I’m used to hand assembling my travels – find a flight, then find a hotel, then arrange transport. If you get a choice of holiday deals from a travel agent, you might not get exactly what you want, but there is the advantage of sometimes getting a better deal than you could booking it yourself – plus not having to worry. It’s all done for you – you just have to pays your money and takes your seat.

I think we take the EU for granted – you just need a passport and you’ve got unlimited travel across 27 countries. It’s only when you go outside the EU that you realise that the rest of the world is carefully wrapped in red tape. To visit Russia, for example, what you need is a lengthy checklist:

• Find a hotel and book the dates you want.
• Receive a letter of invitation.
• Send it off to the visa company with your passport, application form, photo, and – if you’re un/self-employed – provide a sheaf of bank statements.
• Pay £50 for the visa, £26 for the service, and £7.40 for your passport to be posted back to you.
• Finally, book your flights.

“Go to London! I guarantee you’ll either be mugged or not appreciated. Catch the train to London, stopping at Rejection, Disappointment, Backstabbing Central and Shattered Dreams Parkway.”
– Alan Partridge

Well, it’s not all bad. It’s never cheap, but London is home to some of the world’s most famous museums – and if you’re wondering what to do on your trip, the best news is that some of the top attractions in the capital are completely free. Here’s a list of the best ones:

• The British Museum dates back to 1753, but some of the exhibitions are far older than that. Key attractions include the Rosetta Stone, a 5,300-year old Egyptian mummy, and ancient Anglo-Saxon treasures. Visitors can even get to handle ancient treasures like Roman coins in the Hands On sessions. Located close to Holborn Underground station and open from 10am to 5:30pm, admission is free for all visitors and foreign language audio guides are available. It can be a tad stuffy – well, it is a museum – but the sheer amount of history here makes it a must-see.
• Facing Trafalgar Square is the stately National Gallery, a collection of over 2,300 paintings from the 13th century onwards. Though small compared to some European galleries, the collection provides an unrivalled sampling of Western art. Just about every famous European painter is present in the gallery’s collection: the exhibition’s highlights include works by da Vinci, Gainsborough, Constable, Seurat, and of course van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”.
• A few minutes from St Paul’s Cathedral is the Museum of London, another top free museum in the city. Opened in 1976 and recently undergoing a £20m refurbishment, the museum covers the history of London from prehistoric times, through Roman “Londinium” and medieval turmoil, right up to World War II and contemporary London. Highlights include examples of London fashion, including styles from Mary Quant and Alexander McQueen.
• Meanwhile, running along Exhibition Road in Kensington are three of London’s top museums – and they’re all free. Fantastic for kids, the Science Museum is the fifth most popular museum in the UK. Streams of visitors come to see over 300,000 exhibits, such as the famous Stephenson’s Rocket, the first jet engine, and a working model of Charles Babbage’s famous 19th century analog computer, the Difference Engine. Recent attractions include the IMAX 3D cinema and a brand new digital technology collection.
• A short distance away is the Natural History Museum. Built in 1880, the stunning architecture of this “cathedral of nature” is almost an attraction in itself. Inside are over 70 million specimens, a world class research centre, and enough exhibits to keep your kids and adults alike entertained for hours – all for free. In the central hall stands a 105-foot diplodocus skeleton; elsewhere you can see a full-scale model of a blue whale, experience an earthquake simulator, and enjoy regular special exhibitions.
• Finally, the Victoria and Albert Museum – established in 1857 and opened by the Queen herself – is the world’s biggest museum of art and design. The V&A’s top attractions include ancient Ming vases, King James II’s wedding suit, a full-size replica of Michelangelo’ David and a stunning 125 ft plaster cast of Trajan’s Column – it’s hard to understand just how huge it is until you’ve seen it yourself. The museum itself is a beautiful example of post-Victorian architecture, with peaceful gardens outside the refreshment rooms.

