Time Out: Tokyo

Highlights of the 24 hour capital

Things really do move fast in this city of 12 million people - the new Maglev train zips along at 400mph. Tokyo already resembles the backdrop of Ridley Scott's sci-fi flick, Blade Runner, and keeping track of all that's going on can leave your head spinning. Timeout.com excels in the same way that it excels in print form - in its encyclopaedic listings.

Its museum guide is almost embarrassingly fecund, covering many a museum that other guides overlook. The Matsuoka Museum of Art began as the personal collection of Matsuoka Seiji, a property developer and connoisseur of Asian arts, and is now replete with Chinese ceramics, sculpted Buddhas, temple carvings, and the odd Roman and Egyptian artefact from further a field.

Those with a less culture-hungry appetite may take solace in the shopping section, and bargain-hunters can do no better than Kigawa, which specialises in end-of-the-line electrical goods, which are still light years ahead of what's on offer in the UK. Another popular way of shedding yen is by having a flutter and, while you're unlikely to make your millions playing Pachinko,(it's akin to pinball but requires less skill), a day at a horse track, or betting on the outcome of a hydroplane race just might do the trick.

www.timeout.com

Back to reviews