Hi there! My name is Edoreki Gakushimaru, and I live in the city of Edo (you probably call my city "Tokyo" -- that's the modern name for Edo). I'd like to take you on a trip through my city, to see what it was like when it was still ruled by the Shogun, when samurai walked the streets, accompanied by beautiful women wearing silk kimono. There are lots of sights to see and plenty to learn about ancient Japan. If you have visited this website before, you'll notice that many things have changed. There is new information, new pictures to see and new towns to explore. But first, you have to travel back in time about 200 years. Are you ready?

Hey, look! According to the calendar in the bottom of the screen, we are now in the late 18th century, when Edo was the largest and busiest city in the entire world. There are about 1 million people living in the city itself -- that's more than twice as big as Paris or London, which were the two biggest cities in Europe during the 18th century. Although it is a huge city with lots of things to see, Ill be happy to show you around.

Although I live in Edo, and work as a messenger for one of the most important men in the city, I was born in Western Japan, near Kyoto. In fact, I am just on my way back to Edo after paying a visit to my home town. I have been travelling for several days and I was just resting under this tree for a while before continuing on towards the city. We have almost reached the first checkpoint on the outskirts of Edo, so if you want to join me, we can begin the tour right now. Just click the "right" arrow at the bottom of the page, and we can get started!