You’ll probably wind up spending twice what you expected on novelty keychains and mouse mats (who uses mouse mats these days, anyway?) but there’s a breathtaking array of free museums with world-class exhibitions in every field imaginable. Don’t hesitate to drop in on one or more of the museums on this list next time you’re visiting.

Sunday, June 19th
“I’ll teach you the rules as we go along,” said Marko, teaching me eight-ball pool, “unless I start losing, in which case I’ll invent new rules.”

Monday, June 20th
I cooked the in-laws Shepherd’s Pie as a thank you for looking after me so well and I think I did a pretty good job, although the mash was far too watery. Then I did something I’ve always wanted to do – Milka and I broiled ourselves in the sauna and whacked ourselves with birch leaves her dad had collected, which left a wonderful aroma in the air and served as a refreshingly brute-force massage. Then we ran out of the house and down to the beach and waded into the chilly evening water and when I had plucked up enough courage, dunked myself in up to my neck.
Aaargh! But after the initial shock, it actually wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was positively invigorating, to take a swim in the lake under the setting sun. I wish I’d done it earlier.

Tuesday, June 21st
This was midsummer, and we made a trip to see Milka’s grandfather’s summer cottage. It, too, was next to a lake, and it was amazing – true Scandinavian design, all wood and rugs and fireplaces.



Milka’s grandfather built this little lakeside cottage himself. With his own hands. This is something I don’t think modern men are able to do.

Wednesday, June 22
Alas, the time had come to leave Finland. I said farewell to the beautiful house and the beautiful cats and Milka’s mum drove Milka and me to Tampere Airport, where I was surprised to see the Baltic Bees airshow team in their L39 Albatrosses. Albatrossi.

Check-in was slightly disrupted because my carry-on was 1 kg too heavy, but rather than pay €40 to check it in, I ditched two books and put on an extra shirt and scraped it through at 9.8 kg. Savings! (By the way, there’s a copy of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport if anyone wants it.)

A quick coffee and panini in the cafe (where my attempt to order in Finnish was given a kind smile before the cashier switched me to English) and a flawless flight home, except for a slightly dodgy landing (flare! flare!). Caught the train, home by 8pm: and so my European adventure came to an end.

The people were pretty similar in Finland – perhaps a few more tourists – but the city felt older, more classically European. We had a wander about and then chanced upon the jawdropping Senate Square, filled with throngs of tourists admiring the beauty of Carl Ludvig Engel’s Helsinki Cathedral.



There were a few crowds of tourists on all inclusive holidays in the square – I think I caught smatterings of Spanish and Korean. Then the Air Force Band turned up, which was a welcome surprise, and played us a tune.

We decided to take a stroll down to the Design District, a very trendy (and expensive) area of design stores south of the city centre. Even though everything in the stores was about twice what I’d want to pay, it was such beautiful design – Arabic, Marrimekko, various other Finnish design houses.


We went to the Helsinki Designmuseo (Design Museum), which was a bargain at €2 for students. I didn’t even realise how much iconic design has come out of Finland, such as Eero Aarnio’s famous Ball Chair (think the exam scene in Men In Black). They had another exhibition upstairs about the designer Kaj Franck – everyone in Finland appears to have some of his designs in a cupboard somewhere, which is truly the sign of great design.

Onwards to the stunning Temppeliaukio Kirkko (Rock Church), a church hewn from rock and domed with a stunning glass and wood roof.

We stopped at the Fazer Cafe for coffee and a delicious and I bought my mum a Moomin with liquorice sticks. There was also a Moomin store upstairs – I heard a couple speaking Japanese and I really wanted to say something, but I decided it wouldn’t be proper. I also bought a fluffy … thing from a fashion store called Munki, which will hopefully make a nice cushion in my flat next year.

The Parliament, where we didn’t see any celebrities/Finnish politicians. At least, not that I knew.

We had a last coffee with Milka’s friend Lauri, and after a quick wander around Clas Ohlson we got the bus back to Tampere and home.

