudential Financial Tower (158m), completed in late 2001, and the Sanno Park Tower (194m). Two prominent shrines are Hie-jinja (日枝神社), which overlooks the city on one of its highest hills between Tameike Sanno and Akasaka Mitsuke. The second one is Toyokawa Inari Jinja (豊川稲荷神社), which resides along Aoyama-dori on the way from Akasaka Mitsuke to Aoyama.

Several Tokyo Metro lines run along the main roads bordering Akasaka, and the Chiyoda Line serves the district with a stop at Akasaka Station. The Shuto Expressway's Inner Circular Route runs above Roppongi-dori to the south.

Akasaka's postal code is 107-0052.

Akasaka Gallery

Akasaka Map

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