There are a few different towers in Tokyo, all of which offer a panoramic view of the city. The best is from the top of the Metropolitan Government Building. This view showcases city skyline highlights such as Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower and Shinjuku Park Tower. It’s rare, but on a clear day you can just about see Mount Fuji. There are two different towers side by side, and you can head to the top of either – or both! After taking the elevator to the 45th floor you will be greeted with a large open space with windows on all sides. There is a small shop and cafe in the middle, with plenty of seating, and a public piano available for anyone to play. Locals often showcase their skills here, so it’s actually a really nice spot to hang out for a bit and listen, while soaking in the views. And best of all, it’s totally free. As it is essentially an office block, this tower is only open Monday-Friday, so plan accordingly.

This unassuming building houses one of Tokyo’s best cultural experiences. The factory here is owned by Kazuo Kobayashi, and it is his family that made the forgotten art of origami a worldwide phenomenon and a symbol of Japanese culture. The museum was created to promote and teach Japanese origami, and workshops and classes are still held regularly. The paper factory is small, with a couple of rooms showcasing origami creations, and a workshop where the paper itself is created and patterned. The highlight of the visit, though, is that Mr Kobayashi himself is usually just hanging out in the gift shop. He’ll be sat at a desk creating souvenirs and chatting away with everyone who enters. He speaks very little English, but loves to show you how to make various animals, flowers and figurines. If you look suitably impressed (which it is impossible not to), he’ll probably gift you one of these small creations, like a rose, or a dragon. He’s a delight! He’s such a master of his craft that his fingers work so fast without him even looking. This place is definitely a must visit, and you may just come away with a freebie made by the world’s foremost origamiist himself.

As the home of sushi, no visit to Japan would be complete without visiting the country’s oldest and largest fishmarket. The market actually grew so large that the majority of vendors are now set up in a completely different area in Toyosu. The Tsukiji area remained as the original site, along with all the sushi restaurants that had popped up around the market over time. This is hands down the best place in the city to get your sushi fix. The idea of sushi often conjures up images of maki rolls – various fish and vegetable combos wrapped in rice and then seaweed. But in Japan, sushi is most commonly a simple slice of seafood atop a small wedge of rice. Most often raw, but sometimes lightly grilled, the fish here is as fresh as it gets, and seriously tasty. You may have to fight for a seat at the tightly packed in restaurants, but once you do, order a sampler of everything, and enjoy Japan’s culinary excellence.

The Shinjuku district is possibly closest to what you imagine when you think of Tokyo. Towering skyscrapers, a multitude of neon lights, and an overwhelming number of people. Wandering the streets, particularly at night, is like walking through a technologically advanced wonderland. A shining example of this is the 3d cat billboard. Equal parts futuristic and fantastic, the enormous LED screen depicts an uber realistic cat, complete with noises. At various times throughout the day you can witness the cat yawn, meow, and wave its tail, before it curls up and goes to sleep at 1am.

The Shibuya District is home to the world’s busiest road crossing: Shibuya Crossing. An intersection where cars in all directions stop at the same time to let pedestrians go, the entire road becomes a swarm of people when the lights turn green. If you’re travelling with someone, you might need to keep a hold of them or you’ll almost certainly get separated in the throng. The busiest time to visit is Friday evening after work. As well as crossing yourself, it is worth heading to a vantage point to see the sheer number of people from above. The Starbucks on the 2nd floor of the Tsutaya building. While in the area, also check out the statue of Hachiko, the celebrated dog who waited loyally at Shibuya station every day for nine years for his deceased owner to return.

Close to Shinjuku station, tucked away next to the railway bridge, you will find two parallel alleyways. Along these lanes are a surprising number of tiny bars and restaurants. Each has a single bar surface with room for perhaps 6 people maximum seated along it. The chef will whip up some yakitori (skewers) or tempura (literally anything battered and fried), and recommend a shochu (hard liquor) which you can drink either hot or cold. Go at night, as many establishments are not open for lunch. Due to the lack of space you often don’t have a choice of restaurants – you just grab whatever space opens up before somebody else does! Embrace the hecticness and enjoy the ambience.