Monday, June 13th
This day we moved to Tampere, the Manchester of Finland. It felt nice! like Osaka or Chicago – that ‘second city’ feeling, where things are a little more laidback and the scale is a little more comprehensible. We dropped off our bags at Milka’s brother’s flat in the suburb/satellite of Hervanta, one of those weird housing developments I guess you don’t really see in England. It’s all enormous apartment blocks at fixed angles, which reminded me a little of Pripyat and other Soviet planned cities.

We went for coffee at a place called Arnolds, which did amazing donuts, and then Hesburger, which did a pretty decent burger. Not much else happened: wandered around and did a little window shopping. Everyone looked downright miserable. I thought Scandinavian countries were meant to be happy places to live?

Tuesday, June 14th

Matt Eating Things, #3: Reindeer Bagel

We went for a walk through town past the beautiful Alexander Church and Milka’s old high school to the Moomin Museum.

It was a surprisingly quiet, dignified place, full of sketches and paintings by Tove Jansson and dozens of beautiful dioramas of the stories made with obvious love and care by Tove’s partner, Tuulikki Pietilä. The crowning achievement was an enormous model of the Muumitalo, the Moominhouse, crammed full of little details from the jars of preserves in the basement to Moominpappa taking in the view from his balcony.

After buying a few postcards we took a bus to Ideapark, a shopping mall out of town.

We had a wander about, taking in the toy shops (ah, to be a child again!), eating at Pancho Villa, running over the enormous map of Finland and environs printed on the floor in the middle, and browsing the expensive bathtubs and saunas on the top floor showroom. Good place to spend an afternoon.

Wednesday, June 15th

The tongue-twistingly named Sarkanniemi! was our destination, an amusement park on a spit of land on the northern coast of Tampere, and we couldn’t have picked a better day. It looked as if it were about to rain, but it never actually did, so the crowds stayed away. We practically had the place to ourselves. First up was Tyrsky (“Surge”), a spinny thing on a wavy track that was a pleasing opening to the day (I think visiting a theme park is like enjoying a three-course meal; warm up with an appetiser, go to the meat, have dessert and then maybe an extra helping at the end if you have time). We rode Jet Star, a wild mouse coaster that was everything a wild mouse coaster should be (a little bit painful but always fun) and stopped for a hot dog, which was served with mustard, ketchup and chopped gherkins in a green gloop which was way tastier than it should have been.

Next up was a newish coaster, Motigee, with a theme of motorbikes. You sit on little motorbike-shaped seats and after a flywheel launch are hurled around the shortish track. It was pretty good, but didn’t leave much of an impression on me.

We went up the big observation tower, next. Nassineula is the tallest observation tower in Scandinavia, apparently. It struck me, looking out over Tampere, how many apartment blocks there are – I guess a big part of Tampere’s population lives in apartment blocks, those lovely European-style ones. I can’t help but wish that Britain was more like this – I mean, obviously we experimented with tower blocks, but it turned out pretty crap. Everyone wants their own little patch of grass, it seems.

After that we hit the planetarium, which was showing some pretty dull movie about fish that had nothing to do with planets. Shame, because I was excited about seeing a planetarium. Then the park’s aquarium, which was alright. I love creepy-looking fish.

On to the rapids, where I didn’t get that wet (sadly), and the petting zoo, which was cute, but most of the animals either ran away from me or looked like they were about to kill me.

After this … meat pie thing (like a donut with mince and gherkins inside? I don’t know, but it was delicious) we rode Tornado, the big Intamin steel coaster. Intamin ain’t no B&M, that’s for sure, but it was a classy ride; big station dug out of the natural rock, a loop, cobra roll, and two heartline rolls before rattling back into the station. It was so empty that we ran back around and got on straight away for a second go.

Dolphins.

DOLPHINS! Who could have thought dolphins would be so smart? We went to see the dolphin show, and I was blown away. Jumping – such enormous creatures – so high in the air – and in perfect unison, three or four or five at a time. It was breathtaking.

