Tokyo - The Japanese City That Will Amaze You With It's Energy

Tokyo is the capital of Japan. At over 12 million people in the official metropolitan area alone, Tokyo is the center of the most populated urban area in the world, Greater Tokyo (which has a population of 35 million people). Tokyo brings the most modern wonders of technology, commerce and architecture side by side with the old, and has something for everyone.

Best Time To Go

Tokyo is so vast that it's best thought of not as a single city, but a constellation of cities that have grown together. Tokyo's districts vary wildly by character, from the electronic blare of Akihabara to the Imperial gardens and shrines of Chiyoda, from the hyperactive youth culture mecca of Shibuya to the pottery shops and temple markets of Asakusa. If you don't like what you see, hop on the subway and head to the next one — you may find something entirely different.

That said, the sheer size and frenetic pace of Tokyo can intimidate the first-time visitor. Much of the city is a terribly ugly jungle of concrete and wires, with a sensory overload of neon and blaring loudspeakers. At rush hour, crowds jostle in packed trains and masses of humanity sweep through bewilderingly complex stations. Don't try to do too much or get too hung up on ticking tourist sights off your list: a big part of the Tokyo experience is just wandering around at random and finding little urban oases, poking your head into shops selling weird and wonderful things and sampling restaurants where you can't recognize a single thing on the menu (or on your plate). It's all perfectly safe, and the locals will do their best to help.

Fact

Tokyo has more vending machines than any other city in the world, with over 2.5 million selling drinks, and hundreds of thousands more selling cigarettes, batteries, rice, eggs, fishing equipment, flower bouquets, and of course, pornography.

Luggage delivery

Send your bags into town before you arrive—Tokyo is crowded. Lugging even a moderately sized suitcase through the subways and up stairs can be difficult, particularly during rush hour. Delivery services (takkyuubin) deliver luggage dependably and quickly to nearly any address. You can send almost any shape or size of luggage, even bicycles, from and to the airport. One exception: if you have bottles of alcohol in your luggage, you'll have to carry those yourself even if the airline allowed them in your in checked baggage.

At airports and major train stations, look for a sign that says "Baggage Delivery" or something similar. The most common company is called Kuroneko-Yamato, which has an easy-to-spot black-on-yellow logo of a mother cat carrying her kitten. Other companies include Nittsu and Sagawa. Fees are based upon distance, expect to pay around ¥2000 within the greater Tokyo area. Usually, the delivery is performed the following day, in a specified time range.

This works the same way on departure. Most hotels and many convenience stores will take care of the pick-up for you, but you should check delivery times in advance, so that your luggage can arrive in time for your flight. You can pick up your luggage in the airport lobby. This makes getting to the airport a breeze. This service can also be used for intercity travel.