Where to stay

The busiest hub, with direct trains west to Mount Fuji and Hakone, big hotels and Shinjuku Gyoen. Lively day and night.

Shopping, design and the famous crossing, with Meiji Jingu and Tokyo Camii close by.

Calm, polished and central, beside the Imperial Palace. Shinkansen to Kyoto and Nikko from your door.

Department stores, galleries and wide pavements; pedestrianised on weekend afternoons.

Old-town lanes, Sensō-ji and the Sumida River. Good value, with halal-certified sushi and a mosque nearby.

Museums, the zoo and Ameyoko market around one big park, with the Skyliner to Narita.

Art museums, Tokyo Tower views and new towers like Azabudai Hills. Busy bar streets after midnight.

A practical, good-value hub with department stores, Sunshine City and the Otsuka mosque one stop away.