After that we rode the newish coaster Trombi, a flying coaster tucked away in one corner of the park. The only other flying coaster I’ve been on, Alton Towers’ Air, is also my all-time favourite, so I was excited about this one.
Milka warned me it was uncomfortable, and it was – banged about, squished and squeezed on the sharp turns and rolls. And yet it was nevertheless a fun ride, if you ignored the pain. There was no queue, so we just went on for another ride after the first one.

The day was dimming – well, as dim as it gets in a country with about an hour of night in summer. We rode Tornado one last time, had a go on the ghost train for a laugh, and then closed off the day with a go on the Magic River – a quiet little boat ride. I was astonished to see some glum teens whirling around on the Take Off ride with stoic, unimpressed faces contorted slightly by the g-forces. Ah, Finland.

Thursday, June 17th

Today we made a beeline for the Lenin Museum, the only one of its kind. Lenin has a bit of history in Finland, and it was in Tampere – in the meeting hall that is now the museum – where he and Stalin first met. The museum was on the third floor of the former Worker’s Hall of Tampere, beautifully decorated inside with marble and ornate staircases. The guy on the reception even looked like the man, shaved head and little goatee (or … maybe this guy).

The exhibits were mostly in Finnish, but it was still really interesting to learn about the path Lenin took through Finland during the tumultuous decades of the early 20th century. They had a collection of paintings of Lenin, including one charming Ukrainian design – made from thousands of seeds – and such oddities as the furniture from his Tampere apartment and a green sofa (in the picture below) that Stalin and Lenin spent a few nights on (not, presumably, at the same time).

We meandered around the museum shop, bought a few postcards, and went for a beer and all-you-can-eat pizza.

Tomorrow: Helsinki!

American Gods

I often have ideas for blog posts – I got a lot of opinions, and my day gives me a lot of long empty hours to think about stuff. But then I get home and slump in front of the PC or TV and suddenly I don’t want to do anything.

I have been considering a rather big change in my future, though. It seems that getting funding for next year will be an uphill struggle, and I may have to pay my tuition fees myself. Even if I could do that, which is unlikely, it has made me really consider if paying £3500 to learn about dead poets is really what I want to do. It is not, if I am honest. So: I may do a journalism course instead.

The main reason for writing this update, though, is that I’m going to Finland for ten days tomorrow morning to stay with the beautiful Milka-Maria in Tampere. Finland! My first stay in a European country, unless you count a day-trip to France with the school. Land of lakes and bears and blondes and Sibelius. I’m well excited, like. Apparently the weather is great and the lakes warm and the Moomins plentiful.

I’m rather excited about sleeping in the airport, because I love airports (and I hope I never get so jaded from travelling that I get tired of airports and airplanes). London Stansted is apparently pretty good for that, too. I can take a shower! Buy a midnight snack! Play video games! It’s like a theme park for grown-ups. I’m reminded of my enthusiasm for the manga cafe in Takasaki, which wore off after ten minutes.

The plane travels over Norwich and the forecast is good, so I’m hoping for some breathtaking shots of my home city.

fun fact: I have bathed in the same water as Natsume Soseki

One of the best parts about travelling is picking up your travel money. It’s like a taster of the journey ahead; weirdly coloured notes with strange faces and ridiculous numbers – 100s, 1000s, 10,000s – that are only dreamt of in pounds Sterling. And it’s also great to open up that envelope and see a fresh clutch of crisp, clean notes, worthless now but to be used and enjoyed in a matter of weeks or even days when you reach your destination.

