Thirty-seven million people in the largest metropolitan area on earth, rebuilt twice in a century, and the best-functioning city anywhere.
What it is
The largest metropolitan area in the world, around 37 million people across the Kantō plain, functioning at a level of order and cleanliness that is difficult to believe until you are standing in it.
Almost nothing here is old, and that is not neglect. The Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 destroyed most of the city and killed over 100,000 people. The firebombing of March 1945 destroyed most of what had been rebuilt and killed around 100,000 more in a single night. Tokyo as it stands is essentially a post-1945 city, which is why it looks forward rather than back.
The districts, which is how to plan
Shinjuku — the world’s busiest station, the neon of Kabukichō, the tiny bars of Golden Gai, and the free observation decks in the Metropolitan Government Building.
Shibuya — the scramble crossing, youth fashion, and Shibuya Sky for the best paid view in the city.
Shimokitazawa and Kōenji — low-rise, second-hand, live music, and where people actually go out.
Asakusa — Sensō-ji temple and the closest thing to old Tokyo, plus Kappabashi, the kitchenware street where restaurant chefs buy knives.
Yanaka — a surviving pre-war neighbourhood of wooden houses, a cemetery and cats.
Ginza — department stores and the best food halls, in the basements, which is where to eat well cheaply.
Akihabara — electronics and anime.
Tsukiji outer market for food; the tuna auction moved to Toyosu, which requires a booking and a 5am start.
The trains
The Yamanote line loops the central districts and is the single most useful thing to understand. The metro is two operators — Tokyo Metro and Toei — plus a dozen private railways, and a contactless IC card (Suica or Pasmo, both now on phones) makes all of it one system.
Rush hour is real. 7.30–9.00 and 17.30–19.30 on the central lines are genuinely crushing.
Practical
Cash still matters more than you expect, though this is changing fast.
Rubbish bins barely exist in public. You carry your rubbish until you find a convenience store.
Convenience stores — 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart — are genuinely good, cheap and open all night, and are where a lot of Tokyo eats breakfast.
Tipping is not done and can cause confusion.
Accommodation is small. A business hotel room is around 12 square metres and perfectly comfortable for it.
Day trips: Nikkō (two hours) for shrines and mountains; Kamakura (one hour) for temples and a beach; Hakone for hot springs and, on a clear day, Fuji.