If sushi is the most celebrated food of Japan, then sake (rice wine) is the most celebrated drink. It is found in restaurants and izakayas (gastro pubs) all over the country, and often drunk hot or with flavouring. The key to how ‘good’ the sake is depends on how much the rice grains are polished before they are fermented. In fact, the warmed sake is often the lower quality, less polished product, while higher quality sake is more likely to be served chilled. While in the capital, head to a sake bar for a tasting to learn more about the Japanese drinking culture. Tip: The Japanese word for ‘cheers’ is pronounced ‘kanpai’.

Ueno Park is a large park in the north of the city. Within it you can find the National Museum of Nature and Science with an enormous whale sculpture outside it, the Metropolitan Art Museum, and Japan’s oldest zoo, as well as numerous shrines and pagodas. It is a relaxing space to wander around if you have a spare afternoon. At one end of the park is a large pond filled with lotus plants, with islands and walkways across the water. Shinobazunoike Benten-do is a picturesque pagoda standing on one of these islands, and a highlight of a walk through the park.

A shopping district by day, this area of small streets and walkways comes alive at night. In and around (and under) the train tracks, this region is chock full of restaurants and bars, and you’re sure to find something to suit your tastes here. A particular restaurant style to try is yakiniku – barbecued meat that you cook yourself on a grill built into your table. If not too busy, restaurant owners will stand in their doorways and try to entice you in. Once inside they will often try to upsell you to the most expensive meats on the menu, but if you stand firm within your price range then you can still get some great recommendations from them. They know the best meats and the best wines on the menu. I particularly recommend plum wine, which I only discovered from a restaurant owner’s recommendation, so their opinions can be trusted!

About the size of one modern city block, this maze of tiny streets contains around 300 small quirky bars and a handful of restaurants. The buildings are all different shapes and sizes, sometimes with one bar on the ground floor and another upstairs. It’s a great place to get lost for an evening, and just see what you might find. Many of the bars here do actually have English menus, so, while this makes it feel a little more touristy, you get a little more control over your order than some of the other locations on this list!

Sumo wrestling is Japan’s national sport, so a visit to Tokyo is the perfect time to see it in real life. However, it can be very hard to get tickets as tournaments do not happen all that often and tickets sell out fast. The best option is to see a sumo training session, which can be done at Arashio-beya sumo stable. Practice runs from 7.30-9.30 am, and it’s worth getting there a little early as there is not much room and it can get busy. The Arashio-beya website has an English guide for attending the practice, including a calendar of when training can be watched and when they are away for tournaments.

Akihabara is known for being the electronics hub of Tokyo. Here you can find the world’s largest electronics store, Yodobashi Camera, with 9 floors filled with the latest tech and gadgets. Walking down the main high street in Akihabara, Chuo-dori Avenue, you will pass stores dedicated to video gaming, selling not only the tech and the games themselves but also shelves upon shelves of memorabilia, figurines and collectibles. Interests in manga, anime, cosplay and comics are all catered for here. This area feels very typically Japanese, and is worth exploring for an afternoon.

Cherry blossom season is the most popular time to visit Japan, when the entire countries seems to bloom with pale pink petals. While the country is an excellent destination year-round, if you are visiting in spring then there are a few locations most suited to spotting the cherry blossoms. The Meguro river is a popular spot for a promenade among the blossoms. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden also contains many cherry trees, and is in fact a beautiful garden to spend some time year round. The most popular place is Ueno Park, where the cherry blossoms often appear slightly earlier than other locations. Locals will often set up here for the whole day with picnic rugs, and the park can get extremely busy. As the day goes on the festivities get livelier, and the blossoms in the evening light create an enchanting ambience.