It’s hard to know how much to get. It’s sensible to work out a budget: apparently British families spend about £2,000 during the average holiday. In these days it’s pretty easy to find an ATM in a foreign country and withdraw cash straight from your account, but you’ll be charged a currency conversion fee and a cash advance fee if you’re using a credit card, and that all adds up. My bank used to be pretty good for this, with free international withdrawals, but they unfortunately ditched that last year. It makes sense, therefore, to get a good chunk out beforehand. Not only will you get a better deal and avoid commission charges, you’ll also have cash in your pocket the second you touch down in the country without having to worry about finding an international ATM (which are woefully scarce even in countries like Japan).

It is, of course, a little risky to carry around enough money for the whole holiday in your pocket, so you might want to look into getting traveller’s cheques – they’re worthless to anyone without your passport and signature, and you can replace them if stolen or lost. But it’s a lot of hassle, I find, to track down a bank or somewhere to get them changed, and there’s always one left over when I come back that I never use. It’s nice to have the option, though, and it’s not like you’ve wasted the money because you can always get it exchanged when you come home.

Me in twenty years

I like to travel light. It’s my dream to one day be able to fit everything into one bag and just go hopping around the world, although I’d probably have to buy new clothes at some point. My laptop’s already a typewriter, photo album, guidebook and (Skype) phone in one tiny device and beyond that, all you really need is a camera and some changes of underwear. Oh, and the charger.

Still, carrying several hundred pounds’ worth of electrical equipment in one bag is asking for trouble. Travel insurance is really important. I’ve never had to use mine, but it always makes sense to get a good deal that covers what you need rather than skimp on it or buy ski insurance when you’re visiting Dubai.

As for accommodation, I’m not a big hostel person. I guess because I usually travel alone, and I’d rather do my own thing rather than traipsing from bar to bar with people I barely know. (Though that can be fun, it’s true.) I’ve stayed in some nice hostels, mind – the Big Apple in New York comes to mind, as does the HI Chicago – but I generally prefer hotels. The more nondescript, the better – I just love that clean, sanitised atmosphere; cold bedsheets; sachets of milk and sachets of sugar; and in Japan at least vending machines with instant curryrice meals that heat up with a chemical reaction.

I’ve never really stayed in a “nice” hotel – I’ve had the good fortune to drink at the Park Hyatt Tokyo’s New York Bar a few times, but I’ve only stayed in slightly crummy business hotels that give you free socks on check-out. There’s the expense of hotels, of course – but generally if you shop around, you can usually find a cheap and cheerful single room somewhere, maybe in a less fashionable district. You can spend a lot for the privilege of sharing a room with five excited Australians, you know.

Changing of the guard at Deoksu-gung.

The last ten years have seen a surge of interest in Korean culture in the Far East and the wave spreading across Asia is starting to hit the shores of Europe. Films such as Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy have won critical acclaim; Korean cuisine has been increasingly popular in the US; and Korean brands like LG and Samsung are found in homes worldwide.

The source of this wave? The city of Seoul: home to over ten million Koreans, heart of the Korean peninsula, and destination for six million foreign tourists in 2006. A city steeped in history, Seoul is home to the newly-constructed National Museum of Korea, the largest museum in Asia with over 150,000 articles in its collection covering Korean history, culture, and art, as well as a expansive collection of Chinese and Japanese art.

Seoul boasts an expansive palace district in the north of the city, home to a long line of Korean kings. Built in 1405, the dazzling Changdeok-gung has been recently restored and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meanwhile, at Deoksu-gung, Korean architecture blends with Western design in a serene palace complex. Be sure not to miss the daily changing of the guard, held three times a day at 10:30am, 2:00pm and 3:30pm, where dozens of guards parade in eye-catching traditional uniforms to ceremonial music.

Cheonggye stream, an oasis in the midst of skyscrapers.

A unique sight in Seoul is Cheonggye stream, an oasis of greenery and flowing water amongst the skyscrapers of the downtown area. Prior to 2005, Cheonggye was buried beneath concrete, but with the demolition of an overhead highway and fervent restoration work it became a favoured spot for families and couples to relax along the below-street-level banks, a respite from the inner-city traffic. Nearby, the famous Dongdaemun street market offers an amazing selection of products, from Korean traditional clothing to live octopus. For more general shopping, try Myeongdong, Seoul’s very own Oxford Street, with a host of top Western and Korean brands.

