Tokyo

One of the world's most exciting cities, TOKYO is a fuel-injected adrenaline rush into a neon-bright future. But for all its cutting edge modernity, this ceaseless metropolis remains fiercely proud of its ancient heritage. Lively neighbourhood festivals are held virtually every day of the year, people regularly visit their local shrine or temple and scrupulously observe the passing seasons in lovingly tended gardens. And at this hyperactive city's centre lies the serene and mysterious Imperial Palace – the inviolate home of the emperor and a tangible link to the past.

But at first glance the city's beauty and traditions are not readily apparent. Filled with eyeball-searing neon and messy overhead cables, plagued by incessant noise, its freeways often clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic, this concrete-and-steel sardine can – the heart of which is home to at least eight million people – can come across as the stereotypical urban nightmare. Yet step back from the frenetic main roads and chances are you'll find yourself in a world of tranquil backstreets, where dinky wooden houses are fronted by neatly clipped bonsai trees; wander beyond the hi-tech emporia, and you'll discover temples and shrines where the trappings of contemporary Japan dissolve in wisps of smoking incense.

Tokyo's reputation as an expensive city is ill-deserved and you'll be pleasantly surprised by how affordable many things are. Cheap-and-cheerful izakaya (bars that serve food) and casual cafés serving noodles and rice dishes are plentiful, the metro is a bargain, and tickets for a sumo tournament or a Kabuki play can be bought for the price of a few drinks. Many of the city's highlights are free; among these you can choose from a stroll through Asakusa and the major Buddhist temple, Sensō-ji; a visit to the tranquil wooded grounds of Tokyo's premier shrine Meiji-Jingū and the adjacent fashion Mecca of Harajuku; the frenetic fish market at Tsukiji; or the crackling, neon-saturated atmosphere of Shinjuku or Shibuya. Simply walking the streets of this hyperactive city can be an energizing experience.