Tokyo

Tokyo is a city of districts, each with its own tempo. Ginza and Marunouchi hold the flagship hotels and department-store food halls; Aoyama and Omotesando are for architecture and fashion; Asakusa and Yanaka keep the shitamachi spirit of temples, artisans and low wooden houses. The dining scene is unmatched in depth — from three-star kaiseki counters with eight seats to standing sushi bars and late-night ramen — and the rail network makes every neighbourhood twenty minutes from the next. Cherry blossom (late March to early April) and autumn colour (November) are the peak seasons; the summer is hot and humid, and typhoon season runs from roughly August to October. Cash is still useful, tipping is not practised, and quiet courtesy on trains is expected.