Roppongi Hills
Created as a city within a city, this immensely popular complex offers visitors a taste of Tokyo's future. Every inch of Roppongi Hills has been beautifully designed; visitors can wander through peaceful Japanese gardens and beside water walls, then eat and shop in one of more than 200 restaurants and boutiques. Those exhausted from shopping can enjoy the 12-screen Virgin cinema, showing the latest blockbusters, and night visitors shouldn't miss the chance to catch the best view of the city at Tokyo City View.

Roppongi Hills, Minato-ku
Tel: (03) 6406 6000.
Website: www.roppongihills.com/en/information/
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Free admission.

Tokyo Tower
Opened in 1958, this 333m (1,092ft) red and white tower is an almost exact replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. But standing several metres taller than the original, it also includes an aquarium, numerous gift shops and a waxwork exhibit. The 250m- (820ft-) high observation tower offers views as far as Mt Fuji.

4-2-8 Shinbakoen, Minato-ku
Tel: (03) 3433 5111.
Website: www.tokyotower.co.jp
Opening hours: Daily 0900-2200.
Admission charge.

Tsukiji Ichiba
Set your alarm clock early as visiting the world's biggest fish market before dawn has even broken is a sight not to be missed. Relocated to this area following the 1923 earthquake, the market is now open six days a week (it's closed on Sundays and national holidays). More than 2,000 tons of fish pass through here every day, and the main action starts with a tuna auction at a jetlag-friendly 0530, where each enormous brightly-labelled fish can sell for as much as ¥1 million.

5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Tel: (03) 3543 4176.
Website: www.tsukiji-market.or.jp
Opening hours: Mon-Sat from 0500.
Free admission.  

Hama-Rikyu
Those exhausted by the fish market can seek solace at these nearby gardens. Hidden within a beautiful walled moat, this city oasis boasts manicured lawns, an ancient pine tree and three peaceful lakes. Once the hunting ground of a shogun, the tranquil garden now offers only peace, quiet and a view of Tokyo's famous Rainbow Bridge.

1-1 Hama Rikyu Teien, Chuo-ku
Tel: (03) 3541 0200.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700.
Admission charge.

Tokyo Tocho
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices are notable both for their extraordinary architecture and the free observation decks on the 45th floor. Designed by Kenzo Tange, one of Japan's top architects, the monumental twin towers are said to be inspired by Notre Dame in Paris, although the imposing granite façade rather brings to mind scenes of Batman's Gotham City. The observation decks (one in each tower and both providing a cafe) are reached by high-speed elevator and give spectacular views over the city. When the Tokyo mist lifts, visitors can see Mount Fuji.

2-8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Tel: (03) 5320 7890.
Website: www.metro.tokyo.jp
Opening hours: (North deck) Tues-Sun 0930-2230, (South deck) Wed-Mon 0930-1730.
Free admission.

Shinjuku-gyoen
Originally created for the royal family, these are perhaps the most beautiful gardens in Tokyo. The layout is meticulous and breathtaking, with both Japanese and French garden design, an imperial villa and a tropical greenhouse to explore. The place is filled with families on sunny days, as picnicking here is a Japanese tradition, although cafes are also on hand. The garden is particularly beautiful in the spring, when the cherry trees are in full bloom.

11 Naito-cho, Shinjuku-ku
Tel: (03) 3350 0151.
Website: www.env.go.jp/garden/shinjukugyoen/english/index.html
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0900-1630.
Admission charge.

Bunkamura
For a glimpse of international art, as well as the most innovative and exciting Tokyo can offer, this is the best gallery in town. But it is much more than just a museum, it is a multimedia building offering a complete range of music, cinemas and events.

24-1,Dogenzaka 2-chome Shibuya-ku
Tel: (03) 3477 9111.
Website: www.bunkamura.co.jp
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1900.
Admission charge.

