Getting there: fly nonstop from Heathrow to Tokyo with British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com ), All Nippon Airways (0870 837 8866, www.ana.co.jp ), Japan Airlines (0845 774 7700, www.uk.jal.com ) or Virgin Atlantic (0870 380 2007, www. virgin-atlantic.com ); from about £540.
On arrival, avoid bankruptcy by shunning taxis in favour of the Limousine Bus (00 81-3 3665 7220, www.limousinebus.co.jp ), which delivers passengers directly to main hotels within two hours. Tickets cost £14 and are sold near the arrival-hall exits.
Alternatively, jump on the Narita Express train (050 2016 1603, www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex ) to a central station, such as Tokyo or Shinjuku; from £13.80.
Where to stay: Tokyo is such a big place, it's worth considering a mid-stay change of hotels. For wow views, try the Park Hotel (03 6252 1111, www.parkhoteltokyo.com ; doubles from £132), a 20-minute stroll north of the fish market. Rooms are businesslike, but the skyscraper perspective you get on the city makes it worthwhile.
On the other side of town is a trendier, pop-artier option called Granbell (03 5457 2681, www.granbellhotel.jp ; doubles from £124 for a small-even-by-Japanese-standards-but-it-doesn't-matter-as-you-won't-sleep-much-anyway double). It's perfectly located near Shibuya station, for shopping by day, partying by night.
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Modernist-architecture buffs should head to the central Hotel Okura (03 3582 0111, www.okura.com/tokyo ; doubles from £193), an elegant fusion of early 1960s decor and impeccable service.
Then there's the 11-room Yoshimizu (03 3248 4432, www.yoshimizu.com ; doubles from £99, B&B), a contemporary take on a traditional ryokan inn, with tatami floors, sliding shoji screens and cedar baths, in a minimalist setting a short walk from Ginza station.
If you prefer to go packaged, talk to a specialist, such as Inside Japan (0870 120 5600, www.insidejapantours.com ), Japan Travel Centre (020 7255 8283, www.japantravel.co.uk ) or Audley Travel (01993 838000, www.audleytravel.com). Where to eat: red lanterns glowing in the street mark the entrance to Japanese-style pubs known as izakaya. Don't be put off if it's less spacious than a shoebox, the food is unidentifiable or there is no English menu. Simply point and say: " Onaji mono o kudasai" ("I'll have what they're having..."). The food will be good - if it weren't, the place would close within the month.
A Tokyo sushi fix is essential. For the most transcendent of experiences in the most modest of settings, perch at one of 10 counter seats in the basement restaurant Sushi Mizutani (Seiwa Silver Building B1F, 8-2-10 Ginza, Chuo-ku; 03 3573 5258; dinner menu from £71). It was recently awarded three Michelin stars, so you'll have to book well in advance. And for Saga beef, with an epic bird's-eye view of the city, try Shunju, on the 27th floor of the Sanno Park Tower (03 3592 5288), signposted from exit 7 of Tameike-Sanno metro station.
Getting around: the subway system, running from 5am until midnight, is punctual, clean and efficient. English signs and maps, if you can find them, help minimise Lost in Translation moments.
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Taxi fares start at about £3 and are inexpensive for local trips. The white-gloved driver will open and close the doors automatically and tipping is not expected. What to do: the jet-lagged and those with stomachs of steel should make a predawn pilgrimage to Tsukiji fish market (Tsukijishijo station or Tsukiji). Just ask for Sushi Dai, where the menu costs from £14.
For a whistle-stop art fix, head to Roppongi: start at the Mori Art Museum (Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi; 03 5777 8600, www.mori.art.museum/eng ), with its 52nd-floor observation deck. Then explore behind the undulating glass facade of the National Art Centre (7-22-2 Roppongi; 03 5777 8600, www.nact.jp ). Finally, check out 21_21 Design Sight (9-7-6 Akasaka; 03 3475 2121, www.2121designsight.jp ), created by cult architect Tadao Ando, in the Tokyo Midtown complex.
And when you need a break from Tokyo's rampant modernism, escape to Asakusa, home to Senso-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in the capital. The lantern-bedecked market that lines the route to the temple is a welcome relief from all the shopping centres.
On that note, you're best left to your own devices when it comes to shopping. You won't struggle for choice. Ginza is the posh district with posh prices; Omotesando and Takeshita Dori are the trendy ones full of stroppy, rebellious teens, but also some rather wonderful hidden boutiques, galleries and cafes. And Akihabara - aka Electric Town - is the place to go if you want a singing toilet, a cleaning robot, a high-tech rice cooker or an iPod.
Further information: contact the Japan National Tourist Organisation on 020 7734 6870, or visit www.seejapan.co.uk .