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Airport  
Narita Airport is about 60 km north-east of the city The much needed overhaul of Narita’s Terminal 1 is finally close to completion, making for a much smoother transition. The long-awaited second runway is also open, although it’s a truncated version that can only handle short- and medium-haul flights, not jumbos from Europe. However, it should help ease the waiting time on the main runway. Night flights are still not permitted. Flight time direct from London is 11 hrs 30 mins. Narita serves all international airlines except Taiwan’s China Airlines, which uses Haneda Airport, 16 km due south of the city centre. Haneda also serves all domestic flights and international flights to Taiwan only. However, before you contemplate flying internally, be aware that it is still easier and overall faster to take the shinkansen bullet train to  Nagoya, Osaka and Sendai. 
Airport to City Centre
From Narita 
Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT) closed in the summer of 2002, due to dwindling numbers of travellers using it. Limousine buses continue to link Narita with major hotels for around ¥3,000, as well as to Tokyo JR station for rail connections. There is a choice of train services: the best bet is the 1-hr Narita Express (NEX) operated by Japan Railways (JR) to Tokyo Station, continuing to Shinagawa, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, Yokohama or Ofuna. JR also runs an hourly local service, taking 80 mins to Tokyo, continuing to Yokohama and Kamakura. The Skyliner Express takes one hour to Keisei Ueno station in north Tokyo, with taxi or underground connections to the centre. Keisei also runs a limited express commuter train taking 75 mins, although seating is less comfortable. Taxis to central Tokyo are prohibitively expensive. Count on paying at least ¥25,000 and watch the meter spin as you sit in traffic jams! Limousine services can cost up to twice as much and are no faster. 
From Haneda 
Taxis can be picked up outside the terminal. Fares to the city centre are around ¥4,500 and the journey takes 20-40 mins. Trains run from the Keihin Kyuko Line terminal beneath the airport to Shinagawa up to ten times an hour and take as little as 11 mins (¥400). The Tokyo Monorail service from Haneda to JR Hamamatsucho Station runs every 10 mins and takes 20 mins, but gets very crowded in rush hours. From Shinagawa or Hamamatsucho, the JR Yamanote loop line runs close to most of Tokyo’s main districts. 
Orientation
The Japanese capital lies on the north-west shore of Tokyo Bay, its massive low-rise sprawl merging into Chiba prefecture to the east, Saitama prefecture to the north and Kawasaki and Yokohama in the south-west. Around 27 million people live in the greater metropolitan area, of whom some 12 million live in Tokyo prefecture and 8.85 million in central Tokyo, a figure swelled by 2.5 million daily commuters. The business and entertainment districts are mostly within an area delineated by the JR Yamanote Line, which forms a 35-km circuit around the central wards. Tokyo Station, the terminus for all shinkansen (bullet train) lines, sits on the south-east of this loop, close to the Imperial Palace, the government buildings of Nagatacho, the commercial district of Ginza, and the business and financial sectors in Marunouchi and Otemachi. It is also close to Nihonbashi, the site of the Stock Exchange and much of Japan’s wholesale trade. 
Further round the Yamanote Line are the major hub stations of Shinbashi, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Ueno. These are all entrance points for numerous suburban railway lines and have developed over the years into bustling entertainment and shopping districts in their own right. Within the loop are several other important sub-districts, such as Akasaka, Roppongi, Hiroo, Azabu, Aoyama and Yotsuya. To the east of the Yamanote Line lies the predominantly blue-collar shitamachi (‘low city) district, including Nihonbashi and Asakusa and the commuter belt beyond the Sumida River. The Japanese system of addresses is notoriously hard to fathom. In the vernacular they are written in descending order of priority: prefecture, city, ward, block, sub-block and, last, building number and name. This order is reversed when written in Roman letters. Central Tokyo is divided into 23 wards (known as ku in Japanese), each of which contain many districts, each with its own name. Each district contains several blocks (cho-me), which are subdivided further into sub-blocks (banchi) and then smaller units (often individual buildings, known as go). If you were trying to find 5-7-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku, you’d find 
Minato Ward on the map, then look for the Roppongi district, then the 5th cho-me, the 7th banchi and last the 8th go. Two problems: maps rarely show more detail than the district and cho-me. Worse still, there is little apparent logic to the sequence or layout and few buildings show their numbers on them. Finding a destination from an address requires a detailed city map to trace the general area and then much leg-work and asking of directions; first try the local police boxes – known as koban – small, two-room mini police stations usually manned by a couple of constables. They are found throughout Tokyo and oversee their own small area. Taxi drivers cannot be trusted to know precise locations from the address, apart from major landmarks and hotels.