Meiji-jingu
One of Japan's finest examples of Shinto architecture, the atmospheric Meiji Shrine is tucked away in the centre of a dark, cool forest - an unexpected oasis in the centre of the city. Passing through a vast wooden torii gate, the visitor follows the wide gravel path through the forest and into the shrine precincts. Completed in 1920, the shrine honours the memory of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, under whose reign Japan rapidly modernised and was opened to the outside world.

1-1 Yoyogi, Kamizono-cho, Shibuya-ku
Tel: (03) 3320 5700.
Website: www.meijijingu.or.jp
Opening hours: Daily dawn to dusk (can vary, but usually 0900-1700).
Free admission to the shrine, charge for the Gyoen Inner Garden.

Ueno-koen
The largest park in Tokyo, Ueno is where locals head when the cherry blossoms suddenly bloom. With over 1,000 trees it makes a spectacular sight every spring. Home to several important museums, as well as Ueno Zoo, the park is dotted with historically-interesting temples and shrines, including the Tokyo ‘branch' of the Nikko Toshogu Shrine.

Taito-ku
Tel: (03) 3828 5644.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Free admission to the park and shrines.

Sensoji
Tokyo's most revered Buddhist temple, and a site of pilgrimage and tourism for many centuries, Sensoji Temple was founded in AD628, to enshrine a gold statuette of the Kannon Bodhisattva (the Goddess of Mercy). The temple and its five-storey pagoda are concrete reconstructions built after a 1945 bombing raid, but the temple precincts are nevertheless always bustling with worshippers. Smoke from the huge incense burner in front of the temple is said to have healing powers.

2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku
Tel: (03) 3842 5566 (Asakusa Cultural and Sightseeing Centre).
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours (grounds), 0600-1700 (shrine).
Free admission.

Tokyo International Exhibition Centre
Commonly called ‘Tokyo Big Sight', and located on the reclaimed island of Odaiba in the middle of Tokyo Bay, this is Japan's largest convention centre. Since opening in 1996, it has housed hundreds of world famous exhibitions.

3-21-1 Ariake, Koto-ku
Tel: (03) 5530 1111.
Website: www.bigsight.jp
Opening hours: Vary depending on events.
Free admission.  

MegaWeb
The centerpiece of the Odaiba land reclamation project, MegaWeb houses the giant ferris wheel that plays such an important part on Tokyo's new skyline. This development also includes Toyota City Showcase, where petrol heads can both see the newest cars in development, and give them a virtual test drive.

Aomi 1-chome, Koto-ku
Tel: (03) 3599 0808.
Website: www.megaweb.gr.jp
Opening hours: Daily 1100-2100 (2200 Sat-Sun).
Free admission.

Kyoko Higashi-gyoen
The Imperial Palace East Garden, on the site of the old Edo Castle of the shoguns, is the only part of the Imperial Palace that is regularly open to the public. Entered through the Otemon Gate, once the main entrance to the castle, it is a pleasant formal garden, surrounded by a section of the original moat and incorporating walls and foundations of the inner castle. Special features include a teahouse, pond and waterfall.

Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku
Tel: (03) 3213 1111.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1630.
Free admission.

Yasukuni-jinja
Perhaps the most controversial of all Tokyo's sites, this shrine houses the souls of those killed in various Japanese wars. The grand shrine displays various artefacts and contains a sumo ring and noh theatre.

3-1-1 Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku
Tel: (03) 3261 8326.
Website: www.yasukuni.or.jp
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700.
Free admission to the shrine, charge for the museum.

Edo-Tokyo Hakubutsukan
Housed in what looks like a colossal white spaceship, the Edo-Tokyo Museum is a wonderful place for visitors to get a feel for Tokyo's history and culture. The permanent exhibition is divided into three distinct areas. The ‘Edo Zone' opens with a replica of Nihombashi ‘Bridge of Japan', taking visitors through ‘Tokyo Zone' post war reconstruction ending at ‘History Zone'.

1-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida-ku
Tel: (03) 3626 9974.
Website: www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0930-1730 (Thu and Fri 2000).
Admission charge.