Tokyo

Where to shoot

• Shibuya Crossing — the busiest scramble intersection on earth, seen best from above at the Shibuya Sky deck or the overlooking Starbucks.
• Senso-ji — Tokyo's oldest temple in Asakusa, with the great Kaminarimon lantern, a five-story pagoda, and a bronze incense cauldron, calmest just after dawn.
• The Imperial Palace moats — free East Gardens and surviving Edo Castle watchtowers reflected in the water against Marunouchi's skyscrapers.
• Ueno Park & Shinobazu Pond — Tokyo's top cherry-blossom grounds, with swan boats and the Bentendo hall out on the water.
• Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho — a tight warren of postwar alleyways lined with tiny lantern-lit eateries that come alive after dusk.
• Shibuya Crossing — the famous scramble intersection, seen best from above at the Shibuya Sky observation deck or the Starbucks overlooking the crowds.
• Senso-ji — Tokyo's oldest temple in Asakusa, with the great Kaminarimon lantern and a five-story pagoda, calmest just after dawn.
• Meiji Shrine — a forested Shinto sanctuary near Harajuku where towering torii gates frame a calm, tree-shaded approach.
• Senso-ji and Asakusa before the main crowds
• Meiji Jingu followed by Harajuku and Shibuya
• The Imperial Palace moat and Marunouchi skyline
• Shinjuku after dark
• Kaminarimon — the thunder gate and its red lantern, the most photographed doorway in Tokyo.
• Nakamise-dōri — 250 metres of stalls running from the gate to the temple, painted shutters after dark.
• Sensō-ji main hall — Tokyo's oldest temple, rebuilt after 1945 and busy from mid-morning.
• The Sumida riverbank — the clearest ground-level view of Tokyo Skytree across the water.
• Tokyo National Museum — founded 1872, the oldest museum in Japan and the best single collection of Japanese art.
• Ueno Park in blossom season — roughly a thousand cherry trees and the city's most committed hanami.
• Shinobazu Pond — swan boats year round, a full sheet of lotus leaves by late summer.
• Yanaka Ginza — a sixty-shop street of croquettes, senbei and cats in the last low-rise district.
• The Imperial Palace East Gardens — free entry, original Edo Castle stonework, and the empty keep foundation.
• Nijūbashi — the double-arched bridge and guardhouse at the palace's main approach.
• Tokyo Station Marunouchi building — Tatsuno Kingo's 1914 red brick, restored to full height in 2012.
• Jimbōchō — a hundred-plus secondhand bookshops, all facing north to keep sun off the stock.
• Omoide Yokocho — postwar lanes of six-seat yakitori counters, thick with charcoal smoke by seven.
• Golden Gai — roughly two hundred tiny bars across six alleys, most with room for a handful of drinkers.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building — free observatories at 202 metres, and Fuji on a clear winter day.
• Akihabara's under-the-tracks component alleys — the original Electric Town, still trading.

When to go

Late March to early April for cherry blossoms, or November for crisp air and autumn foliage; avoid the hot, humid rainy season in June and early July.

What to eat

Sushi at the outer Toyosu and Tsukiji markets, a bowl of ramen anywhere the queue is longest, gyudon (simmered beef over rice) for a fast cheap lunch, and izakaya small plates eaten standing in Omoide Yokocho.

Where to stay

Shinjuku makes the most practical base — a major transit hub with lodging at every price point and easy late-night access across the city. Asakusa is the atmospheric alternative for travelers who want old-Tokyo streets and Senso-ji on their doorstep.