Old and new are forever juxtaposed in Tokyo: its residents are at home both donning loincloths to shoulder a portable Shinto shrine through Asakusa’s religious festivals and piloting humanoid fighting machines in Akihabara’s robot sport tournaments. Tradition, happily, is not ossified, but feted along with innovation.

The workaholic stereotype is very true – death from overwork is legally recognized in Japan – but stroll through a neon-lined row of Shinjuku yakitori joints on the weekend, or any cherry grove in spring and you’ll see that people take pleasure very seriously here. There is ever-flowing sake, deep respect for freshly filleted fish and heartfelt karaoke, and constant curiosity about how outsiders view this archipelago at the end of the world.

Orderly, efficient Tokyo works stunningly well for a metropolis its size, yet it has about as many masks as there are hostess clubs in Kabukichō. Peeling back each façade reveals a city that’s far less Western than first impressions suggest; nearly everything Tokyoites do, from taking out the trash to cheering a ball game, is profoundly un-Western. Their reverence for ritual, courtesy and the power to ganbaru (persevere) gives this super-dense megalopolis a calm at the heart of the storm. This is wa – social harmony – and it’s the force that makes Tokyo more a series of one-of-a-kind experiences than a collection of sights.

Weather
Tokyo kicks off its year with cold winter days and the odd snowfall. Although temperatures occasionally drop below freezing, winter (December to February) is usually reasonable if you have the right kind of clothes. Spring (March to May) brings pleasant, warm days, and, of course, cherry blossoms – early April is probably the best time to view the blooms. Summer (June to August) is hot and muggy, a time when overcrowded trains and long walks can feel irritating. Late June can see torrential rains that pound the city during monsoon seasons. The temperature and humidity are at their worst in August. Apart from spring, autumn (September to November) is the most pleasant season as temperatures cool down to a cozy level and days are often clear and fine. Autumn also means the return of the dramatic foliage season, when the parks and green areas of the city mellow into varying hues of orange and red.

Getting there & around
Tokyo’s world-class; public-transport system will get you anywhere you need to go. Most places worth visiting are conveniently close to a subway or Japan Railways (JR) station. Where the rail network lets you down (though it really shouldn’t), there are usually bus services – although using these can be challenging if you can’t read kanji.
Most residents and visitors use the railway system far more than any other means of transport. It is reasonably priced and frequent (generally five minutes at most between trains on major lines in central Tokyo), and stations have conveniences such as left-luggage lockers for baggage storage. The only drawback is that the system shuts down at midnight or 1am and doesn’t start up again until 5am or 6am.

Subway trains have a tendency to stop halfway along their route when closing time arrives. People who are stranded face an expensive taxi ride home or have to wait for the first morning train. Check schedules posted on platforms for the last train on the line if you plan to be out late.

Avoiding Tokyo’s rush hour is a good idea, but might be impossible if you’re on a tight schedule. Commuter congestion tends to ease between 10am and 4pm, when traveling around Tokyo – especially on the JR Yamanote Line – can actually be quite pleasant. Before 9.30am and from about 4.30pm onward there’ll be cheek-to-jowl crowds on all major train and bus lines.