The City Of The Rising Sun

Love big cities? They don’t come much bigger – or more interesting – than Tokyo.

- Frances Quinn

When you’re planning a trip to Tokyo, you read a lot about how big it is – but it’s only when you stand on the 45th floor of the city’s Metropolitan Building that you understand. Stretching to the horizon, in every direction, is a sea of buildings, punctuated by soaring skyscrapers and patches of green; only the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji in the distance tells you it doesn’t go on forever.

But geographical size is only half the story – when you get down on the ground, what really makes Tokyo feel huge is the sheer number of people. Over 13 million live here, another two and a half million commute in for work, and if you find yourself on the tube in rush hour, or in the nightlife area of Shinjuku after dark, you’ll know about it. If you hate crowds, it’s not for you – but if you’re someone who loves the buzz of a big, bustling city, it’s somewhere you really ought to see.

City lights

There’s no point dipping your toe in gently, so when you arrive, head for the bright lights. The shopping district of Shibuya is a blinking, twinkling mass of neon-lit skyscrapers and gigantic video screens, thronged with people, that feels a bit like being inside a giant video game. I can’t think of any other city where a zebra crossing is on the must-see list, but Shibuya Crossing is something else – when the lights change, up to a thousand people cross at a time, from eight different points, and it tells you something about Tokyo that it’s achieved without a cross word.