Getting Around
For short journeys, taxis are convenient, though never cheap. However, the recent deregulation of taxi services has led to greater flexibility in the pricing of taxi fares. Availability has also improved greatly, even late at night, due to a surge in the number of cabs on the streets. Taxis can be hailed on the street, except in some central areas, where they pick up only from taxi ranks. A red light next to the driver means the cab is free, green signifies that the taxi is occupied. The flag-fall fare is about ¥660 for the first 2 km, climbing by ¥80-90 per 275 m or so. Some charge a base rate of ¥350 for the first km, with fares rising steeply thereafter. Tips are not expected. Drivers speak little English but understand basic instructions. 
What to see
Asakusa Kannon Temple ( Sensoji ): Both the impressive Kaminarimon gate and the temple itself are post-war concrete reconstructions of the originals, but the busy working-class precincts and surrounding bazaar area still evoke the bustling atmosphere of earlier times, especially during the exuberant Sanja Matsuri festival in mid-May. 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku. Underground: Asakusa. 
Central Wholesale Fish Market: Popularly referred to as the city’s kitchen, Tsukiji is the largest seafood market in the world. Tuna are arrayed like silver torpedoes; squid and octopus squirm in baskets; countless other species flap around in tanks or lie packed in ice. The market workers start early: deliveries arrive throughout the night, the auctions are over by 0600 and the market all but dead by mid-morning. They’re tolerant of tourists, but be prepared to move out of the way of high-speed barrows. Aim to be there before 0900 for breakfast at one of the nearby sushi restaurants: fish doesn’t come any fresher than this. 5-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku.
City Hall: Also, the City Hall is no longer new so we should perhaps rewrite as follows: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government commands a budget larger than most countries. Its admin base in the Kenzo Tange-designed twin-towered City Hall soars above the high-rise skyline of West Shinjuku as a monument to the cash-flush 80s. Observation galleries on the 45th floor of each tower have superseded Tokyo Tower as the superlative vantage point over the city, with Tokyo Bay and Mt Fuji to the west visible on clear days, especially in winter.
Ginza: Once synonymous with cutting-edge Western fashion, Ginza has lost pre-eminence to other modish areas but is still home to some of the priciest real estate on the planet, as well as the most exclusive nightlife and shopping. Luxury department stores include Mitsukoshi, Matsuya, Matsuzakaya, Seibu, Hankyu; there are Seiko watches’ Wako and Mikimoto Pearl and Sony’s main showroom where you can scrutinise all the latest hi-tech hardware.
Imperial Palace: Former site of the shogun’s castle, the inner sanctum of the Emperor forms a quiet island of green in the city centre. The western enclosure, holding the modern, low-rise buildings of the palace proper, is opened to the public only at New Year and on the Emperor’s birthday (23 Dec), but the East Garden offers impressive glimpses of moats, gates, bridges and ancient castle walls. The 6.4-km circumference of the inner moat is a popular route for morning joggers. 
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s most vivid, garish and seedy nightlife is on show here in this notorious quarter of Shinjuku, where hardworking locals play equally hard as evening falls. Kabukicho’s few dense blocks are packed with restaurants, drinking holes, cinemas, strip clubs, blue movies and a thriving underworld of gangsters, pimps and whores. Much of what goes on is illegal – prostitution is officially banned – but as long as everything is peaceful the police tend to look the other way. Beware of pickpockets and clip joints with unlisted drinks prices. JR and underground: Shinjuku. 
Kabukiza Theatre: The extravagant samurai castle-style facade of Tokyo’s main venue for traditional kabuki drama is one of the most striking landmarks in Ginza. Kabuki drama is a traditional way of theatre, its plays usually portraying conflicts between humanity and the class system. All parts are played by men – actresses were banned in 1629 as they were attracting an unseemly amount of male attention! Productions are held year-round, with English language programme notes and a bilingual earphone system available. Advance booking is recommended for stalls seats, but the best way to sample this colourful, highly stylised and often slow-moving art form is to buy an unreserved seat for ¥600-1,000, allowing access to the upper gallery for one act. 4-12-15 Ginza.
