Grandma's gone to see Afghanistan
Car bombs, chaotic airports, and the prospect of evening tea with a warlord might make most tourists a little queasy. Not Gertrude Lysinger. Have a look at "http://www.boston.com/travel/articles/2004/09/26/grandmas_gone_to_see_afghanistan/"

To paradise in a handcart
Mary Rhodes discovers silence, but for the beat of the waves, on a Chinese island. www.theaustralian.news.com.au

Antique steam train carries flag for Serbian tourism revival
A small train climbs up the mountain of Chargan, near Serbia's border with Bosnia, fulfiling a 100-year-old prophecy in a landscape of forests and ravines, the scene of Serbia-based director Emir Kusturica's latest film, "Life is a Miracle".Have a look at www. story.news.yahoo.com/news

Sleeping in the desert of Jordan
Many Bedouin families live close to schools, electricity and running water, and venture out to their desert tents occasionally. They long for nights under the stars tending their goats and camels. Peter Duncan recalls a weekend of Bedouin life he spent with his son in Jordan's Wadi Rum desert.. Have a look at
www.bahraintribune.com/ArticleDetail.

Outer circles
Judith Elen travels to the Arctic and finds pink granite and wildflowers, ice and reindeer stew. www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page

On the wild side
Helen Womack discovers the summer treasures of Siberia. Have a look at www.theage.com.au/articles

China is a railway lovers paradise
Here, you can still find steam locomotives and experience the romantic charm of a bygone era! But you can also hop on a 21st century-style, hi-tech German-designed/built underground railway (in Guangzhou) or enjoy a trip to the interior of the country in an air-conditioned hard-sleeper train. Have a look at
www.chinadaily.com/english

Tokyo a place to see
One of the leading signs in Yokyo is the main tower at Edo Castle.created by just two men: Tokugawa Ieyasu and Emperor Meiji. In 1603, after unifying the warring states of Japan, Shogun Tokugawa made Edo (Tokyo) his base of operations. As a result, the city developed rapidly and grew to become one of the largest cities in the world with a population topping 1 million by the 18th century. It was the de facto capital of Japan even while the Emperor resided in Kyoto, the Imperial capital.
Edo/Tokyo had always a large non-native population. The sankin kotai system for example required provincial warlords to periodically parade to Edo and keep a residence in the city along with key family members and samurai retainers. The term "Edokko" was used to distinguish the natives from the non-natives.
After 250 years of the Tokugawa, the shogunate was overthrown under the banner of restoring Imperial rule. In 1869, the 17-year-old Emperor Meiji moved to Edo, which was renamed "Tokyo." which was already the nation's political, economic, and cultural center, and the emperor's residence made it a de facto
Tokyo went on to suffer two major tragedies but has remarkably recovered from both of them. One was the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, and the other was World War II. when the firebombings in 1945 were almost as devastating as the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Today, hardly a trace of the war remains, but the emotional scars still remain
After the war, Tokyo was rebuilt with excellent train and subway systems The 1970s brought new high-rise developments, a new and controversial airport at Narita in 1978, and a population increase to about 11 million. While the 80s were excellent years a major recession followed, making the 1990s Japan's "lost decade"
Tokyo still sees new or renewed urban centers being developed on large lots of idle land.
Tokyo is located to the northwest of Tokyo Bay Tokyo is also part of the Greater Tokyo Area by far the world's most populous metropolitan area that includes the surrounding prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba.
Tokyo consists of 23 special wards, 26 cities, 5 towns, and 8 villages: The total population of the 23 wards is about 8.34 million, with a population density of 13,416 persons per square kilometer. The highest in the world.
There are two national parks in West Tokyo: Chichibu-Tama National Park, located in Nishitama and spilling over into Yamanashi and Saitama Prefectures, and Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park, located around Mount Takao to the south of Hachioji.
South of Tokyo is the Ogasawara National Park.
Tokyo is Japan's largest domestic and international hub for rail, ground, and air transportation. Public transportation within Tokyo is also unsurpassed in the world with clean and efficient train and subway
lines and buses. Besides of railways Tokyo also has quite a few airports. If you want to travel by bus you go with the Toei bus operated by the metropolitan city itself.
For a tourist Zojoji (a temple in Shiba Park) and Tokyo Tower are attractive. But to see all tourist attractions it would take weeks to see them. A very convenient train and subway system (with signs in English) makes it easy to visit most of them.

You are interested in shrines, temples, and castles Here a few names which might be interesting for you. The Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, and Sensoji Temple are the three most popular ones in Tokyo. But there are others too like Yasukuni Shrine , Zojoj Tsukiji Honganji Temple, Gokokuji Temple etc.

Tokyo holds many festivals large and small throughout the year. In spring you have the
azalea festival at Nezu Shrine in Bunkyo-ku, the wisteria festival in Koto-ku., the sunrise festival in Ome, the Kachiya Festival in Koto-ku, the Kanda Myojin Omikoshi Togyo in Chiyoda-ku., the Kappa Festival in Shinagawa-ku, the Kifune festival in Ota-ku and many others..
But you also have festivals in summer like the Koenji Awa Odori , the Asakusa Samba Festival, Sumida Fireworks in Asakusa and the Fukagawa Hachiman Festival.
In autumn the Tokyo Jidai festival in Asakusa is the most famous. And in winter you have again more like the Hatsumode New Year's Prayers at most of the Shrines and temples, the Fireman's Parade at Tokyo Big Sight and other major temples
The are also a lot of beautiful parks and gardens to be found in Tokyo To find a lot of flowers in a huge town with millions of people seems to be difficult. But in Tokyo and surrounding you can.
Quite a few attractive scenic views are available too like the Rainbow Bridge, the Tokyo Tower, the Metropolitan Government Building Observatory, the Rainbow Bridge walkway , the Sunshine City Observatory in Ikebukuro and the Fuji TV Headquarters Observatory in Odaiba
Tokyo has various shopping districts famous for specific products. Akihabara is well-known for electronics stores, Shinjuku for camera and book shops, Ginza for department stores and luxury goods, Shibuya and Harajuku for teenage fashion, and Jimbocho for used (and new) books.
If you are interested in culture have a look at the museums as Tokyo has numerous museums and art galleries. Only a few of them include the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno.Tokyo, the National Museum of Western Art , the Edo-Tokyo Museum, the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum and others. You will be occupied for weeks if you want to see them all.
You like theaters? Three of them are said to be the best ones and they include the Kabuki-za TheaterKabuki-za, the National Noh Theater and the National Theatre
You are interested in fashion? Have a look at Omotesando—Fashion capital of Japan,.
Harajuku—Street fashion capital of Japan and the Shibuya—Teen fashion capital of Japan.
Tokyo is also frequently the setting for Japanese movies, television shows, animated series and comic books. The most well-known outside Japan may be the monster movie genre, in which landmarks of Tokyo are routinely destroyed.
Being the nation's center of education its many universities, junior colleges, and vocational schools give you whatever you need. Many of Japan's most prestigious universities like the University of Tokyo are in Tokyo. Other big-name schools include Keio University, Hitotsubashi University, and Waseda University.