Opened in 1984, the Yeongdeungpo branch of the long-established Shinsegae chain of department stores features ten floors for fashion-lovers looking to browse to their heart’s content. Elsewhere in Yeongdeungpo stands the brand new Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Times Square complex, opened to great fanfare in September, with over fifty restaurants and a host of the world’s top fashion brands in residence – Gucci, Prada, Bulgari, Cartier, and Louis Vuitton, to name a few. And a 15,000 square metre rooftop garden ensures a haven of tranquillity above the bustling streets.

A beautiful sunset lights up downtown Seoul.

With a long history of Buddhism, Korea caters for more spiritual concerns through temples such as the Hwa Gye Sa International Zen Center, which offers free meditation sessions and organises month-long Zen retreats for the truly dedicated. And there’s no better place to experience the serenity of nature than at Bukhansan National Park, 80 square kilometres of mountainous forests and burbling creeks on the outskirts of Seoul. The immense 836m granite peak of Baekundae is a achievable if strenuous hike, and the soaring vistas of the park and distant Seoul are well worth the climb.

After a strenuous afternoon of mountain-climbing, what better place to unwind than at the 24-hour Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan, a perfect example of the Korean jjimjilbang? A relaxation mecca spread across six floors, the Dragon Hill Spa boasts enough hot and cold baths, steam rooms and saunas to satisfy even the most weary and aching traveller. After partaking in the separate men’s and women’s baths, treat yourself to a meal at the rooftop restaurant, enjoy a swim in the heated outdoor swimming pool, or unwind in the communal unisex area with drinks, snacks, and different areas ranging from ice cold to scorchingly hot. A full range of massages and spa treatments are on hand, too.

Then relax at the W Seoul Walkerhill, in Gwanjang-dong, which offers rooms graded from “Wonderful” – which is anything but “standard”, with minimalist décor in elegant red and white and a unique foot-massaging “pebble rug” – to “Extreme Wow”: a 13^th-floor suite overlooking the Han River and featuring a LED-illuminated dining room floor, a fully stocked wine cellar, four-person Jacuzzi with stunning mountain views and your very own personal waterfall.

In its 1,400 year history, the Japanese capital of Tokyo has faced catastrophic earthquakes, annihilation by numerous great fires, and massive Allied bombardment
in WW2; surviving these to rebuild as the biggest city in the world.

Over 30 million people, a quarter of the entire population of Japan, live in the Chiba-Tokyo-Yokohama conurbation, a sprawl of architecture which stretches as far as the eye can see. Every year, millions of tourists from around the world flock to this unique Asian gem, an exotic, blazing and ever-exciting fusion of East and West. It has been more than 150 years since American Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay with his fleet of US Navy steamships, forcing the isolationist Tokugawa government to open up trade with the west. These days, there’s no need to make as dramatic an entrance: and not even a lack of funds need stop you from experiencing the best that Japan’s dazzling capital city has to offer.

The skyline of Shinjuku and beyond.

The best place to immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of modern Tokyo – without spending a single yen – is the area around Shinjuku Station. The station sees a whopping 3.6 million passengers every day, making it the busiest station in the world. At rush hour, it certainly feels like it.

A raucous and motley swarm of Tokyoites hurry to-and-fro between platforms: grey-suited, stern-faced “salarymen”; impeccably made-up “OLs”, or “office ladies”; the occasional older figure in a kimono; schoolchildren in immaculate uniforms; and, if you’re lucky like I was on my first day, the unmistakable sight of a rikishi , or sumo wrestler, in traditional dress. Outside, enormous crowds surge to work or play across one of Tokyo’s hectic six-way pedestrian crossings.