Meiji Jingu Shrine: A huge cypress-wood shrine gate marks the entrance to the vast forested grounds of an imposing shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji (1852-1912), whose reign saw Japan transformed from rural feudalism to industrialised world power. The shrine complex draws over three million people to pay their respects at New Year, when shinto priests bless worshippers, newly-weds and new-born babies. The Inner Garden is renowned for its irises, lilies and lotus flowers in spring and summer. 1-1 Yoyogi-Kamizono-cho, Shibuya-ku. JR: Harajuku. Open daily sunrise to sunset. Admission free. Underground: Meiji-Jingumae. Tokyo National Museum: The world’s finest collection of Japanese art and archaeology, with exhibits from prehistory through to the flowering of Edo culture. Despite recent improvements in displays, there still aren’t enough English explanations. The prime draw is the Horyuji Treasure House (open only Thurs, except when raining), holding many rare 1,200-yr-old Buddhist and ceremonial artefacts from the ancient capital of Nara.
National Sumo Arena ( Kukogikan ): The impressive headquarters of Japan’s national sport. Only three 15-day tournaments are held in Tokyo each year (in Jan, May and Sept), but they are well worth the price of admission for the pageantry as well as the ritualised (and often all too brief) bouts between the massive, loin-clothed wrestlers. Tickets are tricky to obtain. You can wander the neighbourhood, which is still home to several sumo training stables or visit the Sumo Museum. 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku.
Odaiba: This waterfront development, built on a landfill on the edge of Tokyo Bay, is connected to the mainland by the massive Rainbow Bridge, which carries both cars and the driverless Yurikamome railway. Odaiba holds a mixture of business and leisure facilities. Besides the youth-oriented shops, restaurants and game centres of Tokyo Decks, Palettetown, and the massive big wheel, Odaiba also has two luxury hotels, the unmissable headquarters of the Fuji TV network and the Big Site expo centre. Definitely worth exploring on a sunny afternoon as a taste of 21c Tokyo. If you’re pressed for time, the easiest way to see Tokyo is to take an English speaking tour of the city. There are several morning, afternoon or full-day options, as well as excursions to out-of-town destinations.
Shopping             Boka flygstol - Biljett - Resebyrå          Queensway Travel
Tokyo’s department stores furnish a huge range of exclusive products, from high fashion, kimonos and leisurewear to traditional crafts, artwork and antiques. Classic examples are the venerable Nihonbashi branches of Mitsukoshi and Takashimaya; the Yurakucho branch of Seibu has a more contemporary feel, while in Ikebukuro the huge Tobu and Seibu emporia are almost mini-cities. Pearls are available from most hotel boutiques, the top name being Mikimoto, whose main store is near the Ginza Crossing at 4-5-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku. For gorgeous silk kimonos or the cheaper cotton summer yukata, visit the International Arcade near the Imperial Hotel in Hibiya. More kimonos and happi coats can be found in the covered arcades near Sensoji temple in Asakusa. The mecca for electronic gear is Akihabara, where more than 200 stores sell anything from second-hand transistor boards to palmtop computers, DVD players and wide-screen digital TVs. Prices are little lower than in Europe, even at duty-free rates, but the range of products is awesome. The best discount camera shop chains are in the block just west of Shinjuku station. For folk craft, visit the Japan Traditional Craft Centre at 3 1-1 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, where a selection of handmade items from all round the country can be bought, together with information about products and the craftsmen themselves, many of whom are designated living national treasures. For antiques, both Japanese and foreign, there are several high-quality 
dealers on Kotto-dori, although prices can be staggering. Bargains are to be found at the Sunday flea markets held at fixed intervals at various locations. As always, get there early for the pick of the best stuff and be prepared to haggle.
Where to walk
Walk 1: Asakusa and Kappabashi (approx 5 km). From Asakusa underground station, make your way to Kaminarimon-dori St, walking  away from the river to the imposing Thunder God Gate, with its two fearsome guardian deities. Pass beneath the huge red lantern and browse the row of souvenir stalls until reaching another gateway leading to the temple building. The incense wafting from the brazier in front of Sensoji temple is believed to cure any part of the body to which the smoke is directed. 
