Imperial Palace
Edo became the capital of Japan and was renamed Tokyo ("capital of the East" in Japanese) when the Emperor moved from Kyoto to this former shogunate castle in 1868. You can't visit the palace, but its gardens (Higashi-gyoen) are a green lung in the heart of the city. On the north side, after your stroll, you can visit the National Museum of Modern Art, an excellent opportunity to discover modern Japanese art.
Ginza
Luxury shops and refined tea rooms along the main avenue, Chuo-dori, have made this old-fashioned district famous. Just as famous: the Kabuki-za, a theatre that has kept its traditional façade despite its recent renovation, perpetuates a dramatic genre where the actors, with their strong gestures and hyper-expressive faces, will make you forget the language barrier.
Ueno Park
There's nothing like a trip to Ueno Park to take your mind off the omnipresence of concrete and electronics! Visit the rich Museum of Western Art, in a setting designed by Le Corbusier, the fascinating and abundant National Museum, the moving Toshogu Shrine and the country's oldest zoo.
Asakusa
A district that has remained traditional, where you'll find images of old Tokyo, with cobbled streets and wooden shopfronts... All of Asakusa is centred around Senso-ji, the city's oldest Buddhist temple, surrounded by a multitude of shops. On the3rd weekend in May, don't miss the Sanja Matsuri Shinto festival.
Tsukiji Fish Market
Tsukiji's famous fish market is a hive of activity, day and night: you're free to wander between the fishermen's amazing catches... as long as you pay attention to the incessant coming and going of carts and electric trolleys. Around 11am, it's off to the nearest restaurant for a breakfast of ultra-fresh sushi! Moved from Nihonbashi in 1923, the market is living out its final years here: it is due to be relocated to Toyosu in 2016.
Odaiba
Linked to the city centre by the Rainbow Bridge, the artificial island of Odaiba looks like an amusement park and seems to be dedicated to nothing but entertainment! There's a Ferris wheel and arcade at Palette Town, concerts on the esplanades, exhibitions at Tokyo Big Sight, shopping centres with unusual decorations... and a beach overlooking Tokyo Bay!
Roppongi
Roppongi Hills is the new hotspot for night owls, Japanese and expatriates alike. There's nothing typically Japanese about these western-looking towers, but there are gourmet French and Italian restaurants, a multiplex influenced by American cinema and clubs with a Latino vibe! Don't miss the panoramic view of the whole capital from the 52nd floor.
Shibuya / Harajuku
These two districts are both temples to Tokyo fashion and veritable living museums. Shibuya is home to young pop stars with a "lolita" look, showing off their kawaii pink sequined accessories in the district's boutiques. After a long day of shopping and exploring, you would want a comfortable place to rest. Tokyo has a myriad of fantastic hotels to choose from, whether you prefer a more budget-friendly three-star accommodation or a luxury suite, there is something in Tokyo for every traveler. Check out this list of three-star hotels in Tokyo here>> http://www.tokyo-hotels-stay.com/en/3-stars/. Just a few streets further on, Harajuku is teeming with cosplayers with more offbeat looks, who crowd Takeshita-dori and the entrance to Meiji-jingu on Sundays.
Meiji-jingu
Built only in 1920, during the Taisho era, and rebuilt in 1958 after the Second World War, this Shinto shrine has quickly become one of the capital's most popular. After the hustle and bustle of the capital, a path leads deep into the woods - made up of around 200 different species of trees - and leads to this quiet and silent refuge of preserved traditions.
Shinjuku
If, during the day, office workers head for the business skyscrapers and students for the schools of Takadanobaba, the Shinjuku area reveals a completely different face after dark: Kabukicho, a district named after a kabuki theatre and now known more for its many bars and pachinko parlours, bustles with life at all hours of the night, while the tiny bars adjoining Golden Gai, a meeting place for artists, are a reminder of the Tokyo of the early 20th century.
Imperial Palace / Marunouchi / Ginza
The geographical and historical heart of Tokyo, the Imperial Palace is nestled in an immense park, with only the delightful eastern gardens open to visitors. Around this "empty centre", Tokyo's frenzy quickly takes over: to the east stand the towers of Marunouchi, the financial district, bordered by the hectic Tokyo station. To the south-east, chic Ginza is lined up on Chuo-dori with luxury brands, department stores and patisseries. Pedestrianised on Sundays, the elegant avenue even has a Latin flair! Just a stone's throw from the giant advertisements is the famous Kabuki-za theatre, a guardian of popular traditions.
Akihabara / Ueno / Yanaka
Flashing neon lights, giant ideograms, multicoloured posters: in Akihabara, the "electric city", nothing is too bright to advertise the latest computers, a manga megastore or the latest maid cafe! Far from the cacophony, Meidai-dori, the musical instrument street, rubs shoulders with Jimbocho, the bookshop district. To the north lies the vast Ueno Park, with its collection of art museums. In April, the whole of Tokyo invades its paths to celebrate the cherry blossom! Further afield, in Yanaka, time seems to stand still, inviting you to stroll between Buddhist temples and old wooden houses squeezed into narrow streets.
Asakusa / Ryogoku
Restaurants, theatres, craftsmen, ryokan, sembei stalls and merchants: Asakusa still exudes a whiff of Shitamachi, the old Edo lower town of pleasures and commoners. The nerve centre of this traditional Tokyo is the magnificent Senso-ji temple, surrounded by lively alleyways. A stone's throw away, on the left bank of the Sumida, stands the surreal silhouette of the Asahi Super Dry Hall, a symbol of the architectural fantasies of the late 1980s, and the vertiginous Tokyo Skytree (2012), a 634-metre TV tower! To the south is Ryogoku, the sumotori district, where you'll find the National Stadium and the beya (stables): in the morning, you'll pass wrestlers on their way to training.
Tsukiji / Odaiba / Roppongi
While Tokyo is just waking up, the Tsukiji fish market is already in full swing! Later, in the shadow of the ultra-modern Shiodome towers, an aerial monorail will take families and young lovers to Odaiba, on the other side of the bay. On the programme: shopping, beach and attractions of all kinds. Back to the West Bank: the Mori Tower signals Roppongi, renowned for its sultry nightspots and bars for Westerners. Large-scale projects (National Art Center, Midtown...) have made it a fashionable district and the new art triangle in just a few years.
Shibuya / Harajuku
Shibuya station, Hachi-ko exit: the illuminated screens rival each other in gigantism, the loudspeakers blare the latest J-Pop hit at full volume, the young, stylish crowd wanders from shops to karaoke bars... In the evening, they make their way up the narrow streets of Dogenzaka, the club (and love hotel!) district. A different atmosphere in the north: Cat Street, the street of vintage and designers, meets the chosen one of fashion designers, Omote-Sando. A stone's throw away, Takeshita-dori, teeming with fashion victims, leads to Harajuku, a theatrical meeting place for candy-pink schoolgirls and gothic tribes. Here, a torii points the way to Meiji-jingu, a serene enclave where people get married in traditional kimonos.
Shinjuku / Ikebukuro
Busy and a night owl, Shinjuku never sleeps! On the west side (nishi) rises a forest of skyscrapers where 300,000 salarymen and office ladies rush in every morning. On the east side (higashi), a jumble of flashing signs signals Kabukicho at nightfall, a red-light district where pachinko parlours, cinemas, hostess bars, striptease parlours and a few smoky jazz clubs mingle. Less flashy is Golden Gai, with its line-up of tiny bars, and Ni-chome, with its gay and lesbian nightlife. To the north, on the Yamanote line, lies Okubo, a Korean district, Takadanobaba, a student district, and Ikebukuro, a popular and busy district.