Shinjuku lies on the west side of Tokyo’s 23 core divisions, or wards. The western districts of Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro, previously the upper-class area of Yamanote, today comprise a contiguous series of huge commercial and entertainment hubs, whereas Taito and Bunkyo, the quieter areas east of the Imperial Palace (Shitamachi, or “low city”) enshrine a great deal of Tokyo’s historic areas, including ancient Buddhist temples and beautiful areas of parkland.

West of Shinjuku, the major Tokyo business district of Nishi-Shinjuku features wide-open and airy streets surrounding the slender, elegant skyscrapers of the biggest Japanese companies and exclusive Western-style luxury hotels. The angular twin towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, opened in 1991, feature twin observation decks on the 45^th floor and offer breathtaking views of Shinjuku, Tokyo and beyond: on exceptionally clear days, you may be lucky enough to glimpse the white dome of Mount Fuji, 60 miles distant.

Uniqlo offer modern fashion at a good price.

Be sure to go at dusk and enjoy a coffee while the sun sets and Tokyo lights up, notably around the lavishly-illuminated Tokyo Tower, a 332m tourist trap built in 1958. Tokyo’s enormous sprawl, glittering from horizon to horizon with the light of 30 million inhabitants, is a spectacle difficult to forget.

From there, you can continue for a drink at the New York Bar, located on the 52^nd floor of the Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel. Prominently featured in Sofia Coppola’s 2003 Lost in Translation , the bar’s sumptuous atmosphere of high-class luxury complements the equally stunning views from the enormous two-story windows and the nightly live music from accomplished jazz acts. While the cover charge of 2,000 yen after 8pm (7pm on Sundays) may seem rather steep especially considering the pricey drinks, it’s worth it to enjoy a hour or two of the jet-setting lifestyle of Tokyo’s elite without shelling out a whopping 60,000 yen for a single night in the hotel.

Unfortunately, for the most part, Tokyo’s nightlife can do a very good job of separating foreigners from their money. The Roppongi district, a hotbed of bars and clubs popular with the ex-pat community, has a great deal of perfectly respectable and popular drinking establishments; but stories abound of hapless tourists coerced by hustlers into seedy Yakuza-run bars where the bill can quickly run into the tens of thousands of yen and where things can get very ugly if you try to dispute the cost.Even the more respectable clubs have exorbitant cover charges and are generally quite small and cramped. Instead, for a club that really lives up to Tokyo’s reputation of ultra-hip nightlife, try WOMB in fashionable Shibuya. A low-key exterior conceals the enormous dance hall inside, a cavernous hangar-like space three stories high. On the dance floor, hundreds of sweaty Tokyo youths gyrate to house and techno served up by a host of international DJs.

After a night of Tokyo’s charms, free entertainment can be found in Harajuku. A district between Shibuya and Shinjuku in western Tokyo, this is where flamboyant Japanese youth culture reigns supreme. The clothing in Harajuku is not so much fashion as fancy-dress: elaborate frilly dresses are the hallmark of Gothic Lolitas, while for other Tokyo youngsters it’s like punk rock never died. Take a deep breath and dive into the crush of Takeshita Street directly across from Harajuku Station, where shops with names like Sexy Dynamite are the
norm. If you’re lucky, you might catch a busker or two on the road outside the station, eager to be noticed.

The amazing Kaminarimon.

For a more sedate experience, visiting Tokyo’s parks is an inspired way to unwind. Ueno Park is a great way to waste an afternoon strolling along the wide paths, mingling with the crowds, and watching performers near the towering fountains of water. For a different experience, visit the beautiful Japanese-style gardens at Rikugien. For a paltry 300 yen, you can visit quaint little teahouses hidden under towering trees, marvel at meticulously manicured lawns, and enjoy 88 scenes from famous poems recreated in miniature around a serene central pond.