Returning to the second gate – note the huge straw sandals – take the narrow street leading west. On your right is Denbo-in Temple, with its classic Zen-style garden. 
Next make your way through the shops of the bazaar area selling traditional foods, clothing and crafts, until you hit Kokusai-dori St. Cross over and carry on west, past the Asakusa Handicrafts Museum, turning left onto the main Kappabashi street in the city’s restaurant wholesale supply district. After reaching Asakusa-dori Ave turn left again and walk ten minutes until you reach the river. One block left and you will reach your starting point. From here, you can either take the underground back or cross the river to the Asahi Beer headquarters (topped by the Philippe Starck flamme d’or, known to locals as ‘the golden turd’) for liquid refreshment and good food. Otherwise take a sightseeing boat down the grimy Sumida River to lovely Edo-era Hamarikyu Park, near Shinbashi station. 
Walk 2: From Harajuku to Aoyama (approx 5 km). From Harajuku JR station, stroll around the grounds of the Meiji Jingu Shrine, retracing your steps and turning right towards Yoyogi Park to take in the dramatic lines of the National Gymnasium, designed by Kenzo Tange for the 1964 Olympics. Back over the railway line is Omotesando Avenue, a wide tree-lined avenue sometimes billed as the Champs Elysées of Tokyo. Halfway along the first block, go left down a side street to the Ota Memorial Art Museum, with its huge collection of Nihonga paintings and woodblock prints by masters such as Hokusai and Utamaru. Behind the museum lie the back streets of Harajuku, where older houses sit cheek-by-jowl with design studios, punk hairdressers and trendy boutiques selling teeny accessories, 50s US memorabilia and hip-hop fashion. You emerge on the adolescent-thronged Takeshita-dori, at the end of which is Aux Bacchanales, the city’s best take on a Parisian bistro-café. Head right to the next intersection, turn left onto chic Omotesando again, with its sidewalk cafés, pavement vendors, and fashion victims walking expensively groomed dogs. On the right at the top end of the avenue is the Hanae Mori Building, headquarters of Japan’s first world-ranked couturier. Continue across Aoyama-dori Avenue into Minami Aoyama, which blends 
affluence and style with rows of elegant top architect-designed buildings, and the minimalist showcase boutiques of Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons and Yoji Yamamoto. Look out also for the gleaming interior of Yoku Moku, purveyors of exquisite sweets and pastries. As the road bears left, continue straight ahead – on your right is the Nezu Art Museum’s collection of excellent Japanese and Chinese artworks. The beautiful, peaceful garden with secluded wooden tea ceremony huts set among winding paths and streams is worth a stop. From here it is a 5-min walk back to Omotesando underground station. 

Weather and Climate
Very hot and muggy in the summer (33°C-36°C), with a hot and humid rainy season during June. There’s little rain at other times of the year and virtually no snow in the winter, though it can get quite chilly.
Local Issues
• The new Namboku and Oedo subway lines have made getting around the city easier in two ways. The lines themselves provide useful new links between existing stations and also put hitherto remote neighbourhoods on the map. Their completion also means fewer construction sites above ground, allowing traffic to move more freely. 
• For over a century, Marunouchi has been the most prestigious business address in the city. But rising real estate prices drove out many companies and by the 1990s it was starting to feel like a salaryman backwater. Now it’s being given a new identity as a chic shopping district, a process due to culminate in late 2001 with the opening of the new Marunouchi Building Tower block. 
• Daikanyama has emerged as one of the trendiest areas in the city. The recent opening of the high-rise Address Building completed the transformation from quiet residential neighbourhood into up-market consumer paradise with brand-name boutiques and sleek designer restaurants. 
• The new Disney Sea theme park opens in late 2001, right next to the perennially popular Tokyo Disneyland on the edge of Tokyo Bay. Also drawing in crowds to the site is the Ikspiari complex of malls, cinemas and cafés. 
• What recession? There’s still plenty of demand for top European luxury goods, judging from the succession of new outlets that have opened in the past year, including Prada; Louis Vuitton in Ginza; and the hugely popular Hermès.
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