Close to the soaring office blocks exist pockets of another Tokyo - an old wooden house, a kimono shop, a Japanese inn, an old lady in a kimono sweeping the pavement outside her home with a straw broom. More than anything else, Tokyo is a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It's a living city and you'll never run out of things to explore.

Tokyo is a vast conurbation spreading out across the Kanto Plain from Tokyo-wan Bay. Almost completely rebuilt after an earthquake in 1923 and again after US air raids in WWII, Tokyo has literally risen from the ashes. It's roughly split into the flashy commercial and business districts west of the central Ginza shopping precinct, and the more down-to-earth residential neighbourhoods to the east. For visitors, nearly everything of interest lies either on or within the JR Yamanote line, the rail loop that circles central Tokyo.

Magical memories of Tokyo don't come from standard sightseeing, as this isn't a city of architectural brilliance flooded with monuments. Pragmatic considerations were foremost in the postwar rebuilding, which has made for some pretty dull streetscapes. The real Tokyo experiences are soaking up the hustle and bustle and revelling in the pockets of calm. 

Ginza is the most famous shopping area in Tokyo: it's opulent, vital and popular, and is the place to be seen emptying your wallet. Ginza is overflowing with small private galleries, too, making it a lovely place to browse even if you're not looking to buy. Ueno-Koen, a park north of the centre, has some of Japan's best museums and galleries. 

The Tokyo National Museum holds the world's largest selection of Japanese art; the National Science Museum is a massive free-for-all packed with scientific goodies; and the Shitamachi History Museum is a recreation of the plebeian downtown quarters of old Tokyo.

Long considered the heart of old downtown, Asakusa, north-east of the centre, is one of the few places where you can experience something of the real-life flavour of old Shitamachi. The big attraction here is Senso-ji Temple, probably the liveliest place of Buddhist worship in all Japan, but the whole area is great for a wander. Asakusa was once an infamous 'pleasure district', a fairground of theatre, music and the seedier side, and vestiges of gaudiness and glamour remain. Shinjuku, west of the centre, is present-day Tokyo's rowdiest entertainment quarter.

If you have only a day in town and want to dive headfirst into the modern Japanese phenomenon, this sprawling, relentless district is the place to go. Nearly everything that makes Tokyo interesting bashes elbows here: high-class department stores, discount shopping arcades, flashing neon, government offices, swarming push-and-shove crowds, streetside video screens, stand-up noodle bars, hostess clubs, tucked-away shrines and sleazy strip bars.

Tokyo is an expensive place to bed down. There are a couple of youth hostels west of the centre and some relatively cheap options in Ueno and Ikebukuro. Otherwise, Shinjuku can be a good bet, if you don't mind squishing into a capsule hotel. Shinjuku is also one of the best eating areas. Ueno and Asakusa are good places for traditional Japanese food. Ginza is good by day, but is best avoided for evening eating - it's invariably expensive.

Getting There
1 hour from Osaka Itami Airport to Tokyo Haneda Airport. 1 hour and 15 minutes from Kansai International Airport. 2 hours and 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station to Tokyo Station by JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line. 1 hour and 5 minutes from Narita Airport Station to Tokyo Station by JR Narita Express Line.