Tokyo Highlights

Tokyo is a city bursting with life, both day and night it is shimmering with contrasts. From the vibrant colour of the night time's neon, perched hundreds of feet in the sky right down to the tranquil cherry blossom parks dotted throughout the city.

Considering the size of the population, around 13 million, Tokyo it's an incredibly safe city to live in and visit, boasting a very low rate of crime and corruption.

Tokyo can get very hot and humid throughout the summer months, and freezing during winter - making it particularly uncomfortable if you're not used to such extremes. For this reason, the country is best experienced during the milder months of autumn and spring.

Eating in Tokyo is an experience in itself, with the city cooking up a wealth of exotic dishes and some better known western ones. You can grab a bite from one of the many street merchants or dine in luxury in a skyscraper restaurant.

If you're in need to some retail therapy, then the 24 hour megalopolis that is Tokyo won't disappoint.

Although at a glance the city can appear somewhat ugly or drab, with its maze of urban concrete, the more one ventures into the heart of the city, the more obvious the countries typical oriental touches become.

For instance, there are hundreds of temples, shrines, parks and gardens dotted throughout the city. Venture away from the hustle and bustle and you may chance upon a colour neighbourhood festival set down one of the narrow lanes, lined with timber houses.

With so much to explore, visitors and locals alike need a way of getting around quickly. It's no surprise to hear that Tokyo has one of the worlds most advanced public transport systems, with super fast and efficient rail services.

During the day, Tokyo can easily pass as an unattractive city, with its concrete acres an glass fields - as mentioned, its only really when you venture into these buildings that the city's true beauty is revealed.

Alternatively, you can experience Tokyo after sunset.

Come dusk and the city blossoms into a giant profusion of neon and paper lanterns with a myriad of bars, restaurants and clubs. As the heat of the day slowly disappears the crowds of Japanese workers spill out from their office blocks and into the crowded streets and entertainment hubs - which are as busy at 3am as they are at 10pm!

Whatever you have a taste for - jazz, reggae, pop, dance or just pure mania - you're going to find it in Tokyo!

The city does not have a particular "entertainment centre" as such, but popular areas, some of which are more geared towards tourists and others - local business men. To get a good idea of where you feel most comfortable its best to walk through the various districts, soon you will realise how drastically the atmosphere, prices and clientele ranges.

The most popular districts are probably Ginza, Kabuki-cho and Roppongi. The later is an excellent starting place for tourists, with its many Western-Style bars, dance & live music venues etc. Throughout Roppongi the dress code is lax and the drink and food cheap - making it the perfect spot for backpackers as well as tourists!

A little further up the scale are hostess bars, which can be found in abundance throughout the city, ranging from the most exclusive to less respectable establishments. Generally, an English speaking traveller isn't going to find much here as they are usually reserved for the working men of Tokyo. For instance, a typical night would involve a women sitting down with a men, pouring his drinks, listing to his problems and cheering him up.

At the top end of the scale you will find Geisha bars, where highly sophisticated women entertain in a typical, non-risqué, Japanese manner. Such establishments are generally found in Kyoto and are not something the average foreigner will get to experience. The bars are usually reserved for wealthy locals, and unless you have an invite you won't be welcome.

Check out my other travels on Dan in Australia: Australia Travel Blog