While Tokyo may not be able to beat the sheer number of temples and shrines in Japan’s historic capital Kyoto, the ancient Senso-ji temple in Asakusa is a fine example of Buddhist grandeur, having been around as long as Tokyo itself – and it’s free. Beyond the enormous Kaminarimon(“Thunder Gate”) with its giant red paper lantern, a crowded avenue of souvenir shops bustles with tourists in the daytime and early evening. Return late at night, however, and you’ll find a very different experience. In an empty courtyard, under the bleached night sky, the temple buildings loom ominously, yet serenely.

For more materialistic concerns, head to the Ginza shopping district: the home of upmarket department stores like Wako and Matsuya, as well as big name fashion boutiques. The high prices, however, mean Ginza has little to offer except window shopping for those on a budget.

A tower of karaoke in Shinjuku.

For electronics, Akihabara is the undisputed capital. Though
the big name stores like Laox offer duty-free shopping for foreigners, the real bargains are to be had in the smaller, messier shops hidden down back alleys and up dimly-lit stairwells, offering dirt-cheap state-of-the-art equipment made in Japan.

Tokyo has no shortage of hotels. Pleasant, if rather mundane business hotels offer single rooms from around 10,000 yen and doubles from 15,000 yen. I stayed with Sakura Hotel, a backpacker-orientated company who offer bargain singles from 6,090 yen and doubles from 8,200 yen in a central location with friendly, bilingual staff. The hotel’s sister organisations are worth checking out too: the clean and professional Sakura Hostel, located very close to the Senso-ji temple in Asakusa, has dorm beds at 2,940 yen; and for stays longer than a month Sakura House have 185 long-stay guesthouses across Tokyo starting from 39,000 yen (£190) per month for a dormitory and 48,000 yen for your own room with a shared kitchen. For a room of your own, you can’t beat the cheap and cheerful The Koenji, well located, clean, and just 2,500 yen a night.

Vending machines everywhere sell drinks, hot and cold, for 100-180 yen. You can eat well and in true Japanese style at fast food restaurants like Yoshinoya, where a big plate of rice and Japanese-style curry will set you back only 400-500 yen, with a cup of miso soup and a glass of water thrown in for free. In a pinch, combini (convenience stores) offer ready-to-eat sushi, sandwiches, and microwavable meals for a low price, and the ubiquitous 99 yen shops can feed you on the cheap.

The quiet backstreets of Shitamachi.

Japan’s rail network is internationally renowned for its efficiency and the trains in Tokyo are exceptionally clean, safe, and reliable. JR (Japan Rail)’s Yamanote loop line circles the core of Tokyo, with trains every two minutes and clear English displays in every carriage. As well as JR’s numerous train lines, Toei Subway and Tokyo Metro lines criss-cross the city. Tickets can be purchased from English-speaking machines and are priced by distance, costing around 110 to 270 yen for short hops around Tokyo. For those perplexed by often-confusing network maps, the best option might be an Oyster-style prepaid smart card: the competing Suica and PASMO cards can be charged up with up to 20,000 yen after an initial 500 yen charge. They work on all subway, bus, and most train lines in Tokyo: they can even be used to pay at vending machines.

If you’re planning to travel throughout Japan, an absolute bargain can be had with JR (Japan Rail)’s Rail Pass, which offers free travel on all JR lines throughout Japan except the Nozomi Shinkansen (the fastest of Japan’s famed bullet train services). A seven-day Rail Pass costs 28,300 yen, which compares favourably with the 26,440 yen fare for a return ticket between Tokyo and Kyoto. Bear in mind, however, that if you’re planning to stay in Tokyo the Rail Pass will probably cost you more than you save.

How to get there

Almost all international flights touch down in Narita Airport, located 70km from Tokyo, but you can catch JR’s Narita Express service from the airport’s two stations to Tokyo Station, which takes 55 minutes and costs 2,940 yen (free with the JR rail pass). Alternatively, the rival Keisei line offers the Skyliner for 2400 yen (36 minutes) or the bog-standard Limited Express service for 1000 yen (80 minutes). Avoid taxis, which will set you back 30,000 yen.