Sublime

5. Shibuya Featuring Tokyo’s most photographed area, the Shibuya Pedestrian Scramble, this hyperactive area has lots of people watching and window shopping opportunities for budget travelers.

4. Shimo-Kitazawa A maze of narrow streets, that look completely unchanged from the 50’s or 60’s. No ugly skyscrapers here.

Kyoto is the quintessential traditional Japanese city, where many festivals and customs survive after having disappeared from the rest of Japan with the passage of time. In the Gion district, there are still nine working okiya, where maiko and geisha live. In the afternoon, they leave the okiya to work in a ryotei— luxury restaurant—or an ochaya,

Shobashi comes alive at night. From appearances, it’s a dump. And from sundown to sun-up, on the third floor of a building throbbing with karaoke reverb, you’ll find the bar where Makiko works, five nights a week, from seven until around midnight.

Visitors who are looking for gluten-free or oriental vegetarian (no pungent vegetables) options will also be satisfied. For a less expensive option, look up their Hibiya branch, which you can read about in the Ginza

MIYAZAKI: A friend of mine from Nagoya says, “Nagoya got rid of alleyways with its city planning. The result is that young people don’t stay there. I was surprised when I came to Tokyo to discover so many narrow alleys that are fun to stroll along.” As I’m used to them, I don’t notice them as much, but alleys seem to provide a psychological

Another historic, but less well-known area is the Yanaka district just north of Ueno Park. The old shitamachi atmosphere from Tokyo of yesteryear still survives here; the streets are full of rustic charm, busy locals and a whole variety of shops and trades. There are now very few places in Tokyo quite like it, and its well off the usual tourist

‘Well then, Mr Taro Yamada. Let’s get to business. What dish are you looking for?’ asked Koishi. ‘I’d like you to help me with a certain kind of mackerel sushi.’ ‘What kind, exactly?’ asked Koishi, scribbling away with her pen. ‘The refined type they serve at the Izu restaurant? Or something a bit more rough and ready, like you get at Hanaori?’