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The Draw
• An intoxicating nexus of fashion, cuisine and art complemented by tree-lined shopping streets, relaxing parks and side-street shrines.
• After a decade of economic doom, Tokyo's buzz is back, sparking a shower of cultural creativity and new boutiques, bars and design hotels.
• Blade Runner incarnate—few cities boast such jaw-dropping urban squares or bewildering transportation systems.
The Scene
Tokyo initially presents itself as a sprawling, amalgam of disjointed districts. There is no discernible city center, and despite its generous array of parks, natural beauty is not evident. But scrape the surface, and you'll find this is a hugely underrated place. A conjoining of Oriental élan and Western functionality, Tokyo's finest charms are often secreted from view—along backstreets or behind more prominent landmarks. It coaxes persistence from the traveler, but the effort is rewarded. Variety, energy and innovation are Tokyo's trademarks, underscored by the pleasures of a sumptuous lunch in the Aoyama district, watching a traditional weekend wedding at the Meiji shrine, or perusing the galleries of Ginza.
To Be Seen
• Ginza. Affluent and upper crust, this labyrinthine district of idiosyncratic art stores and galleries is where the capital's chattering classes meet for a post-purchasing lunch.
• Shibuya. Sofia Coppola got this absolutely right—the sensual assault is visual rather than audible. Hachiko Square is a dizzying mélange of glassy malls covered with futuristic animation and interactive advertising.
• Shinjuku. By day, a soaring skyscraper district of international hotels and the world's busiest train station. By night, a neon blaze of nightlife and dining. The upper-floor hotel bars offer panoramic city views.
For the VIP
• Sleek, chic and satisfyingly Zen, Higashi-yama Tokyo's experimental Japanese cuisine and contemporary-meets-traditional design is the city's hot table.
• Take Japan's sacred tea ritual home with beautifully packaged, fragrant, homegrown Kyoto teas from chic design store, Cïbone.
• CLASKA is a discreet nine-room boutique hotel by Japanese architect Shuwa Tei located in the formerly unfashionable Meguro district. It's popular with fashion designers and movie idols.
Overrated
Roppongi. Choked with traffic, tourists and shot bars, this nightlife district services bachelor party excess, drink-until-you-drop backpackers and company credit card wielding corporate travelers. Best avoided by everyone else.
Underrated
Asakusa. The low-rise streets near the Sensoji shrine are like a pared-down SoHo in London, crammed with galleries and unfussy restaurants and bars. Arrive by riverboat along the Sumida River from Hinode Pier on Tokyo Bay.
Don't Miss
The New York Bar & Grill at Park Hyatt. Revamped and reopened in fall 2006, Bill Murray's late-night whiskey and jazz hangout is sassier than ever—with the same sensational city views.
When to Go
Spring and fall. The cherry blossoms of April and colorful season-turning foliage of September are preferable to the searing heat of midsummer, or the gray gloom of winter.
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